With a narrow tread base and steep hillsides on both sides of the trail, the current work on Sequoia Trail between North Escape Rd and Hwy 236 has been difficult to predict from one workday to the next and Feb. 22nd was more of the same (yellow on map is the Feb 22 progress).
The previous workday had been what we expected as we literally scrambled up and down hillsides looking for places to disperse debris off trail and not finding a lot. But the Feb. 22 workday proved the axiom of preparing for the worst but hoping for the best as things went better than expected.
Despite what one sawyer said was the thickest regrowth he had seen on a trail and the steep off trail hillsides, we found several areas with better than expected conditions that allowed us to build two new burn piles along with accessing five off trail cut and disperse locations.
The narrow trail meant tight working conditions, so with a turnout of 21 we spread out with part of the crew doing detail work (lots of stub removal!) on trail sections cleared on earlier workdays while others identified and worked burn pile and cut and disperse areas and sawyers pushed ahead clearing new sections of trail.
The crew put in 165 hours and thanks to Fremont Bainbridge, Daryn Bieri, Jim Brooks, Rory Brooks, Denis DeCeuster, Ryan Granzella, Talu Gonzalez, Tommy Ha, Norb Lazar, Andrea Lee, Janie Leifhelm, John Martin, Joe Mitchell, Whitney Mitchell, Mike Peasland, Fernando Sandoval, Devdutt Sheth, Brian Washburn, Chris Young, and newcomers Karen Cheeniyil and Santhosh Cheeniyil, for coming out!
And PG&E is getting ready to begin work on bringing power back to the park via underground power lines and has converted our morning meeting location at Jay Camp into a temporary service yard. The work is expected to last the rest of 2025 and will be along 236 from the south entrance to the park to the old HQ's area, up Sky Meadow Rd and then through the old Blooms Creek camping area to the water treatment plant.
Save the Newt
by Mike and Jeff
photos by Mike and Daryn