Lolo Work Week Volunteers Needed
The Lolo Trail, that historic travel route over the Bitterroot Mountains between Missoula Montana and Lewiston, Idaho and traveled by Lewis and Clark and many others needs help. Spend a full week helping maintain the trail, interpretive signs, camp sites, viewing the scenery and learning a bit of history.
The 2019 Lolo Work Week crew will move in to our campsite at No-See-Em Meadow on Wednesday, July 24th. We work the following week and come out of the mountains Tuesday, July 30th.
Most work involves maintaining the ridge line trail which crosses the Bitterroot Mountain range. It was established by Native Americans and followed by western explorers including Lewis and Clark, fur traders, missionaries and the army. Our job is to keep it open for modern explorers. Brush grows into the trail and is best removed with long armed clippers. Water-bars need to be cleaned and fallen trees cut. We also maintain signs and campsites along the high mountain ridge route. Most of our volunteers are empty-nesters or retirees in reasonably good health. Our camp is at 5,000 feet elevation and you will be walking several miles of rugged trail most days.
You will gain the satisfaction of doing work that needs to be done, visits to many historic sites, some “oh-Wows” at the views of the endless mountains surrounding you, an idea of how the Nez Perce used these mountains, an understanding of the challenge of modern management of a historic resource, a whole lot of local history, lots of Lewis and Clark history, new friends, some sore muscles and perhaps a few blisters.
Your week will cost your travel expenses and personal equipment costs. In addition, you must be paid-up members of both the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation ($49, lewisandclark.org/join), and the Idaho Chapter, LCTHF ($10, Chapter membership form). Food and related costs come from grants we have obtained.
You will need a good tent, mattress pad and sleeping bag for the often-cool nights and hard ground. We suggest you drive SUVs or empty pickups with heavy duty tires although car-pooling is available. The road is not suitable for RV's. Mountain weather is extremely variable that time of year and a bright sunshiny morning with “T” shirt temperatures often leads to an afternoon thunderstorm with heavy rain and hail. Be prepared.
If interested, contact us at loloworkweek@gmail.com. We’ll send you a detailed information packet and application.
