An ACE Arizona crew has just completed a four day hitch working at Sunset Crater National Monument in Flagstaff. Crews have been working alongside National Park Service employees at the Flagstaff Area Monuments throughout the summer. This particular project at Sunset Crater has been ongoing for the past few months. Crews have been creating a new trail on Lenox Crater, a smaller crater that lies just east of the monument’s main attraction, Sunset Crater.

IMG_9050

The previous Lennox Crater trail was very wide, steep, and unsustainable. Its replacement was necessary to minimize the number of social trails that visitors were creating to make the hike easier.

IMG_9033

The crew recently completed the trail, and moved on to conceal and restore the original path. They used a grip hoist to tension a highline rope in order to move buckets of volcanic cinders up the steep slope. This process began with several ACE corps members filling buckets with cinders. These buckets were then loaded into a nylon sling which was attached to a snatch block, basically a large hook. One corps member operated the grip hoist downslope, while three others corps members utilized a ‘fireline’ technique to haul the load uphill. They deposited the cinders over the old path to conceal it and match it to the surrounding landscape.

IMG_8916

IMG_8976

Finally, a corps member would drag the snatch block back downhill and the process would start over. The ACE crew worked directly with NPS employees, including Dale Thomas, who is a member of the ACE alumni. The project will be beneficial to visitors of the monument, creating a more pleasant trail, but it will also help to preserve the landscape for years to come.

IMG_8904

Skip to content