Lewis County Back Country Horsemen Repair Forest Service Road

March 22, 2016 –  The Chronicle by Jordan Nailon – Forest Service Road 2750 is a real, passable road again thanks to the concerted efforts of the Lewis County Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen. 

The road, which is in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and leads to the Goat Creek trailhead, was washed out by rainwater and flooding during storms toward the end of 2015.

111 BCHaIn February, the Back Country Horsemen rented an excavator and deployed a calvary of volunteers in order to repair the road, located near the east end of Riffe Lake.

According to Bernie Stratton, director of the Back Country Horsemen, the reasoning for choosing FS Road 2750, as opposed to other washed out roads in the area, is that, “it has a trailhead. We’ve put a ton of work in up there.” 

The work focused on about 2.5 miles of the 4.5 mile road.

Stratton, who worked at the controls of the excavator, said the group’s volunteer efforts are necessary in order to ensure that the roads are not lost for good due to “the lack of funds from the Federal government.” 

According to Stratton, the project would have cost about $3,000 if it had been billed at full price without the benefit of volunteer labor. 

Stratton noted that, “a lot of fingers were crossed,” because without federal repair dollars there was no telling when, or if, the road would open again. 

Stratton referenced Forest Road 26, which to his memory was closed for seven years the last time it washed out because it was deemed low priority with no timber operations.

“Our mission is to keep the trails open for the public,” said Stratton. “In my opinion, volunteers shouldn’t be building roads, but the government is pretty cash strapped right now. We try to stick to trails, but if we can’t get to the trails, what’s the point?”

Stratton was thankful for the generosity of a local equipment shop that provided the heavy machinery for the job, noting, “Chehalis Rental gave us a pretty good deal because they recreate up there too.” 

According to Stratton, the majority of the work revolved around unplugging culverts jammed with flood debris.

 “On this one what happened was there must have been 15 or so culverts that plugged,” said Stratton. 

When that happened, the water had nowhere to go except over and down the road. 

In undertaking the repair project, the hope of the Back Country Horsemen was that they could prevent any further deterioration of the road in the event that government road funds do become available. Oftentimes, roads that are allowed to deteriorate too far are abandoned in lieu of fixing them. 

“We came into this with an agreement with the Forest Service to try to stabilize it,” said Stratton. “They’re more than happy to have us.” 

After the group’s efforts, Stratton says that it’s now possible to drive all the way to the Goat Creek trailhead, although, “It’s a little dicey up toward the top.”

On May 7, the trail-riding and repairing group will hold its annual Lewis County Chapter Fun Ride up at Burnt Ridge. 

“We usually get 200-300 people if the weather is good,” said Carolyn Stella, vice president of the Back Country Horsemen. “It’s our fundraiser that helps us pay for road repairs.” 

The ride costs $10 to join.

Learn more online at http://www.bchw.org/LCBCH/bch1.htm

The Chronicle by Jordan Nailon

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