Stub Creek horse camp is behind the Stub Creek Ranger Station just outside the Rawah Wilderness in the Arapahoe/Roosevelt National Forest. The US Forest Service asked the Northern Colorado BCH chapter (NCBCH) to pack out t-posts from an old fence line that was no longer needed and had become a hazard for wildlife and hikers alike. On August 1st through the 4th, the NCBCH chapter along with some BCH friends from Wyoming packed out 200 t-posts over 2 days. There were 5 packers, 14 helpers, 2 cooks and 1 professional photographer who recorded the event. We also had 13 horses and 3 mules, oh, and 1 camp dog. The first day was move in and set up camp day. Days 2 and 3 were packing days and the fourth day was break camp and head home. NCBCH has a camp cook who has a full camp kitchen and the food was out of bounds good. He prepared 8 meals for the crew including breakfast on the last day. The meals included his custom cured bacon, the most tender brisket I have ever eaten, and ham steaks with our eggs on the last morning. And of course, there's nothing like morning coffee at a mountain camp. Both mornings before we packed, we had a safety briefing and reminded everyone that safety is job number 1. We had to clear one widow maker and trim some limbs for the pack animals in a narrow section of the trail. It was a very successful project. The Forest Service was happy and no one nor any animals were injured.
Pictures by Michael Van Beber, Medicine Walk Photography
Story submitted by L Jay McDonald
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