As we've worked on the lower stretch of the Sunset Trail between Dool and Middle Ridge Fire Rd. we've been careful not to make it obvious the trail is being cleared so to prevent visitors from wandering into the area before it is ready.

The Trail Crew continues to get excellent support from a mix of long time veterans, recent additions and first time folks, and for the Oct. 29th workday we tied a single day headcount record of 26 as we moved closer to finishing clearing work on the lower section of the Sunset Trail.

The Oct. 15th workday was only our fourth on the lower section of Sunset Trail (red dots) and we continued making good progress with three different tasks accomplished during the day.

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.