There were 12 members out on a cool morning at HQ.  After saying he would not be able to make the December workday and Holiday Party, longtime Trail Crew lead Jeff made a surprise appearance so we knew it would be a good day!  We split up into 2 crews with one heading up to the back side of Howard King Trail and the other headed to Timm's Creek Trail.

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.

It was a typical cool morning/warm afternoon fall day and we had what has become a routine excellent turnout of 13 crew members including two new people. Even with the devastating fires still burning in Napa and Sonoma the skies were clear though new crew member Alyssa Hanover said she had been in the park the day before and there had been a lot of smoke from the fires.

The July Trail Crew blog included a rare video of a large tree actually falling across the popular trail that leads up to Buzzards Roost and as Trail Crew veterans know trails don't magically maintain themselves, so there the tree stayed, waiting.  

The summer months is the time of year we brush (if we have to) and help out the park by filling the wood shed at HQ with a supply of wood for the next winter and for the campers campfires for the rest of the season.

On Saturday, July 8th, along with 6 CCC crew members, Jack Schultz, and his friend Natasha, and myself, headed up Pine Mountain Trail looking for a Doug Fir that had just fallen a few days before.

Nine crew members showed up and at first it seemed we had just one chain saw so was trying to sort out were to best utilize it when Johnmentioned that he also had a saw.  We split up into two groups, one with Peter, Michele, Chris & David B, heading out Gazos Creek Road to Middle Ridge Road, the other off to parts of the Eastridge trail.

It was a cool morning and with 14 crew members showing up at HQ it was a great opportunity to spit up.  Peter and Dale P. took one crew to Waterman Gap Area and Mike taking one to Basin Trail.

Brushing is never one of the Trail Crew's favorite jobs and brushing the Basin Trail even less so as it can get warm quickly on the exposed ridge line, but Saturday was cool and clear so we decided to go for it!  Dale P. had a crew out there in March clearing trees that were blocking the trail and reported it needed work, so the only challenge was convincing others it was a good idea.

The calendar says we were well into spring, which start in February in Santa Cruz.  This has been one of the wettest winters on record and it doesn't want to release it's grip yet. The morning drive began under partly cloudy skies but gave way to steady rain and some hail at Big Basin.  All that said 10 members showed up for our work day.

The storms in late February and early March really did a number on the trails.  The Park brought in the CCC to help opening Skyline to the Sea (STS) trail, but there was plenty for the crew to take care of.  Not only did the storms being the rain and wind they also brought out the crew with 20 members including some first timers showing up.  The crew was split up into 3 crews with Chris Young, Dale Stadelman leading crews.