Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Rafts...

Recently I visited one of our WCCC crews while they were working on a project in Crested Butte. The Crew was working at the Oh be Joyful Campsite putting in fire grates and boundary posts. They also had to buck up some downed timber that was across the river from the main campsite. This is where the raft comes into play. I had to rig up a system to ferry the crew with their saws across the river. I managed to do this very simply by rigging two tensioned diagonals across the river. One to go across the river and one to come back. I used a single rope and minimal gear. I also didn't tie any knots. Thats right I tied No knots, otherwise known as friction knots where you wrap the rope around the tree multiple times. they are very strong and do not damage the trees. The other thing that I used was a basket hitch on the far bank with a piece of webbing and a carabiner to redirect the line. simple yet effective. once the system was tensioned I would attach the boat to the line using a pulley and carabiner and the boat would zip across the river landing safely on the far side. to come back the boat was lowered and the pulley placed on the other line. once again the crew was zipped back across the river no paddling or hassles. The crew was very happy to use the system and did so multiple times. I was not down to see them use it myself but did hear the stories.

I did however end up staying the night and was surprised the next morning when I awoke to the crew making pancakes... CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES none the less. I was very impressed with their culinary skills. Next time I am down camping with that crew I will have to be sure to let them know so that I can get in on the action instead of eating my basic run of the mill oatmeal.

Good work crew!