For a few years now Melissa and I have been hosting a Father’s Day weekend run to Liberty. We tend to go over mid-week in order to secure a campsite that can accommodate everyone as a group. Not to mention getting a few extra days to relax. So it was that Melissa and I left early on Wednesday 6/12 and start the 6 day getaway. We lucked out and got our usual spot with the large fire ring and after setting up camp we ran across the road to where the Hurtin Units had been camping since Mother’s Day while they were working on clearing and brushing trails. They were getting a late start this day so we were in time to join them for the days assignment which was to place some trail signs and clear 4W325\4W326 on the west side of Hwy 97. That all went well and after the work was done while running out the rest of the trail Dave from the Hurtin Units started to overheat. Come to find out that the control box for his electric fan had come apart. We tried to direct wire the fan seemed to have been damaged also as it was not working very well. We managed to turn around and Dave limped back to camp with Skip in order to begin the quest for a new fan while Joey, Kendra, Melissa, and I went to meet up with the other group who were working on brushing out the top of the SJC trail. We made short work of brushing the trail out where it was needed then Joey, Kendra, Melissa, and I ran the SJC from top to bottom before parting ways and returning to camp. It was a little early for dinner so Melissa and I then went and got some firewood with full intention of having a campfire that night. By the time we got back John V had arrived and started to setup camp while we talked and distracted him making it take about 3 times longer than it needed too (your welcome John). After dinner we all agreed that we did not need to burn our firewood so we hoped in the Jeeps and ran across the road to the Hurtin Units fire for a little while before head back and turning in for the night but not before promising to help them the next day with a little more trail maintenance..
Thursday 6/13 dawned and the plan was to go out with the Hurtin Units to clear out all of 4W319 and then if there was time after that to clear 4W315 and 4W316. We met up with them about 9am and because the group was so big we broke up into two teams. One worked the 4W319 from the bottom and the other went in from the top. We ended up meeting at the creek crossing near the top of the trail and had a nice lunch while visiting. Lunch done it was back to the grind and actually got both of the other trails cleared out hitting just a tiny bit of snow in the process that was hiding in the thick trees. We got back to camp late in the afternoon and were settling in when Rudy and Steven arrived just before dinner. After a long day on the trail doing maintenance we decided it was time for our own campfire and so we settled in to talk around the fire before calling it a night.
Day broke Friday 6/14 and I did not see it. I slept in till about 7am instead (2 hours late for me) and got a lazy start. Steven, Rudy, and John really had never spent a lot of time on trails located on the west side of Hwy 97 so we decided to explore them more this day. We started on with 4W324 (Ranger Station Trail) which had some off camber and challenging climbs that you only want to try when dry. We made it through without issue but when we got to the top of the ridge we heard a voice on the radio calling for the Tamers. It was Steve who was just leaving Cle Elum about 15 miles away and heard us talking so reached out for some last minute directions to camp. After providing a little direction we continued on the run traversing a couple more trails. Along the way we saw a 4 point buck in velvet who seemed very unconcerned with our presence finally drifting off into the brush. Everything was going fine until running the SJC trail I clipped a stump after which the fan began to hit the track bar more than usual. I found a level spot and took a look finding that there were some cracks and tears in the trackbar thus ending for the day. We got off the trail and on the way back to camp I was lucky enough to get a hold of Tom who turned around and went back home to get hit welder (thank you Tom). Back at camp I pulled everything apart and found that the track bar was broke half way through but I should be able to weld up the cracks so I could finish the weekend. Tom arrived and helped me to fix the track bar with a Ready Welder and using the hydraulic landing gear on his 5th wheel as a press to bend the track bar so it would work for the rest of the weekend. Before dark I had everything back together for wheeling on Saturday and finally got to relax around the campfire joining Steve, Josh, Tom, Penny, Bella, Riley, Malachi, Caiden, Lex, and Jeff who had all arrived that afternoon.
We did not get too late of a start on Saturday 6/15 and left camp about 10am once Chad and a couple of his guests joined the ranks. So it was with 11 rigs we headed out to start the day running parts of 4 different trails before stopping for lunch in a meadow where the 4W318 meets the 4W336. After lunch we continued on several more trails ended up with running the top of the 4W319 (stair step). We then headed across the top of Table Mountain to run the Hole in the Rock Trail. Consensus was to run “One More Trail” so we headed over to Billy Goat Gulch where in a V Notch Malachi blew a tire bead. John and I winched him to a spot that we could set the bead again and got things taken care of in short order. The rest of the trail run was uneventful and we made it back to camp without issue for dinner and a campfire watching the stars long into the night.
Unfortunately most everyone had to head home on Sunday 6/16 and headed out by midmorning to avoid the traffic. There were a few people that were delaying the exit until later in the day so we decided to run the SJC trail one more time. This time there were no issues and we got back to camp in the early afternoon so that people could pack up and head home. Not Melissa and I though. We were sticking around until Monday and settled in for the evening with the goal of burning all of the remaining firewood before heading off to bed (almost did it too).
Monday arrived and I actually slept in until 7:30am before stirring out of my slumber. Some hours later after a lazy breakfast and a good morning walk in the woods Melissa and I had to admit it was time to go and headed home so we packed up and headed out talking about the next 16 day long camping trip that was to happen in less than two weeks. Stay tuned for that write up.