Camping and available parking for horse trailers: There is plenty of parking at the campground. There are four corrals and good trees for high lines. There is water for horses but it needs to be hauled a few hundred yards. You can bring your own water or a container to haul it in. Please bring weed free hay.
Arrival and departure times: Arrive anytime Friday. The boys will arrive in late afternoon. We will be finished after breakfast on Sunday. Some folks will stay and go on a trail ride Sunday afternoon.
Meals: We will provide Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Sunday breakfast. We will be bringing the FRBCH kitchen and porta-potties.
What we’ll be doing: On Saturday, we will be working with boys on improvements to the Burning Bear trail, near the trailhead. Another important component of the weekend is educational – to teach the boys about camping with horses and how we use them in the backcountry. We also teach some first aid and survival skills.
Although this isn’t a weekend with lots of riding, the boys really enjoy being around the horses. It is up to you whether or not you want to let them ride your horse. Of course, you are welcome to come without a horse. We often find time for a couple of short trail rides during the weekend and on Sunday afternoon.
Trail Work Project: With the help of the boys, we will be spreading roadbase on a washed-out trail adjacent to the Burning Bear trailhead. Forest Service personnel will be on site on Friday to level the timbers. We’ll also have help from the Forest Service on Saturday. Anyone that can get up there and help on Friday would be appreciated.
Jim Chaney will bring up a power wheel barrow and a couple regular wheel barrows. If anyone that has a good wheelbarrow can bring it up. It may be needed depending on where we can get the powered one in to. The Forest Service will supply hand tools, shovel, rakes etc but I think it would be a good idea if folks could bring up additional tools. Please label them with a name so they get back to the right owner.
There will not be any place to bring horses while we work on the trail. There are no good tie spots and we will not be needing to use horses for the work. We will need to carpool down from the camping area on the workday as parking may be tight at the site.
Directions to the campsite: Bruno Gulch (also called Buno Gulch) proceed SW on US-285. Go past Bailey. When you get to Grant, turn right (north) on County Road 62 and proceed toward Guanella Pass for 6.8 miles. You will pass the Burning Bear trailhead. Turn left (West) at the first good gravel road Bruno Gulch Road (there is no sign of any kind). Cross the creek, and proceed to the loop at the end of the road, about a mile. We will try to be camped near the horse corrals.
GPS 39.528284, 105.747203