Dix with the 46ers

This was my first ever trail maintenance day. The 46ers gathered a crew to help clean up the trail to Dix, from Elk Lake to Hunters Pass and down the Beckhorn trail.

In the morning, I met Tom, who had just completed 1,046 hours of service. Wow! To make it more impressive, he had come from Virginia and Pennsylvania for all those hours of work.

A crew of 6 of us turned off from the rest up the Beckhorn Trail, which I have always liked. It’s a bit steep at first, but then levels out and softens for a long stretch before getting steep again.

Joe (Joe Cedar, from my last Dix Range traverse) and I carried shovels and cleared drainage along the 2.3-mile route to the summit. If you thought walking up this trail is hard, try shoveling your way sometime!

Brian (Pathgrinder) led the other four ahead of us cutting the path clear from blown down trees. They did an amazing job, clearing dozens of newly-fallen trees.

At the summit, we met the other crew which had come up through Hunters Pass (it makes a loop) and they joined us on the descent. The summit was cold, wet, and windy, so none of us lingered long.

On the way out with so many guys, we cleared several huge downed trees along the 4.3-mile return. It was a long, wet, cool day, and back-breaking work, worth every step.