Our Field Programs Season in 2021 was brimming with great work and amazing memories! CDTC is deeply grateful to everyone who volunteered with us this year, and to our partners and sponsors (list below) for helping make sure the trail is the best it can be. Here are the highlights from our Field Instructors!
Who are the 2021 CDTC Trail Instructors?
KADEN: My name is Kaden Sites (above, right), and after being born and raised in the small Colorado mountain town of Salida, I decided working outdoors was my passion. I first found the corps when I was 18 and joined a chainsaw crew in Durango, CO. I took off with chainsaw work for a while, then this year, as a 22-year old, I decided to look into the trail side of things. The CDTC Field Instructor position jumped out to me and I could not be more thankful to have taken it. Throughout this year I led 18 projects ranging from adopter trainings and volunteer projects to scouting missions and reroute plans. These took place throughout Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Every project was so phenomenal in its own way, but spending the summer working with and educating volunteers who desired to be there was one of the best parts. It was a very productive summer full of hard work, but it was also totally stress-free and enjoyable 100% of the time. We built a couple of reroutes in New Mexico that took the CDT off roads. We also blazed trail through massive blowdowns in Colorado. Every project felt very accomplishing, and it was the best trail experience I’ve ever had.
From here I plan to advance not only my education and skills in trail work but also those of people around me. This experience has better prepared me to do so in the future because it made me aware of how critical spreading this knowledge really is. Someone moving into this field in the future should have full desire to influence others in that way because educating others is the most effective way to make things change.
NATE: My name is Nate Cooper (above, left) and I am from Phoenix, AZ originally. My first experience with corps life was after my senior year of high school. I worked with the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) on a trail crew and fell in love with trail work from that point on. I learned about trail work while on a family trip to Glacier National Park and knew that I would want to try it out. I chose SCC because it was relatively close to home. Working with CDTC is my first time working away from SCC.
I have led volunteer trail projects all along the CDT this summer with my co-instructor from New Mexico to Montana. We drive from project to project, teaching about the CDT and how to build trails. We have worked in so many beautiful locations from desert to dense forest. I am most proud of the trail work I did outside Silver City, NM, building a section of rerouted trail through varied terrain. I want to continue improving my trail work skills after this season. I have learned a lot over the course of my job and feel better prepared to attack my future. I would tell someone interested in what I do to start on a basic trail crew and move up from there. I have learned so much that has improved my professional and personal life from trail work. I think that I have changed — I have become more confident. I will keep this momentum going by continuing to learn more about trail work and improve my teaching skills.
Overview, by the numbers
Overview, by project
Canjilon Lakes Adopter Training 5/22–23
CARSON NATIONAL FOREST – NEW MEXICO
Reconstruction: 100ft
Maintenance: 300ft
Drains installed: 16
Drains maintained: 4
Corridor cleared: 50ft
Downed trees removed: 2
The Canjilon Lakes Adopter Training was our first event of the field season. We were teaching two groups—one from the Santa Fe branch of WildEarth Guardians and the other from Santa Fe Prep School. The weather was not ideal for the weekend – it was cloudy and rainy with 30 mph winds. The unfriendly weather was not enough to keep us from having a great time instructing the future adopters on how to take care of the Continental Divide Trail. Photos by Gabe Etengoff
High Lonesome-Devil’s Thumb with Headwaters Trails Alliance
ARAPAHO-ROOSEVELT NATIONAL FOREST – COLORADO
New trail construction: 30 ft
Reconstruction: 75 ft
Scouting: 4,000 ft
Drains installed: 20
Rock structures built: 2
Downed trees removed: 186
Our next project was back in Grand County, working with HTA clearing blowdown on the HiLo section of the CDT, also a popular day hike to Devil’s Thumb. Last year a strong windstorm came through and blew down the majority of the trees in the forest. We worked with HTA and volunteers to clear these trees with hand saws and two crosscut saws since we were working in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. This project was physically demanding but ended up being very rewarding.
This project was made possible by the Grand County Open Lands, Rivers, and Trails program. Photos by Nate Cooper and Sean Burke.
Pagosa Adopter Training 6/26-27
SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST – COLORADO
Maintenance: 85
Drains installed: 26
Drains maintained: 4
Corridor cleared: 30 ft
From HiLo, we drove down to Pagosa Springs, CO, to lead an adopter training in the Pagosa Ranger District. The CDT is difficult to access near Pagosa Springs as it runs through the middle of the Weminuche Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in Colorado. Instead, we taught adopters how to maintain their section of trail working on the Four-Mile Trail, a popular day hike outside of town. We had rain during this training, which was a great way to show volunteers the benefit of drainages and properly designed trail tread. Photos by Nate Cooper.
Muddy Pass Scouting 6/30-7/1
MEDICINE BOW-ROUTT NATIONAL FOREST – COLORADO
Scouting: 7 Miles
Scouting the Muddy Pass area with Dan Carter, CDTC’s Trail and Lands Conservation Manager, was one of our more unique projects. We did not work with any volunteers but instead assisted Dan in scouting Muddy Pass, the home of one of the more unpleasant road walks on the CDT. We surveyed Forest Service-managed land, Colorado State Trust land, and private land around the Muddy Pass area to scope a desirable hiking route. We learned how important it is to work with local landowners to find a sustainable and beautiful location for the CDT to pass through. It was a very informative trip and gave us insight into how the CDTC is working on completing the Continental Divide Trail.
Pinedale, WY Adopter Training 7/10-11
BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST – WYOMING
Reconstruction: 25
Maintenance: 360 ft
Drains installed: 18
Drains maintained: 5
Corridor cleared: 530 ft
Downed trees removed: 2
The Pinedale Adopter Training was our first trip heading north out of Colorado. We were excited to work in such a beautiful area, near the Green River Lakes, with amazing views of the Wind River Range and Squaretop Mountain. We partnered with Friends of the Bridger Tetons to train local volunteers in basic trail maintenance skills and safety. Photos by Ethan Alexander, Scott Kosiba, and Adam Loudermilk.
Bison Mountain w/Wild Montana 7/16-18
HELENA-LEWIS & CLARK NATIONAL FOREST – MONTANA
Maintenance: 148 ft
Drains installed: 4
Drains maintained: 51
Cairns built: 2
Corridor cleared: 2,200 ft
Downed trees removed: 168
Other: 3 swales
The Bison Mountain Project with Wild Montana was a great learning experience. Matt Bowser, Wild Montana’s Stewardship Director, is a fountain of information and taught us a lot about leading volunteer projects. We worked with a great volunteer group to clear blowdown from the trail and convert the old road the CDT followed into a proper single-track trail.
This project was funded through the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance.
Teton Wilderness Marking 7/24-31
BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST – WYOMING
Scouting: 30 miles
Markers installed: 20 CDT markers
Hiking through the Teton Wilderness was easily a highlight of our 2021 field season. Kaden and I spent seven days putting up wilderness CDT markers along the trail and collecting information on sign conditions at trail junctions. It was beautiful with many excellent fly fishing opportunities. We were grateful not to run into any grizzly bears during our journey and appreciated the training Friends of Bridger Tetons gave us on bear safety.
This project was funded by Round Up Riders of the Rockies. Photos by Nate Cooper.
Lemhi Pass Adopter Training 8/6-7 & Lemhi Pass Reroute
SALMON-CHALLIS NATIONAL FOREST – IDAHO
Drains installed: 26
Corridor cleared: 31,500 ft
Downed trees removed: 36
New trail construction: 792 ft
Cairns built: 1
At the headwaters of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, we worked alongside volunteers to maintain and construct a new portion of the CDT. This quintessential CDT project had us marveling at the historical, cultural, and ecological significance of this congressionally designated trail. We were happy to have the opportunity to train locals from the nearby Gateway Community of Lemhi County and also be camped out near the Sacagewea Monument. This was a fantastic area to call home for the week!
This project was funded through the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance. Photos by Nate Cooper.
Bowen Gulch with Headwaters Trails Alliance 8/19-22
ARAPAHO-ROOSEVELT NATIONAL FOREST – COLORADO
Reconstruction: 5 ft
Scouting: 32,680 ft
Drains maintained: 56
Rock structures built: 2
Corridor cleared: 8,976 ft
Downed trees removed: 82
We made it back to Colorado in one piece and joined our friends over at HTA for our last project in Colorado for the year. A last-minute shift in project location repositioned our volunteer trail crew on the CDT through Bowen Gulch. We accessed this area through Rocky Mountain National Park and saw a ton of moose around camp. We were grateful to work with volunteers in clearing downed trees and brushing. The Never Summer Wilderness delivered some frosty mornings.
Yellowstone National Park with The Venture Out Project 8/30-9/3
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – WYOMING
Reconstruction: 50 ft
Maintenance: 100 ft
Drains maintained: 2
Rock structures built: 4
Other: 200 ft social trails closed, ten liner logs cut and placed
Year after year, CDTC hosts a project in Yellowstone National Park to assist their recreation crew in maintaining the CDT. We had the joy of partnering with The Venture Out Project to lead an LGBTQ+ volunteer crew in the Biscuit Basin area. Hotpots and geysers are enticing sights for trail travelers in this area. Our crew worked to encourage folks to stay on the CDT and not trample sensitive geothermal areas. Closing social trails and building jackleg fencing was some of the work we enjoyed doing. Bison meandered through our campsite regularly, wolves were heard howling at night, and the Nez Perce river provided a refreshing hangout after a long day’s work.
This project was funded by the National Park Trust. Photos by Oliver Reitz.
Canjilon Reroute 9/9-12
CARSON NATIONAL FOREST – NEW MEXICO
New trail construction: 777 ft
Maintenance: 10,650
Scouting: 18,480 ft
Drains installed: 2
Drains maintained: 3
Rock structures built: 2 water crossings
Cairns built: 2
The Canjilon Reroute project showcased terrific volunteers who have maintained and built parts of the CDT together for over 17 years. We had a fun time addressing a small reroute and maintaining the existing trail tread during the workdays. Our crew chefs, Ross and Carole, did a fantastic job cooking for our crew. Pineapple upside-down cake, fresh focaccia, and tasty breakfasts and dinners each day. The most scrumptious project of the season, hands down.
This project was funded by the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance. Photos by Patrick Dixon and Kylie Yang.
Cuba Adopter Training 9/18-19
SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST – NEW MEXICO
Maintenance: 320 ft
Drains installed: 4
Drains maintained: 1
Cairns built: 1
Corridor cleared: 400 ft
Downed trees removed: 6
Working just outside the Gateway Community of Cuba, NM, Kaden and I were able to teach a group of volunteers about basic trail maintenance and safety. We had an excellent site near the Nacimiento Mine where we built sections of a new trail that connects to the CDT from NM-126 to the San Gregorio Trailhead in the Santa Fe National Forest. Eventually, the Forest Service will be creating a new trailhead in this area and building out more recreation opportunities for the community. Photos by Nate Cooper.
Wilderness Study Area Scouting 9/20-21
LA LENA & EMPEDRADO WSAs – NEW MEXICO
Scouting: 42,240 ft
Cairns built: 27 repaired
We scouted the La Lena and Empedrado Wilderness Study Areas north of El Malpais National Monument between the training and National Public Lands Day. This desert terrain was in stark contrast to the pinon and juniper forest we worked in at Nacimiento Mine. While scouting this eight miles of trail, we collected drainage and tread data for the BLM and reinforced some existing cairns along this route.
National Public Lands Day 9/25
SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST – NEW MEXICO
Reconstruction: 50 ft
Maintenance: 550 ft
Drains installed: 3
Cairns built: 3
Signs installed: 2
Who doesn’t love National Public Lands Day? We had a blast leading a half-day volunteer event at the San Gregorio Trailhead outside Cuba, NM. CDTC’s Executive Director, Teresa Martinez, facilitated a family-friendly Leave No Trace hike simultaneously. Afterward, we enjoyed a community cookout with the gracious support of the Cuba Police Department – they cooked up a great BBQ for everyone. Photos by Laura Flores, Nate Cooper, and Kylie Yang.
Neglected Mine Reroute Part I 10/9-10/11 & Neglected Mine II 10/14 – 10/17
GILA NATIONAL FOREST – NEW MEXICO
New trail construction: 1,880 ft
Drains installed: 7 drains, three swales
Rock structures built: 4 steps, 2 retaining wall
Corridor cleared: 2,200 ft with chainsaw
Kaden and I had a great end of the season during the Neglected Mine Reroute project. We had a great group of volunteers work on technical trail construction, including rock work and trail construction. We enjoyed using chainsaws to clear the corridor. This was a great way to end our season, and we enjoyed working alongside fantastic volunteers from the Silver City area. Next year, I can’t wait to return to this area to pick up where we left off in completing this part of the CDT.
These projects were funded by the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance. Photos by Nate Cooper.
We also send our gratitude to the wonderful partners and funders who helped make this season a resounding success. Partners: New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors, Gila Backcountry Horsemen, Headwaters Trails Alliance, Wild Montana, The Venture Out Project, San Juan Mountain Association, Friends of the Bridger Teton, Anaconda Trail Society, WildEarth Guardians & Santa Fe Prep, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, & National Park Service Units. Funders: National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, Roundup Riders of the Rockies, National Park Trust, National Forest Foundation, Grand County Open Lands, Rivers and Trails, Laura Jane Musser Fund, Wines by V, and Membership Donations.
