Eleven OTG crew members spent three days on the Middle Fork Trail, teaming with USFS personnel and pack horse support. The group repaired tread and fixed eroded trail sections, in addition to clearing 40 downed trees on the Middle Fork Trail and 10 trees on the Porphyry Trail! The Backcountry Crew is looking forward to their next work weekend on August 15th and 16th (see Volunteer tab). Click Read More below to see additional photos!
Kricket Sherer, USFS, works with Tim Foulkes to repair a cairn on the trail.
As spring advances and trail use ramps up, we need to remember government directives to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers need to cooperate more than ever to share the trails and make user encounters as safe as possible. Trail users should forego signing in to registers at trailheads for now. To maintain social distancing, trail users need to step off the trail to let others pass.
Hikers should distance at least 6 feet when passing each other. But what about trail athletes, who are working (and breathing) harder? Dr. John Unger is a sports chiropractor in Montrose who is a member of the Wilderness Medicine Society and a competitive trail runner. Based on published medical literature, Dr. Unger notes that trail users breathing hard, such as runners and mountain bikers, exhale a larger “plume” of tiny vapor droplets around and especially behind them. He and other health experts recommend that hard exercisers keep a greater distance from others, 20 to 30 feet, to minimize the potential spread of the virus. Wind can further spread the droplets that trail users exhale.
UPDATE: This training was cancelled by VOC. We will keep you updated when it is rescheduled.
Ouray Trail Group is working in partnership with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and the USFS to offer an opportunity for OTG volunteers to sharpen their skills and learn new solutions and techniques for hiking trail maintenance and repair.
The U.S. Forest Service has funded and arranged the 1-day training, on Saturday, June 20, 2020, for OTG volunteers to develop and refine trail maintenance skills. The training will be taught by trail professionals from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), a Denver-based nonprofit that provides training and volunteer opportunities to support public land trails and ecological restoration. The training will include a morning classroom session in Ouray, and afternoon hands-on trail work on a Ouray-area hiking trail. The course will focus on understanding how trails are designed and managed, how to recognize trail maintenance issues and judge their importance, and how to maintain and repair trails emphasizing tread surface drainage, erosion, and stabilization. Time, location, and other details will be announced soon. All are welcome!
The 14th Edition of Ouray Trail Group’s Hiking Trails of Ouray County and the Uncompahgre Wilderness is coming this spring and will feature a complete redesign of the map’s background, the first in 18 years. Digital map designer Mike Boruta is working with long time editor Karen Risch to create a unique visual update for this perennially popular hiking map and guide.
The Ouray Trail Group has completed its 2019 Annual Report. This report describes OTG's work in 2019 to restore and maintain trails, provide public information and outreach, and partner with government agencies and other groups to meet our mission. The Annual Report also includes interesting data on trail use, volunteer efforts, and donations. Click below to read the full report.
