Clackamas River Trail Rehabilitation (Fire Damaged)

Crew Leader: Vito P.- Pat K. - Guy H.

Max Size of Crew: 5

Hike Distance: < 2 miles

Elevation Gain: (in ft) < 500 ft.

Hike Difficulty: Difficult

Work Difficulty: Difficult

Work Type: Chainsaw logout, Rigging, Tread work

Event Information:

The entirety of the 7.5 mile trail—and more importantly the cliffs and slopes above it—suffered high severity burns in the Riverside Fire of 2020. It also suffered from the same windstorm that fueled the fire, though of course the damage is intertwined. Fifteen months of rain, snow, freeze/thaw, and torpedoing windfalls onto fractured cliff faces, hydrophobic soils, and steeply-inclined and loose talus have left us an extremely challenging and dangerous rehabilitation challenge. The terrain and post-fire-associated geomorphological changes are very similar (and as challenging) as those posed in the aftermath of the Eagle Creek Fire.

Dangers include:

• High rockfall risk (steeply inclined talus slopes beneath fractured bands of basalt cliffs)

• High windfall risk (>90% tree mortality, with hundreds still standing)

• Rockslide and debris flow. Many of the talus fields and drainages suffered slides and debris flows. Oftentimes the flows came to a sudden or gradual stop behind an object—usually a fallen tree—creating a dangerously-perched reservoir of material. The removal of the dam will cause the material to slide. (As seen in this video taken on the Eagle Creek trail video ). Oftentimes simply walking across these temporarily-abated talus slides will trigger the slide to collapse further—this is especially true with wet rock. Occasionally the chain reaction of the sliding material will trigger additional material to come down from above. The debris flows are especially dangerous, as scree is bound with mud, boulders, roots, and whole trees

• Slide scars. These are instances when a debris flow came down a slope with such force it scoured the hill down to mineral clay. With the trail bench blown-out, either structures will need to be created to support a new bench or the bench will need to be re-established by digging into the sheer hillslide. Either way, slip/fall potential is high.

• Severe exposure: slipping could send one off cliffs into a shallow river.

A current First Aid and CPR certification is required for a saw certification to be valid. TKO staff and volunteers cannot use crosscut saws or chainsaws unless they hold a recognized and valid sawyer certification, First Aid, and CPR card.

Note: Please bring work gloves, safety glasses, hard hats, face coverings, and hand sanitizer- all your new normal trail work PPE. You may also bring your own tools and saws. TKO will provide many of the tools that will be used.

Project Information:

We will start near the Indian Henry Trailhead of the Clackamas River Trail and work on creating a safe work area for future volunteer trail parties. We will be utilizing chainsaws, rigging gear, and tread tools for these first level 1 response trail parties.

Potential cancellation: We will not work in the field if the weather is not safe for our team.

COVID-19 Information:

**You will be asked to electronically sign the e-waiver for this event, provide proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test result, and perform a self-assessment health screening within the 24 hours preceding the event.** The crew leader for this event will verify that you have completed these requirements at the trailhead safety talk before the trail party begins. The registration confirmation and pre-event emails will contain further details and links.

What to bring:

• Food for the entire event.
• Plenty of water
• Snacks
• Gloves, safety glasses, hard hat
• Chainsaw chaps and hearing protection

What to wear:

• Boots (Please wear something sturdy that will protect your toes from sharp tools. Tennis shoes are not recommended and may not be allowed.)
• Work gloves
• Long sleeved shirts and pants.
• Rain gear, insulating layers, sun protection, etc. as appropriate for the weather
• PPE

Directions:

Directions will be supplied to registrants via email 48 hours before the event.

Additional Information:

Check out the TK-U Saw School page for more info.

Free online crosscut course from the University of Montana.

Saws That Sing. A guide to using crosscut saw.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: TKO recognizes that the trails we work on travel through the traditional lands of many Indigenous tribes. In every corner of what we now call Oregon, these people were forced to cede their land, their home, to the US government at various times from 1853 – 1871. We are privileged to be here today and we express gratitude to these tribes and their descendants for being the original and continuing stewards of these spaces.

EQUITY & INCLUSION: TKO seeks to make Oregon’s trails a place where people can go to connect with nature & one another. Not everyone feels safe or welcome in the outdoors due to issues that include racism, bias, and hate. We commit to being part of the solution to this problem and to enact change. Conduct, speech, or expressions that target any individual or group will not be tolerated by TKO, regardless of whether they are based on age, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, geographic origin, language, marital status, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status.

PERSONAL SAFETY: Your physical and emotional safety is our number one priority. If a person’s actions or comments make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, you may: interrupt directly, tell a crew leader, and/or inform TKO staff via the post-event survey.