Tackling Tunnel Creek
Volunteer Group Photo - National Public Lands Day 2022, Tunnel Creek by Andrea Alvarez
A circle begins to form as we group together in the parking lot at the trailhead of Tunnel Creek. I stand beside several people whose faces are unfamiliar to me, but I recognize the wide eyed look mixed with excitement of seeing the tools they must carry. Each of them have signed up as volunteers to work with us on this day, National Public Lands Day, to help clear the trail up Tunnel Creek. I am always distinctly aware that the folks who volunteer are real go-getters. They could be at home, possibly sleeping in, possibly holding a warm mug of coffee on their couch curled up with a blanket, possibly greeting their families with pancakes and Saturday morning cartoons. But they have chosen to leave the warmth and comfort of their home on this Fall morning to be outside with us, bearing the cold and yielding tools. I never forget this fact and I greet them warmly with a smile that I hope radiates the gratitude I feel.
For the past two years, Wild Montana has joined forces with The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation in an effort to clear the trail up Tunnel Creek. We caravaned here from the Hungry Horse Ranger Station and were careful not to lose one another since the turnoff for this trailhead is unmarked and easy to miss. After a quick chat on safety, general scheduling and bear awareness, we set off onto the trail. Some of these volunteers know this trail by now because it’s not their first time hiking it. National Trails Day 2022 and National Public Lands Day 2021 were also volunteer days where we set out together, tools in hand at this very spot. Tunnel creek is significant in that it leads users into the Great Bear Wilderness - a place of tranquil forests that provides serenity, a sense of adventure, and a dense biological ecosystem. However, before this partnership came together the trail hadn’t been maintained in many years. Users that stumbled upon this trail were typically met with dense overgrowth, foliage that threatened the visibility of the trail and downed trees that created obstacles for even the most athletic hiker.
That’s where we come in: armed with hand saws, loppers, and a cadre of determined volunteers. Throughout the day, we saw, trim, prune, and ultimately beat back the biomass that has consumed this trail. In total for this outing we cleared 62 downed trees and brushed over 2,000’ of encroaching foliage. Though we have not yet made it to the end of the trail, each volunteer outing brings us closer to the goal. As we return to the parking lot, the dull murmur that was the group of volunteers this morning has turned into a joyous clamor of people who are no longer strangers, but share stories and satisfactions from the day. The day has come to an end, but our efforts at Tunnel Creek, along with this partnership will continue next year.