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The Trip

Please note that the leader has changed from what was originally published. If you have questions, please contact us.

In the spring, before the crowded rafting season begins, the remote Snake River Valley is filled only by the sounds of flowing water and wind. Wildflowers abound here in Idaho, and spawning steelhead trout have been seen from footbridges that we’ll cross. This is the ideal time of the year to perform trail maintenance and to scout the rocky bluffs in search of pictographs or wildlife.

Created by the Snake River, Hells Canyon is the deepest river-carved gorge in North America -- 7,913 feet deep as measured from He Devil Mountain (elev. 9,393 ft), the highest peak in the Seven Devil Mountain Range. Hells Canyon National Recreation Area covers over 650,000 acres, of which 215,000 are designated wilderness. In 1975, some 67 miles of Snake River were included in the National Wild and Scenic River System. The 31.5-mile section upriver from Pittsburg Landings is designated as wild, which is defined as "free of impoundments and generally accessible only by trail," and represents "vestiges of primitive America." We will base our camp at Sheep Creek. A forest service riverboat will carry our group from Pittsburg Landing.

The Project

The Sierra Club has run service trips to the Seven Devils area for more than 25 years. A Forest Service wilderness management specialist will supervise our work and accompany us throughout the working portion of the trip. These service trips provide the Forest Service an opportunity to accomplish essential maintenance projects that -- given budget cuts and decreased staffing -- would not otherwise be possible. As such, the trips have become integral to Forest Service plans for backcountry maintenance.

At this time we are planning to do trail work along the Snake River Trail in both directions from our base camp, as well as the Sheep Creel Trail -- possibly Clark’s Fork.

Itinerary

Day 1: The trip begins with an orientation at Pittsburg Landing on the morning of the first day. After orientation, a riverboat will take us through several miles of impressively rugged canyon scenery, including whitewater rapids and steep canyon walls on our way to our camp. Once there, we will set up our campsite and evaluate our work projects.

Days 2-6: Tentatively, we will plan to work four days with one day off in the middle of the week. On each workday, we will put in a full morning and work most of the afternoon. At the end of the workday, participants not assigned to that day's cook crew are at leisure to fish, hike, rest, or pursue other interests. Cook duties and other camp chores will be shared by all on a rotating basis.

The day off provides a chance to read, write, relax, dry out, fish, explore the hills and nearby trails, snooze, and play. Fishing is very popular on the Snake River. If you plan to fish, be sure you have an Idaho fishing license. They can be purchased at sporting goods stores in Idaho, or online from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game: https://id.outdoorcentral.us/id/License/Welcome.

Day 7: On Saturday we will break camp, eat breakfast, load the boat, and return to Pittsburg Landing.

Getting There

When the roads are clear, Pittsburg Landing is about a 1.5-hr drive from Riggins, Idaho. If the roads are not clear, allow an extra hour or two.

While it is your responsibility to arrange transportation to the trailhead, the leader will distribute a participant roster well in advance so that participants can coordinate travel plans from the airport to Pittsburg Landing. The nearest major airports are in Boise, Idaho to the southeast, and Spokane, Washington to the northwest.

Accommodations and Food

Come with the attitude that food is part of the adventure. Food weight and quantity must be carefully calculated and all waste carried out at the end of the trip. Our meals will satisfy both appetite and be a social gathering after a day's work or play in the wilderness. The menu will be a healthy, nutritious, high-energy, backcountry cuisine. Meals will be vegetarian with some opportunities for meat during the week. We will have a group commissary with everyone taking turns in meal preparation and clean-up afterwards. Before applying for the trip, folks with food allergies and/or strong preferences must contact the leader and cook to see if reasonable accommodations would be possible within the limits of backcountry cuisine. The first meal will be breakfast on day one while the last meal will be breakfast on day seven. We will be sleeping in the tents each of us brings on the trip. Due to the delicate riparian zone that we will be working and camping in, all human waste will be packed out.

Trip Difficulty

The work on this trip will be strenuous, so you’ll need to be in good physical condition. Minor, controllable medical conditions, however should not keep you from having a full, enjoyable experience. The work will involve lots of bending and some lifting: if you have a history of back problems, this may not be the trip for you.

If you have severe a poison ivy allergy, you should avoid this trip. It is impossible to avoid poison ivy in this riparian habitat. With that in mind, you should bring two complete sets of clothes: one for work (a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks, gloves, etc.), and a set to wear around camp that is "poison ivy free."

Equipment and Clothing

Trip members will bring their own backpack, tent, and personal gear. A backpack is preferable to a duffle bag to carry one’s gear from the river to the campsite. The Forest Service will provide the work tools. The Sierra Club will provide cooking equipment, but you will need a hard plastic container with a lid for lunch as well as cutlery, and two one-quart water bottles. You will also need a water-filtering system since we will be getting our drinking water from nearby Kirkwood Creek.

In April, warm, clear, dry days are typical, but rain or even snow may occur at this time of the year. On clear days, temperatures are often in the 60s to 70s, although tempertures on cloudy, wet days may be in the mid-30s to low-40s. A good rain parka and rain pants are a requirement -- ponchos are not adequate. Participants must have three-season clothing and a warm (preferably synthetic) sleeping bag, as a spring snowstorm might bring nighttime lows in the upper 20s. A complete packing list will be sent to registered participants.

References

Maps:

• Hells Canyon National Recreational Area map available from: Hells Canyon National Recreation Area POB 832 Riggins, ID 83549
• USGS Map "Kirkwood Creek" quadrangle map 1:24,000, available from http://mapsport.com
• The Northwest Interpretive Association (nonprofit) carries maps and books on the area. They can be reached at: http://www.discovernw.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

Books:

• Snake River Guide.
• United States Department of Agriculture, Wild and Scenic River Guide.
• Barstead, Fred, Hiking Hells Canyon and Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains.
• Carrey, Johnny; John Carrey, and Cort Conley, Snake River of Hells Canyon.
• Jordan, Grace, Home Below Hells Canyon.
• Tucker, Gerald, The Story of Hells Canyon.

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, and encourages grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward greater understanding, advocacy, and participation in the goals of the Club.

Budget cuts have decreased Forest Service Maintenance staffs, and as a result, some of the area's trails have become overgrown and fallen into disrepair. Previously, the area was maintained by seasonal employees, these positions have been eliminated.

Protection and enhancement of native species habitat is a major issue, too. The health of bighorn sheep and mountain goats require isolation from domestic sheep. For this reason, the grazing of domestic sheep in the river valley was discontinued in the early 1990s. Additionally, sturgeon, salmon, and steelhead trout populations are endangered by Snake River dams and by non-native fish. Potential breaching of the Snake River dams has been considered at the federal level. Control of noxious, exotic plant species requires a yearly spring campaign in Hell Canyon.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

Dave Garcia was a California State Park Ranger for 28 years. He has led Sierra Club kayak, mountain bike, and habitat restoration trips. Dave's trips are about the service commitment of working hard, playing hard, making new friends, and having fun!

E-mail: rangerdave@mynvw.com

Cook:

Trained as a professional chef, Lindy Rosse is currently doing home improvements and repairs, as well as working on her newly acquired 1963 Airstream travel trailer that she calls, "a fixer upper, in capital letters, that is a long way from getting back on the road." Another current adventure is sewing frontier era clothing and accessories for a living history project. Lindy has been cooking on Service Trips since 2003 because she enjoys being in and with nature, while nurturing folks with her cooking.

E-mail: lindys_pastries@juno.com

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners