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Kitchen area, first morning. (Friday) Today my task is to get a crew of all first timers and go to Rowell Meadow where the week long team has been working. They have left two "problem" trees for us, and some minor additional work. When they get packed out, they will be leaving a rock bar and two man crosscut saw behind for us.
(06/24/2004 09:15 PM P6240001.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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On the trail, Coni, Laura, others.
(06/24/2004 11:02 PM P6240002.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Interesting rock slab.
(06/24/2004 11:30 PM P6240003.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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I liked the tree.
(06/24/2004 11:30 PM P6240004.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Same tree better picture.
(06/24/2004 11:30 PM P6240005.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Art using my little four foot saw on a dead tree that is sticking too near the trail.
(06/25/2004 12:20 AM P6250006.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Art at 36 seconds after starting the cut on a 6 inch tree and he is almost all the way through. Art was impressed at how well a "Dolly sharp" Disston saw does. The saw that he is using is a four foot long Disston number 2 Champion model saw that listed for $3.00 in their 1918 catalog. This saw has been in my family "for ever". I was using it in the 1950's and I believe that my grandparents bought it before the 1920's. It is one of my real "heir looms". (I have two more similar saws, that are two feet in length.) (Other good older manufactures were Atkins and Simonds.)
(06/25/2004 12:20 AM P6250007.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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The done tree.
(06/25/2004 12:21 AM P6250008.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Contents of the "Snow Survey" cabin.
(06/25/2004 12:57 AM P6250009.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Contents of the "Snow Survey" cabin.
(06/25/2004 12:58 AM P6250010.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Contents of the "Snow Survey" cabin.
(06/25/2004 12:59 AM P6250011.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Contents of the "Snow Survey" cabin.
(06/25/2004 01:00 AM P6250012.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Contents of the "Snow Survey" cabin.
(06/25/2004 01:00 AM P6250013.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Contents of the "Snow Survey" cabin.
(06/25/2004 01:00 AM P6250014.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Trail crew goofing off in the meadow in front of the Snow Survey cabin.
(06/25/2004 01:01 AM P6250015.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Our first "problem" tree. The week long crew got their saw badly stuck in this beauty. The tree suspended on both sides and is about four inches above the ground. The wood is "mushy" on top and using wedges did not work well. Notice the week long crew's cut on the left and an older try on the right of the tape measure.
(06/25/2004 01:55 AM P6250016.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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We have to make a "hole" about four feet wide. Wider is better, but here we will just be able to do it.
(06/25/2004 01:55 AM P6250017.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Yellow bands on the shovel are one foot apart.
(06/25/2004 01:57 AM P6250018.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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The tree from the other side.
(06/25/2004 01:58 AM P6250019.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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We decided to do an "under buck" cut and cut up from the bottom and hit the cut that the week long crew started. Here I, Eric, am starting the cut. Note the small log underneath the saw. Under bucking is quite difficult as normal cutting uses the weight of the saw to do the cutting. Here we have to hold the saw up and then push it up more to get cutting done.
(06/25/2004 02:02 AM P6250020.JPG, photograph by Art on Eric's camera)

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Later on cutting the tree. Note that the small log has been replaced with a rock bar. The small log tended to roll with the saw. The rock bar was smooth enough to let the saw slide on top of it. Also note on the side away from where I am, there is a ditch dug in the ground for the saw to run into.
(06/25/2004 02:03 AM P6250021.JPG, photograph by Art on Eric's camera)

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More of me cutting. I soon stopped, as Shane thinks that Crew Leaders should lead (keep every one safe) and not do direct trail work.
(06/25/2004 02:03 AM P6250022.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Next sawyer continuing the under buck cut.
(06/25/2004 02:06 AM P6250023.JPG, photograph by Art on Eric's camera)

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Here you can see the saw going into the small ditch on the back side.
(06/25/2004 02:08 AM P6250024.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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0,0,512,683.
(06/25/2004 02:09 AM P6250025.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Better detail of the other side of the cut. Note that we didn't exactly match the original cut on the back side. It ended up being about one inch off.
(06/25/2004 02:09 AM P6250026.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Note the saw dust coming out of the cut.
(06/25/2004 02:11 AM P6250027.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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The final cut was done from the "back" to get around being about one inch off.
(06/25/2004 02:12 AM P6250028.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Using the two man cross cut saw on the second cut.
(06/25/2004 02:26 AM P6250029.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Here we have cut much of the way through the tree. Note that we are now using a wedge so that the saw won't bind. There is also a can of WD-40 there which we use to lubricate (and clean the pitch off) saw.
(06/25/2004 02:30 AM P6250030.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Almost all the way through.
(06/25/2004 02:30 AM P6250031.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Well we got a hole almost five feet wide.
(06/25/2004 02:36 AM P6250032.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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And the tree was one foot seven inches wide on the narrow side. (I should have gotten the other side. We always claim the most that we can.)
(06/25/2004 02:37 AM P6250033.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Here is the "leaner" that the week long crew left for us. It is just the right height to hit a horse rider in the head when they pass under it. Here at the trail side it is about six feet eight inches high, on the low side.
(06/25/2004 03:09 AM P6250034.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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This is how wide we should be clearing.
(06/25/2004 03:09 AM P6250035.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Starting another under buck cut with the two man saw.
(06/25/2004 03:32 AM P6250036.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Continuing the first under buck cut on the "leaner". Note the saw dust flying.
(06/25/2004 03:32 AM P6250037.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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0,0,512,683.
(06/25/2004 03:32 AM P6250038.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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0,0,512,683.
(06/25/2004 03:32 AM P6250039.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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First cut complete.
(06/25/2004 03:34 AM P6250040.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Now remove the log from the trail.
(06/25/2004 03:34 AM P6250041.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Starting the second cut.
(06/25/2004 03:36 AM P6250042.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Coni and Bruce.
(06/25/2004 03:37 AM P6250043.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Coni and Laura.
(06/25/2004 03:38 AM P6250044.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Jeff and Laura (who is being relieved by Coni).
(06/25/2004 03:39 AM P6250045.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Jeff and Dave.
(06/25/2004 03:40 AM P6250046.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Jeff and Dave try a normal cut. Attempt didn't last long as we couldn't put wedges in.
(06/25/2004 03:40 AM P6250047.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Bruce about to jump on the tree to force a break. Cut is about 90 percent through from the bottom.
(06/25/2004 03:41 AM P6250048.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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The final piece is still stuck in the crotch of the other tree. We attached a rope near the top of the cut "leaner" and pulled it out. It came out so fast I didn't have a chance to get any pictures. When it came down it almost hit the saws that we had piled in a "safe" place near the trail. Removing the tree took 20 minutes, much faster that I would have estimated. (Good fast crew!)
(06/25/2004 03:41 AM P6250049.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Final clean up of the "leaner".
(06/25/2004 03:44 AM P6250050.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Just down the trail from the "leaner" another tree had fallen and some of its branches were too near the trail. Here we start to clean it up.
(06/25/2004 03:48 AM P6250051.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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More branch removal. Note the old Forest Service "blazes" on the tree on the right. The Forest Service used an "i" (lower case i) blaze. In areas where the US Calvary were they used a "T" blaze.
(06/25/2004 03:48 AM P6250052.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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We found at trail sign that had been removed from the ground. Here we are replacing it. We dug out the old hole, replaced the sign post and then smashed as many rocks in as we could.
(06/25/2004 04:11 AM P6250053.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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The sign is now back in.
(06/25/2004 04:11 AM P6250054.JPG, photograph by Eric)

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Three or four of us are now going out to get a bunch of rocks to build up a small pile around the base.
(06/25/2004 04:11 AM P6250055.JPG, photograph by Eric)