January 2026

By Mel Glaser, Owner, Shedhorn Sports, Ennis, Montana

Residents of the Madison Valley are fortunate enough to have thousands of acres of National Forest and Wilderness lands within a very short drive. These lands are our lands, and we can use them for recreation of all kinds: fishing, hunting, hiking, horseback riding, mushroom hunting, dog walking, meditation, and as the ultimate mental de-stresser. We have so much opportunity because of those that came before us securing these lands for the public domain. (I won’t go into who they were taken from because that is another discussion entirely!)

The U.S. Forest Service is called to maintain the lands and the designated trails, but this does not always happen. While thankful whenever I see corps groups or those from the Forest Service clearing trails, year after year many trails get piled up more and more with deadfall trees. The more heavily used trails get cleaned up more consistently, but some of the trails further into the forest remain untouched and difficult or impossible to navigate when on horseback and even sometimes on foot.

*Beautiful sunny day in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness*

We take this a step further in the Wilderness lands. For lands that are designated Wilderness, such as our local Lee Metcalf Wilderness area, in order to preserve the wilderness characteristics, there shall be “no use of motorized vehicles” or “motorized equipment,” etc. While some exceptions apply, the use of a chainsaw is not one of them. For years since the Wilderness Act was put into place, the trails in the Wilderness have been maintained by hand-sawing and sheer strength. While this may seem difficult, for those that use the trail consistently, especially those of us on horses, we always have a saw available. It usually depends who was on the trail before you any given year whether you are pulling out the saw.

THE MISSION:

A week or so before Christmas 2025, much of Montana got a very heavy windstorm with gusting windspeeds reaching over 90mph in some parts of the state. We saw at least 60mph in the Madison Valley. After several of us got out for some Christmas recreation in the woods, we came back to the store talking about how many trees were knocked down on our favorite trails. It is a common occurrence to have deadfall after winds, but this was extreme! And it was going to make it hard to cross-country ski this winter (if we ever get any snow). Team Shedhorn decided to take matters into our own hands, literally. Let’s get to trail clearing!

DAY ONE TRAIL CLEARING:

Charlie worked towards securing a proper buck saw, which we eventually found one to borrow. We put together a team to head out on a Sunday morning to the Trail Fork of Bear Creek trailhead (Trail #6326) with the mission to get as far as our strength could take us.

Team Shedhorn, Day 1 Trail Clearing:

Charlie, gun department, horseman, skier
Ethan, gun department/website, avid hunter, father of Riley
Bob, front counter/ammo, hiker and former guide in the Winds
Mel, owner, horsewoman, skier, hiker, Bracco’s mom

Armed with our borrowed 2-man bucksaw, a couple smaller limbing saws, gloves, hats, 2 dogs, and Yaktrax, we hit the trail at 9am. This year’s snowfall has been low, so the trail was easy to walk as long as we had the spikes on to help grip in the icy parts. The first downfall on the trail was the easiest- about 7” wide, one tree, and placed at a great height to allow easy hand-sawing. A good warm-up. Each downfall we hit got progressively more time-consuming and difficult. The day was beautifully sunny, and temperatures kept in the teens. We kept trudging forward; this is only one trail, and we have many more trails that need help before summer hits. The snowpack got a little deeper after 2 miles into the Wilderness, but it was still easy enough to walk through and continue on. We took a right at the “Y” to take the trail towards Manley Camp and the gorgeous south view of Sphinx Mountain.

*Iconic photo area at the “Y”- do you go straight towards the saddle between the Helmet and Sphinx or do you go right? Bob picked right.*

After hiking up not too far on the trail after taking the right, I start thinking, “this trail isn’t so bad, not any downfall yet.” Moments later, Charlie in the lead turns around and says, “It is a mess.” I take my eyes forward and I see a pile of trees across the trail. Not just your average pile— this was truly a mess! After assessing the situation and conferring with each other’s nutritional needs, we decided to get some snacks in us and then hit it! We took that mess down to a perfect trail with perfect access for human or horse. We continued on, got a couple smaller trees moved and then on to the next set of downfall trees where we met our match for the day. Our borrowed 2-man bucksaw was not going to do the trick on the width of the two trees that lay across the trail before us. We cleared what we could and de-limbed, but this was time to call it a day. With about 3 miles of trail cleared, feeling accomplished and hard worked without sweating a drop, we turned around for our walk down on a perfectly cleared trail.

On the walk, Ethan attempted to count how many cuts we made that day, and the final determination was a “shitload!”

This was an incredible team with great strength— when we put all 4 of us on a huge section of tree, it seemed like we could move anything. Charlie’s experience, Ethan’s youth, and Bob’s humor made for a fun and productive day in the woods.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

If you are reading this and want to get involved, please reach out to Mel or Charlie at Shedhorn Sports. As long as this mild weather holds up and heavy snow doesn’t cover up downfall, we aim to keep going. We could use 4-6 team crews to continue these efforts and keep the trails in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness clear and passable for foot traffic and stock. The Wilderness has many miles of designated trails, and it is much nicer not to pass-around downfall.

While some may think this job is for the Forest Service, this is our land and if we want to keep it open for recreation, we need to be the ones to keep it maintained during times the U.S. Forest Service cannot.

GEAR SUGGESTED:

Warm clothes, comfortable boots, warm socks, gloves, hats, gaiters, hand warmers, Yaktrax, day pack, and a cute dog or two….all items you can find at Shedhorn Sports!!

We are made for the outdoors, and we can help you get outfitted.