Action! Louder Than Words.

The GTC had an impressive start!  On short notice guerrilla member Scott took advantage of his on-line networking skills and blasted a notice of the GTC's first call to arms.  The Keystone Trail from Fort to Dodge Street and beyond.  The net was cast.  Five motivated guerrilla crew members responded.  Besides myself there was Scott, Ben, Jordy, and Gerard.  Three members of the crew rode their bikes, snow shovels mounted to the meet location at 86th and Blondo.  From there all members saddled up and pedaled north towards the Fort Street trail entrance where the Keystone begins.

Each of us had a shovel either mounted to our bike or strapped to our back, guerrilla style.  I had two shovels and ended up needing them both.  On my bike I strapped a metal flat-nosed garden shovel for attacking the hard packed snow and ice.  I also had a regular snow shovel strapped to my back using my Chrome messenger bag.  Scott had a similar setup.

We arrived at our first blockage about 1/2 mile north of Peak Performance.  There was a section along a bridge that apparently couldn't not be reached by plows.  This section was about 30-feet long with 2-3 feet deep snow.  We all dismounted and attacked the obstacle.  On my first shovel full of snow my shovel bent in half.  Drats!  The snow was heavy and dense from weeks of sitting and getting walked over.  After a few minutes of digging with a bent shovel I moved on to the metal garden shovel.  Thank goodness I brought it.  I'll be doing the same on future excursions.

After clearing this section we moved on to other locations north towards Fort Street until we found no more obstructions.  We ventured south towards Cass and Dodge Streets.  We came across another major blockage around Cass Street then another at Dodge.  Each of the bridge crossings needed our attention.  Drifting snow left areas impassable by bike at several locations along the Keystone.  The crew would break up and attack each section in pairs.  The areas that required an ice pick were handled by the guys who brought choppers.  The areas effected by drifting were mainly handled by those with larger snow shovels.  One particular tough section was just beneath an overpass near Dodge.  City snow plows had pushed the snow and ice from the roadway over the railing and onto the trail.  This is where we encountered a 3-4 foot deep section of ice and snow.  The mound had roughly a one foot think crust of solid ice and three feet of packed snow below it.  This section took the longest to clear, but we cleared it and made it passable by bike and foot.  One runner went by just as we opened it saying "Thanks!" as he ran by.  Scott video recorded the clearing and time-lapsed the video, which can be seen below.

We finished up around 4:15-pm.  Tired, sore and with one broken shovel.  We all commented on how much fun we had.  Perhaps it was the act of giving something to the community without recognition or reward.  Or maybe it was the friendships we made and the time spent chatting and getting to know other Omaha activists.   Either way the inaugural GTC outing was a huge success.  It's amazing what five determined individuals can accomplish.  Now imagine if we had 50, or more.  Ultimately what stopped us was fatigue, loosing daylight and a lack of powered equipment.  Just as we rounded the back end of the Nebraska Furniture Mart we encountered an area completely drifted by snow probably 3-4 feet deep as far as we could see.  It would take another day and a larger crew to clear this.  Or perhaps a dual-stage snow blower could cut through it in a matter of minutes.  This brings me to the next subject:  WE NEED EQUIPMENT!

Do you know anyone who is willing to donate to the GTC cause?  Anyone with old or new equipment? Even though we're not officially registered with the IRS as a charity organization (and we may never be) we are still in desperate need of equipment from snow blowers, snow shovels or even cash money for buying equipment.  If you or someone you know is able to contribute materials please let us know.  If you want to become a GTC guerrilla then please step forward.  We need you!!!  If you can offer neither we could still use your help.  Spread the word!  Send links to friends.  Get others involved.  We are a great group of volunteers who have the community at heart.  We understand government's rolls and responsibilities, but we're not dependent upon them.  We are citizens, armed with grit, determination and snow shovels and we're out to take over where the "government" fails.  Join us!

Video courtesy of Scott R.