Looking for a challenging, rewarding, and fun backcountry hiking adventure? We are seeking volunteers to help us pack our summer basecamp into the Willow Lake Basin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains! The Willow Creek Trail is a steep and strenuous ~5 mile hike up the basin and the location where RMFI will base all of our work crews from mid-June to mid-September. Needless to say, that's a lot of equipment! A team of mules will be packing this gear towards our camp as far as they are able to go, within the last couple last miles to the basin. From that point, volunteers will help us unpack the mules and hike the gear the remaining pitch up.
This effort will help us get set up for a long summer of project work on the Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Trail Realignment Project. The goal of this multi-year project is to construct a safe and sustainable trail system to the summits of Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point. Volunteers helping with the pack in will be an important part of this effort and make a lasting impact on this fragile environment that is experiencing increased visitation due to the growing popularity and allure of climbing 14,000 foot peaks.
DATES AND SCHEDULE - JUNE 17 - 20
Sunday, June 17: Participants meet the RMFI staff at the Willow Creek Trailhead by 5:00pm. We will have an orientation to the project and will camp here for the night.
Monday, June 18: We will get an early start hiking up the Willow Creek Trail ahead of the mule team, carrying just our personal gear. A little over 3 miles up the trail is where we will rendezvous with the mule team at the point they are unable to pass. Here we will unload the mules, repack the equipment for us to hike up, and continue on the remaining 1-2 miles to the Willow Lake Basin with basecamp equipment loads. If time allows, we will return to this point for another load up. This will be a very strenuous but highly rewarding day of hiking! On this night we will camp in the basin, relaxing in the crisp mountain air and cooking up a delicious backcountry dinner.
Tuesday, June 19: After a hearty breakfast, we will continue packing gear from the mules’ drop-off point until all equipment is in the basin. Another evening spent in the basin basecamp.
Wednesday, June 20: Pack up camp, hike back down to the trailhead, and head out after a good few days of packing!
BASECAMP AND EQUIPMENT
On our first night we will be car camping at the trailhead. Basecamp on Monday and Tuesday nights will be the Willow Lake Basin, approximately 11,500 feet above sea level and 5 miles UP the steep and switch-backed Willow Creek Trail. This is a remote backcountry location. Our camp will be fully equipped – all group equipment, including stoves, and kitchen supplies, as well as all meals will be provided by RMFI. RMFI prides itself on providing volunteers with hearty, nutritious, and delicious meals to fuel tough work at high altitude! Participants are expected to help cook and partake in camp chores.
Volunteers must supply their own personal outdoor gear though we will loan you a tent since we are packing many in anyway! Loaner sleeping bags and pads are available upon request, on a first-come first-served basis. Volunteers may be asked to buddy-up in tents to make best use of available space. Volunteers will make use of the RMFI-provided carry-in/carry-out solid waste (WAG) system.
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
- This is a very strenuous program involving lots of hiking at altitude and with heavy loads. Participants must complete the online application which includes questions pertaining to medical history, outdoor experience, and physical conditioning. (See link to apply above.)
- Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
- No prior experience is necessary. However, participants must be in excellent physical condition and comfortable living, hiking, and doing manual labor at elevation in a remote mountain setting.
- Participants are responsible for transportation to and from the Willow Creek Trailhead (Crestone, CO). Carpooling opportunitites from Colorado Springs may be available.
Questions? Contact Molly Mazel, Volunteer & Partnership Coordinator, molly@rmfi.org, (719) 471-7736 ext. 4# 
|
Work Project Requirements
|