Beat Back the Brush
Saturday, July 26 2025
Come out and help wack back some dense brush and pesky face slappers! We'll be working in the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District on Valley Trail, Tongue Mountain Trail, and Blue Lake Ridge Trail on Saturday, July 26th. See below for the particulars.
WHAT:
Join us for a weekend campout with a work day and a fun day. All are welcome! We're shooting for three crews with four hours of on-trail work for each crew. The primary objectives are brushing out more of the lower Valley Trail (270), brushing Tongue Mountain Trail (294), and brushing the south end of Blue Lake Ridge Trail (271). The Valley Trail is under severe brush in many locations. The brush on Tongue MTN and Blue Lake Ridge is sporadic.
WHEN:
Workday is Saturday, July 26th. All volunteers are asked to report at basecamp by 8:55 AM on 7/26 for the safety and work plan meeting. The safety and work plan meeting starts at 9AM. Crews will dispatch by 10AM. Breakfast will be available at 8:00 to 8:30AM for volunteers. During the breakfast period, volunteers will be provided the fixin's to make their own lunches for taking on the trail. All crews should be back to basecamp by 5PM for check-in. Hot dinner will be served at 5:30PM for volunteers.
WHERE TO MEET:
Work party basecamp will be at Cat Creek Chimney. We'll have temporary signs set up near the base camp to pull you in. Come out the night before to camp, meet new friends, learn about NMA, and wake up relaxed for the workday :) Here's the location of Cat Creek Chimney and where to look for base camp signs: BASECAMP and CHECK-IN
BiKE or NO BIKE?
The Valley Trail Crew will likely carpool from basecamp down to the work access points given the amount of brushing to do. The other crews will ride the trails with brushing equipment in backpacks as those trails have sporadic sites of brushing to do. It's not unusual for a group or two to form up an informal rides over the weekend.
TOOLS TO BRING:
Bring your own brushing tools if you have them. NMA will provide power brushing tools, loopers, and pruners. We'll also have the hand/ear/eye protection for you to use. Why wear out your riding gloves, right?
PLEASE! All volunteers who are coming out are asked to register for this event by clicking the RSVP or Sign Up button. We want to make sure there's enough tooling and grub to go around.
AND ALSO: All volunteers must sign the NMA Event Waiver form
Brushing
- Brian Vogel
- Daniel North
- Ganesh Gangane
- Jonah Meade
- Joseph Gabiou
- Josh Jones
- Kayleen Kingman
- Mike Cox
- William Anstey
Contact the event organizers: Marc Toenyan, Robert Gauthier