This weeks project began with a treacherous and steep hike down to the Chicago Lakes on Mt. Evans.The week did not get any easier from there as our crew faced many challenges including broken tools , painfully early mornings, and afternoon thunderstorms that are inevitable when you are working at 11,000 feet of elevation. Despite all of these challenges this was one of the most exciting, and enjoyable hitches weve had as a crew so far. Our task was to install rock steps and retaining walls along a steep trail that had been washed out from a mudslide 5 years ago.After a quick crash course of rock work given to us by 2 employees with the Colorado fourteeners initiative we began the difficult task of moving massive rocks and boulders to their new places within the trail. Our crew had virtually no experience building with rocks prior to this week but we quickly picked up the basics and had a blast creating rock walls composed of 300 pound puzzle pieces. Our CFI project partners explained to us that their goal is to create structures that will last 80-100 years and it felt extremely rewarding to be creating something that will benefit hikers for decades to come.In my opinion, what made this week truly special was the natural beauty of our work site as we were positioned on the side of a valley overlooking two blue alpine lakes. Beginning
our work days before 5 am every morning allowed us to see the sun climb over the edge of the mountain, illuminating the cliffs with a soft reddish-pink glow and giving us a gorgeous and peaceful start to our day. We also had several run ins with a herd of big horned sheep that reside in the valley and one morning we had to fend off the 30 sheep herd as they attempted to eat our gear which we had left drying in the sun.
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