NOV 2017 - Tale of 3 Crews

With the annual Trail Crew Holiday Party next month, November would be our last full workday of the year and there were several things we wanted to accomplish, so we decided to break into three, yes 3 groups instead of the usual two.  A great Saturday morning with 11 Crew Members turning out. One group of 4 crew members headed to Last Chance trail, 4 took on STTS just past the Maddock cabin site to re-route the trail, and 3 replaced 10 tired signs on the Redwood Loop trail.

American Dipper on East Waddell Creek along Last Chance Trail.

American Dipper on East Waddell Creek along Last Chance Trail.

NORM - REDWOOD LOOP

Docent Barry Grimm, frustrated by the aging,  decaying interpretive signs, bought materials,  designed,  and built 10 signs for the Redwood Loop trail.

 
Docent Barry Grimm

Docent Barry Grimm

 

The old signs were rotting and several were missing. Using a one man router, we replaced all 10 signs, 9 behind the rail fence. Finishing at stop #1 we completed setting interpretive signs that will stand for many a year.  Thank you Barry!


CHRIS - STS MADDOCKS CABIN

Curt Patrick, Dale Stadelman, Shymal and myself headed up to Skyline to the Sea Trail just north of the Maddock cabin site.  Last winter a slide had damaged the trail making it very treacherous to use there especially in wet weather.

Washout very close to the creek edge (before)

Washout very close to the creek edge (before)

We decided that moving the trail tread a few feet up the slope would provide a much safer path, less erosion and be less prone to further slip out from the two drainage crossing the trail there.

We got to work with Pulaskis and Mcleods, cutting new trail tread.  I ended up cutting a section off a 30" fallen log for the diverted route as well as a couple smaller 8" redwood logs that were crossing our work area. 

We armored the drainage with stones from the creek and placed a few larger stones for steps up the one steep part of our new path.  Dale did a great job putting brush across the old path to guide hikers on the new route.

Trail re-routed and away from the creek bank (after)

Trail re-routed and away from the creek bank (after)


MIKE - LAST CHANCE

It had been almost two years since we worked this area (Feb. 2016) and I had been trying to get back there for several months, so unless something major came up this was going to be the month! As usual with this trail, it was mostly brushing work and with the heavy rainfall this past winter and the long time between visits, there was a lot to do. 

The big difference in brushing Last Chance is the bunch grass that tends to grow in the middle of the trail and slows the work down considerably, but we made steady but slow progress through several narrowed sections of trail. 

We walked ahead to the creek crossing for the lunch break and then crossed to check out the cascade area about 5 minutes further down the trail. After recrossing the creek, we worked our way back to the trailhead brushing and hacking our way through several more narrow trail areas.  And the American Dipper.


The crew put in 93hrs with a YTD total of 1223hrs and thanks to Alex (Alexandra) Barone, Norm Beeson, Barry Grimm, Shyamal Kapadia, Janie Liefhelm, John Martin, Janette Mello, Curt Patrick, Mike Peasland, Dale Stadelman and Chris Young.

by Mike, Norm, and Chris

Photos by Mike, Janette, Norm, and Chris

Editor Jeff

Bird of the Day: American Dipper