Tread construction briefing
After seven months of work, the 1.2 mile Creeping Forest Trail is nearing completion and the final segment should be ready to open in early December. (The lower stretch of the trail opened to the public just before Labor Day).
After our last workday on Oct. 21st, a CCC crew continued rough cutting the Creeping Forest realignment out to its juncture with Dool, so our Nov. 4th work revolved around turning the cleared hillsides into actual trail ready for public use.
With a large turnout of 24, we were able to break into three separate crews spread over about a quarter mile of hillside with most people focusing on moving dirt to establish the actual trail visitors will see. While this was being done, smaller crews widened the trail corridor in another area using a power hedger and tri-blade brush cutter to remove vegetation while the final crew was off by themselves felling numerous burned and dead trees from the trail edge.
It was a perfect fall day for trail work with a cool morning and mild afternoon, and the crew put in 199 hours so thanks to Arnie Arcolio, Fremont Bainbridge, Daryn Bieri, Jim Brooks, Rory Brooks, Julie Charles, Alex Clines, Jacob Corbin, Dale Elliott, Michele Gelblum, Peter Gelblum, Shyamal Kapadia, Andrea Lee, John Martin, Mike Peasland, Evan Rebesque, Mihir Sathe, Dale Stadelman, Brian Washburn, Bruce Washburn, Nico Wendell, Chris Young, and newcomers Corrie Potter and Kirah Wilks, for the help as we approach the end of work on Creeping Forest.
Bark Centipede (Scolopocryptops spinicaudus)
And with our work on Creeping Forest coming to a close, we also received an update on where we'll be headed next! The first stop should be the short Blooms Creek Connector Trail that parallels the road between the Redwood Loop and the old Blooms Creek Campground. This short stretch of trail will provide another connection from the Basin floor to Middle Ridge by allowing visitors to hike through the old campground, up Hihn Hammond Fire Rd. to Middle Ridge and the top of the already open Sunset, Dool and Meteor Trails.
After that, we'll start our first post-fire work on the HQ side of 236 on the Sequoia Trail. This will be the longest stretch of trail work undertaken so far and will take us along Sky Meadow Rd up to the old Wastahi and Huckleberry Campground areas.
by Mike and Jeff
photos by Mike