Taylor Mountain, near Hobart, WA -- Elk Ridge and Carey Creek Trails -- King County
October 12, 2013 found the WTA work groups closed out of Forest Service Lands by the Government Shutdown
(for best text viewing, size margins several spaces to the right of the title and subtitle)

CAVEAT - This is only a partial report, based on photos we have.  Much work was done by many during the day and not pictured below.


Map source:  http://your.kingcounty.gov/ftp/gis/Web/VMC/recreation/BCT_TaylorMtn_brochure.pdf

John Hultquist participated Friday (10/11)-no photos- and Saturday (10/12) on new trail work noted on the map above with a blue line. 
Nineteen workers were there Friday, 29 Saturday, and Sunday (10/13) hosted 20 willing workers. 
A group went back on Sunday, but John is not going over for that work crew.  It's a 206 mile round trip, and takes 12.5 hours of his day.

As John described to me, the trail starts out through a forest all overgrown with ferns and moss-covered trees. 
He took the first few photos on my camera to explain to me what was done today.  Apologies for the lack of crispness in the images.


Then a King County worker (Jack there Saturday) comes in and marks the source of the trail to be, with purple flags (left below) -- and cuts some trees with a chainsaw to be removed later by the crew.  On the right below shows the clearing up the trail, and the flags on uncleared trail ahead.


Below on the left is a trail with a worker at the top.  The next photo is taken to show the type of digging that occurs on a new trail.  Note the big rock (WTA calls this a single-person rock = meaning, one person can dig it out of the trail and roll it).  It's in the foreground of the right photo and will be visible in the next shot looking back uphill from the roots.  Meanwhile, you are looking downhill at the trail development, and the exposed roots (dark) poking out into the trail in the top middle of the picture.  The work crew worked hard to dig those out and decided the tree unseen behind the orange hat off to the right was too majestic to damage further, and so they will re-cover the roots previously exposed and move the trail to the left, cutting out instead the smaller tree on the left of the trail seen at the top of the right picture below.  This was getting near the end of lunch, hence the hard hats are sitting alone on the rocks.  The single-person rock in the foreground will be used for part of a rock wall, and the smaller (throw-able) rocks stacked to the right that have been dug out of the trail will be used for fill projects elsewhere in the trail maintenance construction.. 


  After lunch and before work really started back, fellow worker Christie Tackett took the picture (below on the right) of John Hultquist (ACL), at Evonne's request,
and Christie emailed it to me from her I-phone, while still in the woods. 
Very cool.  Thanks, Christie.
John being the cynic he is, thinks I-phones add bulk to human torsos!  


One small salamander was found in this process and, after being viewed by many questioning its heritage, was repatriated among the ferns.  Meanwhile, a report back from Evonne told me she received a message from Todd W. that the salamander he had found is called an Ensatina, and it is a lung-less salamander that breathes through the pores of its skin.  I found several images on the web, but decided this might be the closest to what the crew saw.  This picture was taken on the Olympic peninsula.


Now late Saturday night, I see that Evonne has shared all of Big Rock Jonnie's photos for the day, and later Sunday I will grab a few of those to add to this story. 
There is one of particular interest to me -- John in his new hair piece. 
People on the trail commented on his nice-looking "mullet" haircut.  As he was walking down the trail, one of the crew placed it on his hard hat.
He's been telling me for weeks he needs a haircut, but this cinches it.  I hope to cut his hair tomorrow !! 



So, here we start below with the arrival of the working crew for the day --  congregating in the parking lot near the trail head. 
In the left photo, Orange hat (ACL) Jim Springbert talks to ACL Bob Evans, Evonne behind heading toward tools, with ACL Cliff Cantor and Ivory F. behind Tyler. B..
In the middle photo, Evonne is at her truck with Tyler near Monty M. eating one of the donuts brought by Big Rock Jonnie.  Right: Breshi is talking to Donnie.


Below, Ben Mayberry displays his WTA saw with his name engraved on the handle. These awards are given after a person attends  
50 WTA trips.  Evonne presents Ivory Fish with his own green hat (normally given at the beginning of a person's 5th WTA trip),
and Julie Watkins-Jarvie (Chipper) on the right, who also received hers this day.


Below, the group gives their attention while Evonne discusses the safe handling of work tools.  The beginning of all work days start with this introduction, and the ACLs  help describe the tools and hold each one up to talk about various characteristics, including funny stories, such as mentioned below about the McLeod implement. 
The main goals of all trips include SAFETY first, then FUN, and WORK  third.  In the right photo more of the group stand behind the
WTA work in progress sign announcing their presence at the trail.  Personally, I think that's a nice touch and great statement for the public and trail users.
 
 

The left picture shows Evonne in her Banana Costume (provided by Big Rock Jonnie) to honor her as leader of the Banana dance.  John H. looks on appreciatively as the workers follow suit with her guidance through interpretive dance exercise about pealing, eating, and otherwise handling a banana.  He's been known to participate too!
 

More on the banana dance to enhance warm-up muscle exercise for shoulders, arms, and wrist movements along with body motion.
 

AND BELOW -- A SPECIAL ADDITION to the banana story.  Update from Nov 1, 2013 WTA Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.

After seeing and enjoying these warm-up exercise pictures, and others of people dancing on the trail to tap down trail bed on another Evonne trip, I (Nancy) decided to retrieve my over 30 year old stuffed banana and figure a way to present it to Evonne at the WTA Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.  I won it in a raffle at the Banana Belt Bowling Tournament (Lewiston, ID) by rolling strikes in the 3rd, 6th, and 9th frames of the 3 games of a series.  It sat in an east-facing window for over 20 years in my office, so that it would greet students coming in to meet with me,  encouraging them to be in a good, happy mood.  It worked!
We worked through Alan Mortimer, sending him the picture of me & the happy banana on the right below, to request his presenting the award; 
it was a nice and well-deserved surprise for Evonne Ellis, at the WTA Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.
In the picture with Evonne, John is holding his Carharrt Award this year --a  nice hooded heavy jacket (with an embroidered WTA emblem) along with a set of double thick pants, called Weathered Duck 5-pocket pants.  I managed to get him to pose in Ellensburg, at our home, with his new jacket and a vesicular basalt rock atop a post.
 
 
Below crew members are marching to the work spots carrying some implements.  Note at the left front Erin W. is carrying a brand new grub hoe. 
Behind her, Monty M. and John H. are carrying shovels and older used grub hoes.  Tools in the middle photo, clippers, more shovels, and a McLeod. 
The McLeod is jokingly called the supervisor's tool because, when propped on its handle, it makes a little table shelf  (to lean on or put coffee on).  
Oct 18, '13 on a WTA trip to the O'Grady Trail, John carried his camera and photographed the Crew Leader, Jen Gradisher, posing with a McLeod.  


Here below are several of the crew in the woods, with yellow vine maple leaves creating some surrounding autumn colors. 
Christie Tackett is the digger on the right below, and she is the one I (Nancy) thanked for taking John's picture (above) and emailing to me.


On the left below is James R. with whom John and Christie worked a lot.  Middle is Breshi.  Tess to the right was replanting ferns removed while creating trail.





 
 Two new Green Hatters:   Julie (Chipper)      and                                 Ivory (Fish)
 

 

   Moa L.'s lunch location is more picturesque than John H.'s


Parting shot of most of today's crew


And the real final shot of wrap-up memories of the day with Evonne, John, and Ben



Thank you to Jon Nishimura for all the photos of the crew.  We apologize for the quality of the first 6 photos John took on my camera with low lighting.

NOTE:
COMMENT about names of pictured volunteers.  I have put in only the first names and maybe a last name initial of Green Hats, until I hear from each one, that it's okay to print your entire name, or just the initial.  I did add the last names of the ACLs and Green hat recipients this trip.  Hope this is okay with everyone.  Please let me know if you want a change in your last name, and remind me what your whole name is.  Remember this is a private page accessible only to those with a link. 
It should not be picked up from Bing or Google on  a search of your name.
ALSO -- for those of you unidentified in the Banana Dance or elsewhere on the trail, if you want your name added, please notify me; see bottom of the page.

http://ellensburg.com/nancyh/WTA-TaylorMtnOct12-13.html
above is the link you can give to your friends

              
              Comments to Nancy (John's wife) and submissions appreciated.  Send to  nancyh@ellensburg.com
 

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