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Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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OP
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
I thought i'd make a post on the subject of trail maintenance, it had been something I had long wanted to do and in September I started looking for possibilities to do some so I searched the PCTA's project database and was able to get on a three trail crews, immediately I was surprised to learn that volunteers are hard to come by, with all the people in California and the large number of environmentalists the average volunteer age is still 67 years old!, I was even told of one project where they had no one under 80 and had another guy 91 years old! So if you have free time and can help out consider getting out there and do some trail work, it's a chance to meet great people and gives you a greater appreciation for the hard work that has gone into all our trails. There are a number of groups that do trail work including SCA, if you have done work or continue to do so with other organizations post them so people can have a wide selection of possibilities. There is a project scheduled for January 8-17 on Section A of the PCT near the Mexico boarder if anyone is interested, you can contact Pete Fish for details pickaxepete@sbcglobal.net.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849 Likes: 3
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849 Likes: 3 |
My wife and I have always expressed a desire to join a crew. When you are at FRA (full retirement age), you have a lot of time on your hands. Hence, the 60yo plus crowd. Other Californians just don't care about the wilderness and are more concerned about their "comfort zone." No offense. JMO&O.
But, some factors have kept us from doing just that.
1. Money. Gotta work. Maybe if we retire when we reach 55, that would be great but it won't happen to us for sure. If it weren't for the bills, the gasoline, and the mortgage, we would be out in the Gr8 Yd Opn. My wife and I can't afford to get membership on this website due to personal reasons (this, too, shall pass).
2. Schedules. Weekends come and go and things do come up unexpectedly.
3. Duration. Many of these projects are more than 5 days. Working people have to burn up vacation or personal days. Working people have families, and family vacations come first. Not all families are outdoorsy. Some members of my family are just not that type.
4. Money. Some ask for money. As noted in another forum for the MR, pay to play? Again, not on my watch and not in my lifetime. Money is tight. Money is being spent on "beans (food), bandaids (medical), and bullets (if necessary).
My wife get emails from organizations looking for volunteers. We will continue to monitor and plan our calendars accordingly.
Thank you, RoguePhotonic, for the links. Some day we will get out there. And please, do keep posting if you find anything.
Steve C, your thoughts on adding another forum on Trail Maintenance?
Journey well...
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251 Likes: 1
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251 Likes: 1 |
I thought i'd make a post on the subject of trail maintenance Welcome to the forum.
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,256 Likes: 2
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,256 Likes: 2 |
I thought i'd make a post on the subject of trail maintenance Welcome to the forum. Seconded!
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
Welcome, Rogue! Let me point people to your photo site. I particularly like your Thousand Island Lake shot from Banner Peak: Thousand Island Lake is one of the finest spots in the Sierra. And check out Rogue's latest adventure: PCT Section G 12-06 - 12-07-2009, complete with on-the-trail news reports. As for trail maintenance, there are people here in Fresno trying to build the San Joaquin River Trail all the way from Fresno up to Devils Postpile. They always have trouble getting volunteers, too. It's a slow process.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
+ @ti2d wrote: > your thoughts on adding another forum on Trail Maintenance?
Well... I've seen too many sites with tooo many forums. We already have what, 6+? I am hoping to create an index of important topics, maybe "Whitney Highlights" or something like that. So that might help.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,256 Likes: 2
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,256 Likes: 2 |
Rogue, those panoramic shots of DV - especially Telescope Peak - are awesome! That's one of my favorite spots in the country. You outta be cranking out bookmarks!
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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OP
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
Well i'm glad you all enjoy the images, the panoramas have been sitting in folders for along time now and I had never put them together so I got around to it, they came out ok considering most of them where done with the A640, Microsoft ICE is a great tool.
A few points on the trail maintenance, I understand completely if your busy working, I have been able to get onto these longer trail crews because I am constantly laid off from work with this poor economy, but project duration is not a problem, they welcome you even if you can only attend for one day.
Also the PCTA does not require you to be a member in order to join the crews, everything is free, all you have to do is get yourself there and they will supply everything.
I actually save money by going on these crews since I don't spend any money while i'm out there.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 595
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 595 |
I saw that Chevy parked on Walker Pass on 11/29 when I did Morris - glad to see it's still going strong. Pretty quiet that day - the only people I saw were an older couple who had done an out and back to the saddle below Owens.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 49
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 49 |
the KRVHC will be doing a scheduled PCT trail maintenance on the sections from Walkers Pass to Owens - dates are being finalized now - "friends of Ruby Jenkins" - should be sometime in March or April
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695 |
Wow! I've never seen quite as breathtaking of a photo of 1,000 Island Lakes as this one! Thanks for sharing it Steve, and thanks for taking it, Rogue.
CaT
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it. - Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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OP
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
the KRVHC will be doing a scheduled PCT trail maintenance on the sections from Walkers Pass to Owens - dates are being finalized now - "friends of Ruby Jenkins" - should be sometime in March or April That should be an easy trip, it's mostly brush work with a bit of tread work here and there, i'll keep an eye on it and see if I can get on the crew.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849 Likes: 3
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849 Likes: 3 |
How about a calendar off to the left below the webcam?
We plug in an event with a link, date and time.
You review. You approve. You post.
I like calendars!
Journey well...
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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OP
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
Thought I'd post this general info sent out for the Section A project this Friday if anyone is interested:
Jan. 8-17. Fri.//Sun. Section A Catch-up - Penny Pines. Section "A". (CNF. Map A - 8). You are invited to join us for a brushing and spot tread repair project north from Penny Pines. Come for a day or all ten. For the first 3 days the crew will base camp at George's place - Cozy! Commute from there to Mt. Laguna. On Monday, Jan 12, we will move to the Roost at Mt. Laguna. Edwina and Al Golightly will be cooking -- Yum!. Need 10-15 people working - Trail Gorillas. This will be another opportunity to pay back for using my (George's) trail - join us for a good cause and meet interesting people. Think about it! - some people pay to go the gym! Leader for the first 3 days is George Boone, Section "A", Pete Fish will lead the rest.
Contact George Boone 619-994-8729 george.boone@dhs.gov or Pete Fish 805-658-6540 or e-mail @ pickaxepete@sbcglobal.net.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
Thanks for posting the announcement. I had to look up the location. Couldn't find Penny Pines, but Mt. Laguna shows up about 20 miles north of the Mexican border. And I had to look up Trail Gorilla, too. Seems that is what the PCTA calls any hardy trailworker. I found a PCTA link here. Please post more announcements as they come along.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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OP
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
The other half of the announcement was directions that maybe I should have posted but I figured if anyone wanted to go they could send an e-mail to Pete, he responds quickly. Trail Gorillas are also a section thing, as I understand they cover the southern end of the PCT, one of the others is called Lions Pride. After 8 days of work you get your own trail gorilla PCT hat though with your name on it this is when I got mine , i'm in the back. I have word of a project around April or May in the Dome Lands Wilderness near Kennedy Meadows, more tree removal from the fire and brush work, i'll post info when it's available.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
RP: It seems like it's practically desert down where you worked, but your pictures show so many water bars. How much rain do they get in that area?
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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OP
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
Well it is desert but a different quality of it, we worked up around 6000 feet in the Lagunas, i'm not sure exactly how much rain they get but the trail where we installed so many water bars was in bad shape from erosion, George was saying they don't get allot but when they do it rains hard. Many sections of the trail have suffered to where the trail is several feet below the outside walls, this makes it so you cannot get the water off the trail, at some point the Forest Services solution is to just reroute the trail, the only way to slow it down is to install check dams, their purpose is to slow the force of the water down as it rolls off the dam instead of flying down the hill like a water slide, and I used to think those were a nice step for you. Those water bars though will be put to the test this week as they are expecting around 7 inches of rain down there! In 3 days 4 of us working separate from the group installed about 40 water bars and check dams, I have so many images of them posted so they can be sent to the Forest Service for show of completed work.
Last edited by RoguePhotonic; 01/19/10 12:09 PM.
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Re: Trail Maintenance
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 225
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 225 |
RP: It seems like it's practically desert down where you worked, but your pictures show so many water bars. How much rain do they get in that area? Hi Steve and RP... that section of trail is my backyard! Our annual rainfall is about 9.5 inches here in San Diego... however, that part of trail is in the rainshadow of the Laguna mountains, so tends to get a little less. When it rains, though, it pours. With typically dry, packed ground (and more then a little bit of granite thrown into the mix)anything heavier then a little sprinkle tends to create run off more then soak in... the trails are the path of least resistance... thus the needs for the water bars!!! If the coastal mountains down here get the predicted total rainfall for this year out of the combined 3 or 4 storms... we will be getting the equivalent of about 3 years worth of rain for us.
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