Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Trail Project Annual Performance Report-2014 October 22, 2014

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1 1 Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Trail Project Annual Performance Report-2014 October 22, 2014 Willow Lake and Kit Carson Peak

2 2 SUMMARY The Rocky Mountain Field Institute began Phase 1 of a multi-phase, multi-year project managing the high-use impacts of Willow Lake Basin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range during the summer of RMFI hosted 9 college students from RMFI s Earth Corps Program, a highly successful for-credit field studies class, for two weeks in the Basin. The United States Forest Service and the Rocky Mountain Field Institute have long identified the Willow Lake Basin as a high priority area for sustainable trail design and construction and high alpine restoration. Creative fundraising by both the USFS and RMFI made it possible to begin work in the Basin in 2014, ahead of the start date for a State Trails Grant that will fund the majority of Phase 1 during 2015 and The primary objective of the Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Trail Project is to reduce visitor impact to the area and enhance the quality of the climbing and hiking recreational experience by establishing a sustainable trail from Willow Lake to Kit Carson. At project completion, a new, sustainable trail will be established to access the summits of Kit Carson and Challenger Point and the current, degraded user-created social trails and campsites will be restored to pre-disturbance conditions. RMFI has a decades-long history of building summit trails and completing high alpine restoration and will use this expertise to construct an environmentally sound and enjoyable trail that not only protects the fragile alpine ecosystem, but that is a fun and challenging hike for visitors. WILLOW LAKE BASIN The fourth highest mountain in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, Kit Carson Peak (14,165) towers 6,000 feet above the San Luis Valley floor. Kit Carson generally refers to the three main summits that make up the massif: Kit Carson Peak, Challenger Point, and Columbia Point (informally known as Kat Carson). These peaks and Willow Lake Basin are a popular recreation spot for hikers, climbers, anglers, and backcountry enthusiasts. The Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range is a long, narrow, and rugged range running from Southern Colorado into Northern New Mexico. The Colorado portion is 115 miles long and only a few miles at its most narrow width. The Sangre de Cristo range is home to ten 14,000-foot peaks and is a popular destination for a variety of backcountry recreation enthusiasts. The Sangre de Cristo Range delineates the eastern border of the San Luis Valley, an intermontane basin known for its rich human and agricultural history dating back to 6500 B.C. The peaks of Kit Carson, Challenger Point, and Columbia Point have long held special interests for those who have visited the area. The Kit Carson massif is name for the frontiersman who explored much of the West for the United States Government in the mid-19 th century. Carson led an adventure-filled life as a guide, scout, and later a general in the army, though his conquest of the Navajo tarnished his legacy and led to failed attempts to rename the peak. The settlement of nearby Crestone was established by a land grant in the late 1800 s and has experienced a history of boom and busts ever since, brought on by the promise of railroad lines and unfulfilled potential of gold mines. Today, the town is mostly recognized as a world-renowned center for many different religious and spiritual traditions, and as an entry point into the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, including the Willow Lake Trailhead. Willow Lake Basin offers awe-inspiring views formed by geologic formations that provide outstanding alpine scenery. Periglacial formations such as moraines, striations, and horns are well represented. A string of alpine lakes, or tarns, connected by streams creates the unique paternoster landform. The oxidized iron in the sedimentary rocks of the Sangre de Cristo Formation gives a reddish tint to the landscape and offers an explanation for the origin of the name of the mountain range; Sangre de Cristo is Spanish for blood of Christ. KIT CARSON-CHALLENGER RIDGE TRAIL PROJECT

3 3 The Kit Carson - Challenger Ridge Trail Project is designed to reduce visitor impacts to the area and enhance the quality of the climbing and hiking recreational experience. Upon completion of the project, a sustainable trail will be established to access the summits of Kit Carson and Challenger Point. The current user-created social trail is gullied, unsafe, and unpleasant for hikers. The current trail also crosses environmentally fragile areas including populations of sensitive alpine plants and an alpine wetland east of Willow Lake. Phase 1 of the project will combine re-routing the current social trail to a more durable and sustainable location and reconstructing and stabilizing usable sections of the existing alignment with proper structures including rock steps and retaining walls, thus protecting the surrounding environment by defining a single trail corridor. Subsequent phases will continue construction of the trail, accessing the summits via Challenger Ridge. All phases include substantial social trail closure and restoration including erosion control and revegetation work. It is estimated that completion of the entire trail will take place over three phases and span many years. By the end of the third phase a single, safe, sustainable trail will provide access from the Willow Creek Trailhead to Kit Carson and Challenger Point, approximately 7.25 miles in total PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS Though the majority of funding for this project comes from a State Trails Grant, support from the Saguache Ranger District allowed RMFI to initiate work during the 2014 field season. During 2014 RMFI worked closely with the FS to ensure the newly delineated trail was ready for construction. Using the construction notes and new trail alignment provided by the Peak Manager, RMFI assisted in developing cost estimates for construction and restoration of routes on Kit Carson. A suitable location for basecamp was determined and mitigation strategies for the site were developed. Additionally, a project safety plan and medical evaluation plan for the Kit Carson Peak- Challenger Ridge project were established. RMFI hosted a 9-person crew for 2 weeks to complete high priority work during the 2014 field season. The crew camped in the basin, following Leave No Trace Principles for the duration of the project. Working closely with the FS, two high priority work objectives were set for the 2014 field season: 1) making improvements to the Willow Creek Trail on the approach to Willow Lake and 2) creating a new, sustainable, easily distinguished trail around the northern portion of Willow Lake to provide access to the Challenger Ridge summit trail. Though the work improving the Willow Creek Trail (priority number 1) was not identified as a priority during the planning stages of this project, once on-site it was clear work was necessary to ensure the safety of work crews and the mule pack string. Large sections of steep bedrock made it difficult for the pack string to navigate the trail. The work crew completed very technical rock step construction in an attempt to make it easier for the mules and visitors to travel through these sections. The existing bedrock along this section of trail made it difficult to build traditional rock riser steps. Consequently, much time and effort was put into shaping the bedrock so large rocks could be properly placed. A total of 43 rock steps were built along this section of trail. This work, while necessary, greatly affected the project goals set in the spring. See photos 1 and 2. This trail can be identified in Figure 1 as the dashed black line running from the east directly to Willow Lake. RMFI also completed new trail construction along the western and northern ends of Willow Lake designed to eventually tie into the Challenger Ridge summit trail. Crews completed approximately 1,250 feet of new trail construction with 300 feet of social trail closure. A total of 49 rock steps, 300 square feet of rubble wall, 35 square feet of retaining wall, and 7 cairns were constructed along these sections of trail. Additionally, 12 large trees were removed from the trail corridor. These sections of trail can be identified in Figure 1 as Section 1 (yellow line) and the eastern portion of Section 2 (blue line), with the black arrow indicating the 2014 trail construction stopping point. Approximately 670 feet of the new trail construction was built in the forested parcel to the west and north of Willow Lake, the remainder of the new trail construction occurred in the talus field north of Willow Lake. Work in these areas was designed to delineate a single, sustainable trail to reduce off-trail

4 4 impacts, to minimize the formation of social trails, and to keep visitors from impacting known populations of Smith s draba (Draba smithii), a USFS listed sensitive species. FUTURE WORK Work completed in 2014 is a small portion of objectives outlined for Phase 1 of the Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Trail Project. Phase 1 work will continue into the 2015 field season with an anticipated completion date of fall of RMFI will lead 8 weeks of work in the basin in both 2015 and 2016 to ensure completion of the Kit Carson Challenger Ridge Trail. More details about Phase 1 can be found in the 2013 State Trails Grant proposal. WORK ACCOMPLISHED RMFI staff and trail crews stayed a total of 14 days in Willow Lake Basin with a total of 10 work days. A total of 9 volunteers contributed 1,260 hours towards the project (valued at $28,413 per independentsector.com). PROGRAM STATISTICS Volunteers and Staff 14 total program days 9 individual volunteers o 1,260 volunteer hours (=$28,413) 4 RMFI staff o 488 total hours Willow Creek Trail 200 feet of existing trail improved 43 rock steps constructed 60 square feet of retaining wall constructed Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Summit Trail Section 1 (designated in Figure 1) 664 feet of new trail constructed 12 rock steps constructed 35 square feet of retaining wall constructed 12 trees cleared from trail corridor 350 feet of social trail closed and restored Section 2 (designated in Figure 1) 592 feet of new trail constructed 37 rock steps constructed 300 square feet of rubble wall constructed 7 cairns

5 5 Figure 1. Map of Kit Carson-Challenger Ridge Trail Project work included completing Section 1 (yellow line), completing a portion of Section 2 (blue line, until the black arrow), and 300 feet of social trail closure (approximately half of Section 4, pink lines). RMFI also completed trail improvements on the Willow Creek Trail (black dashed line).

6 6 PHOTOS Willow Creek Trail improvements Before work (left), After work (right)

7 7 New trail construction on the Kit Carson Challenger Ridge Summit Trail Above - Before work; Below - After work

8 8 New trail construction on the Kit Carson Challenger Ridge Summit Trail Above - Before work; Below - After work

9 9 Cairns constructed along new trail alignment on the Kit Carson Challenger Ridge Summit Trail