Trail Talk: A Window into Grand Teton National Park’s Youth Conservation Program – Week 7

This week began with a face-lift to the trail along the sections from the String Lake outlet to the West Jenny Lake boat dock. The YCP crew tediously worked to remove limbs and brush along this dry terrain, completing 1.5 miles of trail improvement. Recent hikers have noticed that the trail seems wider and facilitates two way traffic now that the brush has been removed.

Digging in the dirt

YCP crew members installing steps on the Grandview Point trail.

The middle of the week was dedicated to cleaning drains and repairing heavily eroded sections of trail. The crew worked on the Grandview Point trail in an area that had not received drainage maintenance in many years. As a result, the trail became a large trench. The YCP installed 24 log check steps to fill in this trench and retain soil. They also repaired a horse bridge by Two Ocean Lake where the kick rails had rotted out.

“No drain, no pain.” Ben Fairbanks

The team completed the week by putting the finishing touches section of new trail on the west side of Jenny Lake. They removed stumps of trees with grip-hoists, dug walkable ground in a steep hill sides, and crushed rocks with sledgehammers to fill in holes. They finished off the day in style by re-vegetating around the area they had worked, dispersing large soil piles to ensure that native plants will grow again.

Bridge work

Working hard on a horse bridge at Two Ocean Lake.

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