The December workdays brought to a close both a challenging and successful 2021 for the BBVTC.
The year began with the shock of the August 2020 fires that devastated Big Basin still fresh and no certainty of when trail work in the park would begin again or what we would do in the meantime. A hoped for return to Basin trail work in the spring was delayed because of ongoing hazard tree removal in the park, but in late April we were asked to assist in repairing fire damaged trails in the Fall Creek section of Henry Cowell State Park.
The work was our first exposure to clearing burned debris and building burn piles that will likely be our main focus for several years and also included a steep hike into what we began calling the 'hole' on the Fall Creek Trail. (A downhill hike into the hole in the morning meant a steep UPHILL hike in the afternoon when everyone was hot and tired.)
Despite the challenging work environment and it not being Big Basin, the Fall Creek work received excellent support as everyone was glad to be back on the trails.
And finally, in late November, we returned to Big Basin work after 15 months away.
The December workdays were a continuation of the Fall Creek work of clearing debris and building burn piles along the Redwood Loop Trail in what used to be the park headquarters area. The Dec. 4th workday had a great turnout of 17 and by the end of the day we had completed 10 burn piles over the first two Basin workdays including a 20ft x 20ft x 8ft pile that we called the 'Monster'. (Fall Creek burn piles were typically about 6 x 6 x 4ft.)
The crew put in 131 hrs and thanks to Jim Brooks, Rory Brooks, John Collins, David Dunlop, Peter Gelblum, Mimi Guiney, Rebecca Guiney and Josh Hill, Janie Leifhelm, Jordan McDaniel, Janette Mello, Mike Peasland, Aaron Poulos, Devdutt Sheth, Jo Thorogood, Chris Young and Marc Koenig, for their work on what was a nice late fall day.
The second December workday on the 18th was a short one as after a one year break in 2020 due to Covid, the Crew returned to what has become a tradition over the past 20 years, our late December luncheon to celebrate the Holiday season. Whether it was continued enthusiasm over the return to Big Basin or just the party afterwards, we had a record turnout of 22 people for the day.
Mother of the Forest
Father of the Forest
As with most holiday party workdays, it was light on work, but we still managed to double the size of an existing burn pile, start and complete a second one and start a third one before calling it a day and heading to the Sawmill Restaurant for a late lunch.
The crew put in 124 hrs and thanks to Jim Brooks, Rory Brooks, John Collins, Michele Gelblum, Mimi Guiney, Tommy Ha, Jan Hill, Charles Jalgunas, Shyamal Kapadia, Matt Kelsey, Marc Koenig, Janie Leifhelm, Jordan McDaniel, Janette Mello, Whitney Mitchell, Chris Newport, Mike Peasland, Aaron Poulos, Devdutt Sheth, Dale Stadelman, Jo Thorogood and Chris Young, for closing out the year on a positive note.
It's good to be back in Big Basin! The Crew put in 1728 hours and that included no workdays in JAN, FEB, and MAR and one workday cancel due to heat. Also, 4 members put in over 100 hours. See you in 2022.
End of Year Gathering at the Sawmill
by Mike and Jeff
photos by Mike, Jan, Charles, Aaron, Peter, and Jorden