Columbia Mountain trail gets a brushing on WTA's first winter BCRT

Earlier this year, WTA debuted our first-ever winter backcountry response team (BCRT) trip on Columbia Mountain in the Kettle Range. Why work in the winter? The area is described as one of the top snowshoe treks in the Columbia Highlands, and having clear trail for that is crucial. But having snow present also makes it easier to reach those high-up branches, thanks to the added height the snow gives us. So we work with both hand saws and pole saws prune trees to standard overhead height. This process is known as brushing.

Brushing in winter will help prevent hikers from having to hike off trail to avoid them in summer. Photo courtesy Holly Weiler.

Despite the wintry conditions, the trip went out full of 12 plucky volunteers ready to cut away encroaching young trees and low branches that made the trail narrow and difficult to pass through. Several of the volunteers were brand-new to snowshoeing as well as winter camping, which made an impression on crew leader Holly Weiler.

"I am so impressed by everyone's willingness to jump right into a winter snowcamping adventure paired with trail maintenance!"

The crew made a big dent in the backlogged maintenance on this trail, which Holly suspects has never had a specific effort to be brushed out to Forest Service specifications, partially because the trail is just slightly too far for a day's work. So we scheduled a one-night BCRT to deal with the backlog.

By day they hiked and brushed out the trail leading to the summit of Columbia Mountain, and by night, they camped around a fire and enjoyed at least one night of clear skies. Enjoy a few photos from Holly and the team of their snowy adventure!

The crew was treated to clear weather and dramatic clouds on their trip.

All the tools we need for a brushing work party.

For some on this trip, it was their first time snow camping.

Snack time is crucial, especially in winter when you burn calories just keeping warm.

The crew was rewarded with a lovely moonrise after a day of work.