After our first workday on lower Sunset Trail on Labor Day weekend it seemed like it would take months to cover the 0.7 miles to Middle Ridge fire road. The under story regrowth was preventing us from even starting the usual work of clearing burned debris and building burn piles. To say we were overwhelmed was an understatement.

We had a solid crew of 15 show up at Jay Camp for the September 17th workday. When we arrived there, Road and Trails staff were busy cutting plywood to size for the floor of our soon to be tool storage area there. Hopefully by next workday!

This Trail Crew's workday brought back memories of last summer's work in the Fall Creek section of Henry Cowell with its hot working conditions. Despite the predicted warm weather, 23 people turned out further blurring the line between the Trail Crew's well earned reputation of hard working dedication and a touch of craziness.

Since Big Basin reopened to visitors on July 22nd, park staff has received numerous concerns about all the thistle sprouting on the Redwood Loop Trail, so the Trail Crew decided to continue its earlier work and spend another day 'weeding' before all the thistles disbursed their seeds and there was an even more widespread problem next year.

The old growth forest area of Big Basin, near the old HQ site, has experienced many changes from the 2020 fires. One of the most obvious this summer being the encroachment of invasive plants along the Redwood Loop Trail. Prior to the fire this area was heavily shaded by the tree canopy and there was over a foot of organic material on the ground and that combination of shade and mulch made it difficult for non-native plants to get a foothold.

The Trail Crew's July 23rd workday included something we haven't encountered in the past eight months, an actual hike to the worksite! Since returning to Big Basin last November our work areas have been at most 5 minutes from the parking area, but the latest workday took us about two miles out North Escape Rd from the core HQ's area to just short of the Barnes Kiosk, which was located at the end of the paved section of No. Escape and the trailhead of the Hollow Tree Trail.

The rush is on! The various park crews were energetically working before the park opens on July 22nd. We bumped into all the Trail and Road staff throughout the day and it is unanimous, everyone in a rush to get things finished before all the people show up.

When the BBVTC returned to it's Big Basin work last November the goal was to have the Redwood Loop Trail and a short stretch of the Skyline-to-Sea Trail (STS) ready by the time the park reopened. With the work largely completed and only small, 'punch list' details left to be done, we tackled two of them on our workday - Two STS reroutes on both sides of the Gazos Creek fire road at the new bridge.

The turnout for the June 11th workday was not the 20+ we have become accustomed to, but still a very respectable 17 showed up on a warm day. The forecasted high for Boulder Creek was 88, but up in the park only 82 and with work in the sunnier areas completed by lunchtime the weather was manageable.

Our last workday on May 14th was the first warm one of the season with temperatures of about 80F and we felt it as the day wore on (Current forecast for the May 28th workday was for 70F).

We were back working on the Redwood Loop Trail, but with the loss of the tree canopy from the 2020 CZU Complex Fire the usually cool redwood forest is warmer than before. Not as sunny or warm as a summer day up on the Basin or Eagle Rock Trails, but enough to wear you down.