YCP had another successful week of working and learning in Grand Teton National Park!
On Monday, the crew returned to their multi-week project on Leigh Lake and continued working on their long trail reroute. They uprooted bushes and vegetation, removed tree stumps, and smoothed trail tread as they progressed along the new alignment. The reroute will be quite long, clocking in around one-half mile. Since they will be working at this location for the next several weeks, the team created a tool cache at the site so they do not have to hike the tools in and out every day.
The crew enjoyed the holiday on Tuesday and got back to work on Wednesday. They hiked about 3.5 miles up Granite Canyon, which was in desperate need of brushing to clear the corridor for hikers and horseback riders. YCP also had the privilege of seeing one of the NPS trail crews demonstrate how to blow up a large boulder that had fallen into the trail!
Thursday looked a little different for YCP—the crew had their first education day and joined Grand Teton's vegetation team. They learned about native and invasive plants, pulled invasive weeds in the park's nursery, and collected native dandelion seeds that will eventually be replanted. YCP joined the NPS facilities management division for lunch and enjoyed good food while receiving recognition from the park's management team. The crew finished the week by packing the gear for their backcountry work trip, which is next week!