October 8 2011 - RDO

We were back out to the coast at RDO. There was some brushing on the trails, which was taken care of by a crew of three and the rest of the 12 were sent to the Nature Center. There was 3 jobs here and they were to remove a Myrtle to make room for a birding scope (yeah), planting a large board, and securing self guided trail sign posts.
Start with the holes

Measure up the posts

Plant the sign


After lunch we headed out STS to a slide area about a mile past the Twin Redwood Campground. We had opened this section a last October. We attacked this like the beams for the Schulz bridge: make it wider than you need. Slide narrowed the area to a foot path.

We all know what this reminds us of

Mean while, the real work is being done by.

We left this root last time.

It almost got the better of one member.

This was one of our longest days, which ended around 5. It was a little longer for a couple of us but we did put in 110 hours, which put us within 160 hours to the magical 1000 mark. I would like to thank everyone that showed up, which were Tom, Dale1, Sara, Josh, Dale2, Gene, Janette, Francis, Janie, Bill, Michelle, and me. So most by now know that I'm an avid birder so for the bird count there were 35 species identified with the most notable being an Osprey, Kingfisher, and Rail.

Hope to see you soon on the trails.

Jeff

September 2011 - STS - Timm's - Sunset Loop

We were back at the park HQ this month with a plan to brush Pine Mountain trail but the big board had 5 trees down on the Skyline to the Sea (STS), Alternate, and Timm's Creek trails. We split up to take care of a couple of things, one to open up the burnt out redwood on the Redwood Loop.
A second crew took care of fir that had fallen across Dool trail very near STS. The tree had fallen from the picnic area off of Gazos Creek fire road across the ravine landing on the trail (close to 100 feet at least).
It took about a half hour to clear the trail but it looked great after the work was done.
The two crews came together at the regular spot at Middle Ridge and Sunset intersection. The Loop crew first took care of a fire pit off Middle Ridge and then we headed down Sunset to the Connector then up STS towards the first obstruction - 2 Tan Oaks.
It took 3 cuts to clear the trail then we were off to the second area on the Alternate trail that parallels STS.
This was an easy clear but there was also some brushing required since we haven't been on this trail for a number of years. As we headed toward the last report on Timm's Creek trail we came across these bright blue berries.
Red Clintonia (Clintonia andrewsiana) Family liliaceae (lily), Common Name: bead lily
The board said that the tree down on Timm's Creek was 2-3 feet but we figured it was probably 1-2 feet and the small 14" bar saw would do the trick, plus it's a lot lighter than my Husqvarna 55.
On a redwood, we came across this Wood Wasp Urocerus gigas, which was about 3 inches long.
It turned out that the tree was close to 4 feet and that would require a bigger saw. We cleaned up around the tree to make it easier to climb over and then started back up Timm's Creek and then along Sunset. It's been years since we did this loop in this direction and I now know why. Going back STS is a gradual stead climb out but Timm's has a steep section up to Sunset and then Sunset has 3 steep sections over 2.5 miles, which seems to take forever.

We hiked close to 6 miles making for a long day, plus it was humid from the remanence of a monsoon from Arizona. There was 10 members out and I would like to thank Dale P., Dale S., Fran, Herman, Gene, Norm, Tom, Bill, and Janie for all the hard work. We put in 85 hours on our way to maybe another 1000+ hour year. We have put in 731 hours so far with 269 to reach 1000 hours.

See you on the trail

Jeff

August 2011 - Myer's Loop

Our friend from the Sempervirens Fund, Linda was is need of the BBVTC support in clearing Myer's Loop. We haven't been out to Myer's Loop (also know as Micheal's Loop) in the most southern part of Castle Rock State Park since May 2009. This is a beautiful section of mixed forest from chaparral to oak to redwoods.
There were 13 crew members out so we decided to split up with one group starting from the bottom and a second starting from the top. The top section started out in a Tan Oak forest.

We reached the top and started the decent and slowly the forest turned into redwoods.

In the upper section there was some brushing and we had to reroute a section of the trail around a oak that had fallen on the trail.

There were numerous fallen trees but an interest one was this one.
A number of oaks fell across the trail with the largest falling through two trees and across the trail.
It took one cut and when it was cut through the 30 foot section slowing swung across the trail and ended up 5 feet off the trail.

Every few meters there was another tree across the trail and when we met up with the crew coming up from the bottom we reached a Madrone that was very interesting. Take a look at the video.

The two crews cleared 31 trees from the loop with the bottom crew clearing 15 with the largest being 24" and the top crew clearing 16 with the largest being the 20" Madrone.

It was a great work day with the addition of a new volunteer. I would like to thank everyone for a record day on clear trail blockages. Thanks to Dale S., Janie, Bill, Francis, Gene, Janette, Josh, Tom, Peter, Michelle, Fran, Tim, and me. We put in 91 hours and year to date we have accumulated 646 volunteer hours.

See you on the trails

Jeff

July 2011 - Back to HQ

After spending 2 months on the coast we were back in our normal turf. However, if you need the BBVTC to work offer up food. Last month Marti offered up a BBQ after finishing a couple of jobs at RDO.
Linda had reported a large Fir and Tan Oak down on the STS trail near the junction where Hollow Tree trail makes a left.
Tan Oak just before Fir
Fir that was difficult to climb over
First cut on the Fir
Second cut and both the first and second section had to be removed using a level with the fulcrum being the Tan Oak section. The Fir had made a depression about 2 feet deep.
Nearly cleared
Job well done. It is amazing how much can get done with the right tools (Big Bertha) and the volunteer powering the effort.
Lunch was at the Kiosk and the mosquitoes were attacking all of us. With a scarf the attack was abated.

The rest of the day was in the search of a small tree down on Sunset or Dool. As often happens there was no tree but we did pass this impressive Redwood that has be burned out in the middle.

So if you have the bandwidth, here is a short video of how much a log can be.



Thanks to Dale, Josh, Bill, Janie, Gene, Janette, Michele, Peter, and Tom for a great job on clearing the STS trail. With half the year over we are at 555 volunteer hours and on the way to reaching 1000 hours and maybe more than last years 1015 hours.

See you on the trails

Jeff

May 2011: RDO

First I would like to pass on an appreciation from Kevin Williams from last month.

Hi Jeff and crew,

As always, the volunteer crew amazes me with the spirit and work accomplished each month in the Santa Cruz Mountain parks. It has been a real help so that others can enjoy the trails and sights safely! Kudos again for all the winter storm repairs removing tree falls, repairing smashed bridges, and rerouting trails around thousand year old trees that fell down!!

Thank you on behalf of the people of California, the park staff, and California State Parks!

Let me know if there is anything we can do to help.

Kevin

This month we headed to the coast this time out. Rain was in the forecast but all we had were clouds.

We met at the RDO HQ and Marti set us to work. A Scrub Jay welcomed us as well as a number of other birds.

Our first project was Twin Redwood camp grounds. There was a large 3 foot diameter oak down through campsites 5 and 6. I worked on the trail while Peter tackle the top of the tree.

There was a lot of work done on bring the sites up to standard. But the biggest effort was finding a place for all the limbs and stuff from the limbing of the oak.


We put in posts for campsite location markers and directions. Once again it amazes me what volunteers in number can do.



We moved the larger sections to the campsite to make a comfortable place to sit for the visitors.

The next job was to clean up Alder campsite. This job was to create a campsite and to take down the grass. We planned a few post and ended the day.



We had 9 members out and a special thanks to Roger, Gene, Janette, Fran, Tim, Peter, Mike, and Tom. Next month the plan is to head back out to RDO since Marti has offer up a BBQ. We should respond in kind with an offering of a pot luck dish.

Here's another thanks to the trail crew.

HEY MIKE,

WANTED TO THANK YOU AND THE CREW FOR A GREAT JOB TODAY. YOU GUYS ROCK! i AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTHS BAR-b-QUE.

THANKS AGAIN. MARTI

See you on the trails

Jeff

April 2011: STS and Meteor

It was impressive that we had 13 crew members out again for our April trail work day. There were so many trees down that we split up into 2 crews. Dale lead one to cover the reported down trees around HQ, Dool, and Meteor trails. Most were taken care of except a large Madrone that fell right on the trail. There was a lot of clearing of branches to open that trail.

I lead the second crew on the Berry Creek Falls inner loop (not an official name) covering Sunset to Timm’s Creek then back on STS to the connector. Some of you have done this loop many times and know it’s not easy 5 mile loop. Francis and I would worked ahead of the main crew clearing the large obstructions leaving anything less than about 6 inches for hand saws with Francis reminding me that “there are bigger fish to fry” when I would stop for a small obstruction.

One obstruction that did require a chainsaw was a fir the fell onto a bridge basically destroying it. After clearing the fir off the bridge Francis used nails pulled from some of the boards to stabilize the crossing although it was still pretty shaky.

We had lunch at the Timm’s Creek trail junction and continue on removing 6-8 obstructions with hand saws and 8 oak and 2 fir up to 15” with a chainsaw.

The wildflowers were numerous with the redwood sorel in bloom atop a downed redwood.

It was a good day with a real sense of accomplishment and we put in a good 8 hour day and many thanks to Janette Mello, Roger Miller, Gene Nelson, Janie Leifhelm, Bill Leifhelm, Michele Estrin-Gelblum, Peter Gelblum, Michael Ishaq, Dale Petersen, Fran Loop, Francis Padilla, and Norm Beeson. With us 1/3 into the year we are at 345 volunteer hours and on our way on beating last year’s record (at least since I’ve been keeping track).

See you on the trails

Jeff

March 2011: Last Chance Trail

There were 13 crew members out in March to work on the Last Chance trail where we did a lot of brushing and even used a weed whacker all day.

This is a very little used trail but it runs along the West Waddell creek and is very beautiful and a pretty good birding area.

Heard and saw one Pacific Wren who wasn’t too happy with us working in her home.

I was clearing the trail with Francis ahead of the main group looking for the large items so I mostly saw the before picture.On the way back it was such a noticeable improvement.It reminded me of the trail we put in when Sempervirens Fund purchased the Lompico watershed property.I was marking the trail all day and when I was finished and was returning there was a trail that looked like it was there for some time.

We only made it to the creek crossing since the creek was running fast and was above the rocks.We still put in a good 8 hour day and many thanks to Janette Mello, Roger Miller, Gene Nelson, Janie Leifhelm, Mike Peasland, Fran Loop, Francis Padilla, Josh Rile, Loren Edwards, Jennie Odryna, Gary Edwards, and Tim Hoge.

See you on the trails

Jeff

February 2011: Sequoia & STS

Feb 2011: Tale of 2 Crews

There were 11 crew members out in a beautiful unseasonable spring day in February. With the good turnout we decided to spilt up. Dale lead one group with Michael, Roger, Mike, and Josh. They started out with the tan oak that Susan Blake asked us to remove from the trail near the office. The tree wasn't that big but there were a lot of limbs and the big task was finding a place to put everything. On one side of the work area there was the road coming in from Waterman Gap, the trail to Sequoia Group Camp ran through the middle, and on the other side was the back of the headquarters building. We decided that spreading things around in several small piles was probably the best solution.

Afterwards the crew hiked the STS to Maddock Cabin Site to remove a couple of small/medium tan oaks that had been reported. After eating lunch at the cabin site, the group decided they would rather have a short work day and we got back to the vehicles about 1.

The 2^nd crew was made up by Michelle, Peter, Janette, Gene, Herman and was lead by Jeff. We headed up to the Sequoia trail and about midway between Hwy 236 and No. Escape there was a 4 foot diameter redwood that up rooted and fell across the trail twice before landing right on the trail. The top half required a lot of brushing then after a few cuts the top section was off the trail. The second half was a little harder.

After dropping one end of the redwood onto the trail, it was only after about a 3” cut that without any warning the tree pinched the saw. With my saw stuck, I walked back to the truck with Peter to get more tools and a sledge to get the saw free. When we got back, the saw was free, which quit was a surprise.

One more cut and the 5 foot long round section rolled away and then a 30 foot section slid along a small tan oak and followed the round down the side of the trail. A small Pacific Wren (renamed last year from the Winter wren, which is now exclusively referred to the eastern cousin) was very happy with the work since she had a new area to explore.

At the same time a few of the crew worked the lower section of the trail at the root ball with huge burls. We had to fill in a section to prevent someone falling to holes.

The work to reroute the trail around the root ball required cutting the trail wide enough and ensuring a level footing.

We finished up, had lunch, and then drove to the tree across Middle Ridge reported by Marti. Dale caught up to us and followed along. The tree had been cleared so we took in the view from Ocean View lookout and then return via Gazos. Opening Sequoia was definitely the highlight of the day.

Since Mike had taken the day off work and he didn't want to go home to be mugged by the dog and screamed at by the cats, He decided to check out the Last Chance Road/Trail that Susan said she would like cleared for an upcoming hike.

Although the park map refers to this as a road, that is from the long ago past. At this point it's an overgrown, abandoned looking but scenic (lots of water in the creek with several cascades), single track trail. There is sufficient parking for 4-5 vehicles at the trailhead just up the Hihn Hammond road from the water treatment plant so we can get in easily.

Mike hiked in for a little over a half hour and while there is a little chain saw work, the primary work will be cutting back the grasses and small trees/brush that are encroaching and in some areas blocking the trail. The primary work tools that we will need will be McLeods (we might want to sharpen them while we're waiting at HQ), lots of loppers and perhaps some garden shears to just cut back the grass growing along the trail. There is definitely enough work to keep us busy for a full day.

About 20 minutes in there is a moderate stream crossing that requires boulder hoping to get across to the remainder of the trail. Someone had left an old ski pole at the crossing which definitely makes it easier crossing for the balance challenged like me. The crossing may be difficult for some of the older Trail Crew people, so we may want to split into groups and work different sides of the stream or just make sure we spot each other when crossing.

The other concern is the trail is a MAJOR tick area. Since I was just hiking through and brushed against much vegetation I pulled off three ticks when I got back and found two more still wandering around inside my t-shirt. The best approach may be to cut our way down the trail, but this eliminates the idea of sending half the crew ahead to the other side of the creek. Also, it was obvious that parts of the trail are under water at times, so our ability to work some areas may be limited if there have been recent heavy rains. We will keep you posted but Susan would accommodate us by having the hike in late April if March is wet.

Many thanks to Michele Estrin-Gelblum, Peter Gelblum, Michael Ishaq, Janette Mello, Roger Miller, Mike Peasland, Dale Petersen, Herman Aster, Gene Nelson, Josh Rile, and Jeff Bleam.

Jeff and Mike

BBVTC Trail Crew 2010 Annual Report

Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew 2010 Annual Report

The Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew had an outstanding year in 2010 as it continued to attract new volunteers and again exceeded the 1,000 hour total after several years below the mark. For the year the Trail Crew worked 1015.5 hours over 14 workdays.

With the return of a wet winter after several relatively dry years, we were kept busy. In February the Crew cleared the Sequoia Trail and hit a virtual wall of down trees on the trail. It took 3 hours of work to cover a one-half mile section of trail. It seemed like every turn in the trail revealed more work.

Trail Crew works a trail.

Starting in late February we had several special workdays as the Trail Crew helped the Semperivirens Fund prepare for the dedication of its Red Tree property purchase. Two days before the March dedication a large storm obliterated the planned access route to the meadow dedication area. As Trail Crew lead Jeff Bleam put it, ‘A long story short; a van got stuck, a huge tow rig got stuck and had to use a winch to get out. The road down to the meadow is a mess’.

Twenty four hours before the dedication, Trail Crew members joined contractors and Sempervirens staff in a steady rain to lay a boardwalk and improve the trail to allow access to the dedication area. With all the work in place, the dedication went off as planned under sunny skies.

The Trail Crew was also fortunate to work over in the Rancho del Oso section of Big Basin on three different occasions clearing brush around the nature center, removing exotic vegetation, installing sign posts and removing trail and fire road blockages.

Dale Stadelman clears brush at RDO

Several Trail Crew members, Bill and Jan Fjellbo, Mike Peasland and Fran Newton, and retired Basin ranger Mimi Guiney and her husband Steve, also visited Trail Crew founder Bob Kirsch during the year in his new Oregon home.

Bob and Margo Kirsch in Oregon.

The year ended with the Trail Crew’s 3rd annual December holiday party at long time members Manuel and Anita Valdivia’s home.

2010 Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew By the Numbers:

? Total hours worked - 1015.5

? Workdays - 14

? Average Number of Hours per Workday - 7

? Average Turnout per Workday - 11

2010 BBVTC Annual Report

Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew 2010 Annual Report The Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew had an outstanding year in 2010 as it continued to attract new volunteers and again exceeded the 1,000 hour total after several years below the mark. For the year the Trail Crew worked 1015.5 hours over 14 workdays.

The year started out on the coast with an outing to RDO. We cleared weeds and removed a few trees but this was the first and only time the crew would pull weeds.

Dale was up from Texas and joined us for the day.
The Trail Crew was fortunate to work over in the Rancho del Oso section of Big Basin on two other occasions clearing brush around the nature center, removing exotic vegetation, installing sign posts and removing trail and fire road blockages.


With the return of a wet winter after several relatively dry years, we were kept busy. In February the Crew cleared the Sequoia Trail and hit a virtual wall of down trees on the trail. It took 3 hours of work to cover a one-half mile section of trail. It seemed like every turn in the trail revealed more work.

Starting in late February we had several special workdays as the Trail Crew helped the Semperivirens Fund prepare for the dedication of its Red Tree property purchase. Two days before the March dedication a large storm obliterated the planned access route to the meadow dedication area. As Trail Crew lead Jeff Bleam put it

‘A long story short; a van got stuck, a huge tow rig got stuck and had to use a winch to get out. The road down to the meadow is a mess’.

The kids were concerned on the very rainy day that that Marja, Rick, Jeff, many other volunteers, and contractors were required to lay about ¼ mile of plywood to create a boardwalk.

The next day was sunny, unseasonably warm, and a stark contrast to the soaking of the previous day. All the people that came to the event reached the dedication area without incidents. It was a very nice day.

Banner at the intersection of Hwy 9 and 236

Board Walk at the top

The crew helped out in the more slippery areas

Close to 1000 showed up on a gorgeous day

In April there was a BBQ to honor Bob and wish him well in Bend, OR. Dell and Dale were kind to host the festivities.

Bob and Margo Kirsch in Oregon.

It's amazing what you can see in the park.

The year ended with the Trail Crew’s 3rd annual December holiday party at long time members Manuel and Anita Valdivia’s home.

2010 Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew By the Numbers:

Total hours worked - 1015.5

Workdays - 14

Average Number of Hours per Workday - 7

Average Turnout per Workday – 11

The annual report turns out to give all of the trail crew recognition for the work we do. Here’s a message from Kevin Williams who is the supervising ranger

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the report. On behalf of the Big Basin and Santa Cruz District staff I can't say enough about all the great work done by the Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew. Your crew's dedication amazes me and it makes such a difference, especially in these financial times. Thanks for the most recent slide fix on the Skyline to the Sea trail!

Kevin

Some time in December a slide closed the Skyline-to-Sea Trail just below Middle Ridge fire road. A Douglas fir that was standing just above the trail ripped loose at the roots and took an entire section of trail with it.

Since this trail is used at all times of the year we wanted to get it reopened. When we arrived, we quickly realized why park staff had closed the trail as anyone trying to traverse the area was likely to slide down the hillside. Here’s the slide work that was done on the STS trail between Middle Ridge and the Sunset connector.


After about 3.5 hours of work we had completed what initially looked like an all day project. Thanks to Jeff Bleam, Peter and Michele Gelblum, Michael Ishaq Janie and Bill Leifhelm, Janette Mello, Roger Miller, Mike Peasland and Dale Petersen, for helping to reopen this major trail.

Hope to see you on the trails in 2011.

Mike and Jeff

November 2010: Howard King & Creeping Forest Trails

In November we had a good turnout of 13 Trail Crew members. The day started
with Jeff announcing that he would not be able to work the trails due to a
twisted ankle from the previous day. Jeff's new puppy/pony/horse (choose one)
picked up something she wasn't supposed to have and in the ensuing chase
Jeff twisted the ankle. (If you're scoring at home it's Puppy - 1 Jeff - 0).

Kaja the Pony (7 months)

As for the work, since we had a large turnout and some needed to leave by
1, we split into different groups. Peter Gelblum led the first group and
headed up the Creeping Forest trail to check on a reported down tree. Peter
reports there 'had' been a 3-4 foot diameter redwood across the trail, but it
was recently removed judging by the cut and sawdust. Otherwise, there was a
4-inch diameter tree that was sort of leaning a bit over the trail that they
cut up and a bunch of overgrown huckleberry that was trimmed back. They
extended the hike by going up Dool to Middle Ridge Fire Road, along Middle Ridge
to Sunset and back to headquarters.

The second group took a longer hike by heading up the Skyline-to-Sea to
Middle Ridge and then picking up the Howard King Trail to the Mt. McAbee
Overlook. The majority of the trail was clear except for a couple of chaparral
areas that needed the usual intensive brushing. With the 6.5 mile hike and the
work it was a long day with the group getting back a little before 5.

The smallest group of the day was Fran Loop's work party of one. Fran
arrived a little before 10 and after checking with the office staff headed up the
Dool Trail hoping to meet the first group. She did some brushing on the
trail and removed a 6-inch tan oak near the Gazos Creek Fire Road, but didn't
meet the first group. Fran also worked a section of the Hihn Hammond Fire
Road from the Blooms Creek Campground area. (Thanks for taking the initiative
Fran!)

Thanks to Tom Batley, Peter and Michele Gelblum, Michael Ishaq, Bill and
Janie Leifhelm, Fran Loop, Roger Miller, Gene Nelso, Jennie Odryna and her
step son Loren, Francis Padilla and Mike Peasland for their work.


Hope to see you at the park or at the party this Saturday!

Mike & Jeff

October 2010: RDO

It’s the second Saturday of November 2010 coming up and the Trail Crew will be back in the core Basin area. We’ll meet as usual at park headquarters about 9. The forecast is for nice weather, so I hope you can make it out.

Thanks to everyone who worked at Rancho del Oso (RDO) last month! We had enough people to split into two groups with one crew planting trail signs around the RDO office while the second crew worked on widening the fire road where a slide had closed it.

Crew at HQ

It’s nice to make a positive impression to those who may not be familiar with our work and Ranger Marti at RDO has been impressed with what we have done for her this year. After last month, she sent me the following note.

Please forward this note to your crew as I want to tell them all again Thanks for their hard work! The work/projects the volunteer crew is helping us do here at RDO just couldn't get done without them. It's apparent the dedication everyone on the team has towards the park. It truly shows and it is so appreciated. The public certainly reaps the benefits from all you do.

Thanks again and I will definitely contact you again soon! How does everyone feel about working in the rain??

Working on the washout

Opened up for emergency access to the Falls

Thanks to Tom Batley, Norm Beeson, Jeff Bleam, Peter and Michele Gelblum, Michael Ishaq, Fran Loop, Janette Mello, Gene Nelson, Sara Palomo, and Dale and Dell Petersen, for their efforts.

Fire has always been an important of any forest and each year the State Parks staff tries to do a controlled burn at Big Basin . If you happened to blink, you probably missed this year’s burn. The plan was to burn 319 acres between the Meteor and Hollow Tree Trails and this past Friday they finally got the right weather conditions and we able to ignite the fire. Of course on Sunday it started to rain and just as quickly the controlled burn season ended. The final burned area was only about 30 acres, so the season was not a blazing success.

Hope you can make it out this Saturday!

Mike & Jeff

APR 2010: Fire Roads & Trails

Another storm was a day away on the April 10^th trail crew day. I left the house expecting a pleasant day (wishful thinking after the previous couple of warm spring days) and on the way to the park it started to drizzle. The park offered to lend me a rain jacket and I gladly accepted it. We had a nice turn out of 14 crew members so we split up. I took one crew to open the fire roads starting on Middle Ridge at Gazos then to Johansen where there were 4 trees across the road with 100 meters then back down Gazos.
There was about 8-10 trees across the roads and this was an 18” Fir but with a little effort; open road ahead.


There was a lot of hard working going on …well most of the time. We saw numerous banana slugs but they were smaller than the one at my house, which you can see is almost 7” long. Her name is George.

The second crew, lead by Mike, started the day by going over to the Kirsch Trail and taking out the tan oak that was overhanging the trail just before the bridge. After that they hiked a short distance up the Shadowbrook Trail toward Huckleberry and found the blockages (18-inch d/f and 10-inch t/o) that the ranger had mentioned. Norm caught up to the crew and reported there was nothing on the trail between Huckleberry where he parked and the work area.

After finishing with Shadowbrook, they drove out N. Escape as far as we could before they hit a locked gate. So they parked where the short connector trail goes between N. Escape and the Maddock cabin site. They hiked up and back on the Meteor removing some small debris and a 24-inch t/o which tested the limits of Dale's small saw.

It was an average work day but with it the BBVTC has racked up 407 hours year to date. If we can keep this up we can break our 2008 record of 943 hours.

See you on the trail - Jeff

MAR 2010: Sempervirens

FEB/MAR 2010: Sempervirens

The Sempervirens Fund purchased two redwood tracts totaling 267 acres from Redtree Properties of Santa Cruz, CA. Redtree had obtained state permits to cut 35% of the redwood and Douglas fir trees larger than 18 inches in diameter on the smaller 107-acre tract at the intersection of Hwy 9 and 236 before the acquisition of the property. We started preparing the sight on February 27 with Aaron from Sempervirens.

Meadow where the dedication would be held

Looks like the gardening continues from the February weeding work at Rancho del Oso.

Steps were put in to keep people from slipping down the bank.

After about 2 years, with a little help from the crew, my camper shell is going back on.

Short day but a BBQ was a nice ending.

There were 11 crew members that helped out and we were done in about 4 hours. Lunch was ready for us when we got to my house for the BBQ. Thanks J.

MAR 12^th

As most of the crew knows we get a lot more rain on the right side of the hill compared to the bay area. San Jose had a total of 13.01” as of 3-3-10 where Boulder Creek was at 46.29”. Needless to say, the week leading up to the event was very wet. I received a call from Linda the night before asking for advice and help. A long story short. Van got stuck, huge tow rig got stuck and had to use a winch to get it out. The road down to the meadow was a mess. We were able to round up 3 crew members for a day before fix and Linda had hired a contractor too. There was about 12-15 people total. It rained all day and it took about 8 hours to lay a boardwalk, improve the steps, and carry all the supplies needed for the dedication. I was soaked by the time I got home and it took about 2 hour in front of a fire to warm up.

MAR13^th

The trail crew mascot was showing his support with his buddy looking on (too bad they couldn’t attend: other plans).

Junction of Hwy 9 and 236 with the trail head off to the left.

Crew helping people down the trail after spending the morning finishing up preparing the trail.

>Boardwalk viewed from the trail

Landing after the steps

The initial thought was about 100 would attend but over 325 people showed up.

It was a long day and even the supervisor was tired thinking about the past 2 days. There were 15 crew members out on Saturday and some stayed to help break down the dedication area. We start around 8 and ended the day around 4 but there was no rain.

We have received many kind comments about the work we did with this comment being typical.

“That was a beautiful event you put on, just superb. Must have been harrowing yesterday, in the heavy rain, but everything was perfect today. The plywood and steps on the trail, the solicitous young people stationed at strategic points, keeping elderly donors from slipping and sliding. “

There was only one minor slip and one woman could not make it down the trail. I think that is a good showing. Thank all.

See you on the trail - Jeff

FEB 2010: Sequoia Trail

This was day where we traveled .4 miles in about 3 hours. We start at the bottom of the Sequoia trail at No. Escape and from there cleared about 8 fallen trees on our way to Hwy 236.
The last blockage was a Madrone and 2 Tan Oaks. It took a little scrambling to get through.

Along the way we had a little fun rolling the cut sections off the trail.

There was 6 of us out and it took the rest of the day to complete the loop back to HQ. Along the way we heard 2 Pileated Woodpeckers and spotted one at the top of a Fir near the Kirsch trail.

See you on the trail - Jeff

JAN 2010: Rancho del Oso

The first trail work day was by the coast at Rancho del Oso. They wanted some trees taken out and one of the things I don't think fits our job description: WEEDING.

We had a long time member, Dale, showing up all the way from Texas. He has the longest commute of any member.



We cleared 4 trees from the side of the deck. Before we started you could not see the deck from this view.
After lunch we headed out on the trails where one group planted sign posts and I took another to cleared the trail from Alder camp ground to the park HQ.




It was a satisfying day and it stayed foggy all day. Some of us finished the day with a pint at the Davenport Roadhouse.

See you on the trail - Jeff

DEC 2009: Rainy Day and Good Food

This was the Trail Crew's 2nd annual gathering. This year we had it at our home in Boulder Creek. Jeannine and I had just completed a kitchen remodel and were excited to do some real cooking. The crew showed up around 1 pm after a short but wet day. We had a fire going and the food was just about ready.

I think the biggest hit was the pot roast but I preferred the garlic rosemary leg of lamb. We had plenty of veggys from roasted butternut squash and sauteed green beans.There was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and Fran brought a fantastic pumpkin cheese cake. It was nice to have everyone over and enjoy the stories and conversation.

See you on the trail - Jeff

NOV 2009: A Walk in the Park

This Cedar Waxwing was found on Hwy 9. I was so tame just sitting in our hands. The plan for the day was to clear a redwood off of STS trail but when we got there it was already open.

All day we follow the same route that the State crew did a week earlier. It was a nice walk an there were numerous mushrooms. We had lunch on Middle Ridge fire road near Johansen fire road with three baby rattle snakes. Luck for us it was a cool day and no one sat on them before we noticed them.









This was the tree we were after to clear. I brought the whip saw but we didn't get a chance to use it.


See you on the trail - Jeff

OCT 2009: Lady Bugs

Hey everyone,

It was a beautiful day and we worked along Creeping Forest in the morning. We clear a 10" Tan Oak and then did some hiking to the kiosk at the bridge on No. Escape Rd. at Hollow Tree Trail. There we had lunch and was treated to tens of thousand of lady bugs.

After Lunch we hiked down STS in search of a downed redwood. It was over 4 foot in diameter and we only had a 24" bar saw with us. We cleared out the branches to uncover the trail and decided to return the next month with Big Bertha (A Husqvarna saw with a 48" bar that was given to BBVTC by the Sempervirens Fund. The saw was given to Mary King by the Howard King as a wedding present).

There we 8 members out and we work until around 3:30 but we had a total of 52 volunteer hours by days end.

The Lady Bugs were the high light of the day and we had seen them about 4 years ago in the same place but I think it was in the spring.


See you on the trail - Jeff

Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew – 2008 Report

2008 was a good year for the Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew (BBVTC) with a total of 1,049 hours worked over 14 workdays with the average day being 7 hours long. The 1,049 hours worked this year is up from 877 in 2007 and 755 in 2006.

The year included two special workdays. In April we worked in the San Lorenzo Forest section of Castle Rock State Park to assist the Sempervirens Fund in preparing the Michael’s Loop Trail for their summer docent lead hikes in this still restricted area. In August we worked with the state park trail crew in rerouting a section of the Shadowbrook Trail near the Shultz Bridge due to a downed fir that had narrowed the trail for many years.

The most unusual event was in February when a tree that we were removing from the Sunset Trail burst into flames. It was an area that had a controlled burn in the fall of 2007 and it was obvious the tree that had fallen across the trail had been burned in the fire. As we cut into the blackened tree on the trail, small wisps of smoke began to rise from the cut. As the cut was completed and the tree opened up small licks of flame jumped from the opening and we realized the fire was still burning from several months ago. The immediate area had been blackened in the control burn and it was cold and damp so there was no danger of the flames spreading, but the trail was very warm from the smoldering tree, even after several hours.

Two big projects consumed a lot of time during the year. In September, the BBVTC was an official sponsor along with REI and State Parks of the Vo-Cal weekend project that brought over 100 community volunteers to work in the park. This was a two-day event on the Sequoia Trail that included work on reroutes, installation of turnpikes in several wet areas and rebuilding the steps leading from the trail down to the Sempervirens Falls area. Also, due to lack of State Park funding the BBVTC worked with the Mountain Parks Foundation to fund the t-shirts for the Vo-Cal volunteers.

The other big effort in 2008 was the design and printing of a BBVTC brochure and poster that could be used in the recruitment of new members. This work was completed just before the Vo-Cal weekend and information was distributed to many of the volunteers. As the year ended, several contacts from the Vo-Cal weekend had been out to work with the Trail Crew.

Mike Peasland