MAY 2015 - Return to Basin Trail

This month we headed back to finish up along the Basin Trail with a crew of 8.  We parked where STS crosses over China Grade road because my truck was running on empty and I wasn't sure if I would make it back to Boulder Creek for gas.  There always seems be be something in bloom in the park and today was no exception.

Douglas Iris

It took about a 1/2 hour to get to where we left off last month and then first tree was taken care of by a hand saw.

We had to work around this large Redwood since it was larger than our saw could take care of.

The next blockage was a 24" Fir and after 4 cuts the trail was clear again.

New growth on a young Madrone

Next was another 18" or so Fir that didn't take long to clear off the trail.

Beetles on a Bush Poppy

Fremont Star Lily (Toxicoscordion fremontii)

Chaparral Pea (Pickeringia)

Green Soldier Bug (Chinavia hilaris)

After lunch we had another 24" Fir to tackle and we kept on knocking down the 11 trail obstructions.

Run away Banana Slug

This leaning tree we left on the way out but on the return we cleared it quickly ending a satisfying day on the trails.

Sticky Monkey (Mimulus aurantiacus)

It was one of our longer days and we put in 73 hours.  I would like to thank Dale S., David B., Janie, Norm, Jan, and Mike.  It was a birdie day with 25 species, which added to the enjoyable day.  I did make it back to Boulder Creek with gas to spare.

See you on the trails

Jeff

Birds of the Day
1 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
1 Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
1 Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
4 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
1 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
1 Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
1 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
8 Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
5 Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
5 Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
11 Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
1 Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
1 Common Raven (Corvus corax)
7 Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
3 Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
20 Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
2 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
3 Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
1 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
5 Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
1 Wilson's Warbler (Pacific Coast) (Cardellina pusilla chryseola)
6 Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
5 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group])
2 Purple Finch (Western) (Haemorhous purpureus californicus)

APR 2015 - STS, Dedication, and Basin Trial

We had 4 new members and 15 regulars out for at least part of the Day.  We started out with most of the crew moving firewood for Susan and I took a few workers to take care of a reported tree across the STS trail near the Lodge.  

 About 18" Tan Oak

 We broke out the Crosscut Saw

 Cleared

 California Azalea

There was a dedication for Linda Yule for all of her time working on preserving the watershed along the coast through the Sempervirens Fund.

 Dedication event for Linda Yule

After the dedication we headed up to Basin Trail with a detailed map from Kurt with photos and GPS coordinates of many downed trees.  There a few small things at the east end of the trail and they got larger as we went.

 Light Brushing

 Tan Oak

 Light lifting

A bit messy

 And Cleared

 This was a Madrone and about 24"

 Open

 Last one for the day

 After this one we called it a day since the next few were getting larger and there is always next month.

Beatles on a Bush Poppy

There was a great turn out and we got a lot done.  There is more to do on Basin trail and Kurt's map was a great tool.  We put in 135 hours and I would like to thank Norm, Dale S., Janie, Michele, Dale P., David P., Janette, Mike, Herman, Francis, Dell, Manny, Anita, new members Curt, Kamal, Fulon, and Winbert.

See you on the trails

Jeff

Birds of the Day 

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) 
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Mar 2015 - Sunset, HQ area, and Shadowbrook

Another nice morning with the temperature expected to reach into the mid 70s.  Another good turn out with 11 crew members turning out are 2 new members.  Again with this size of a crew we split up where I took one crew back out to Sunset starting at the Trail Camp and Mike took the rest (Norm, Janie, Michele, Janette, Kurt and Mike) focused on the main park area to start.

The first stop was right next to the headquarters building where a large redwood had fallen earlier in the winter and while the staff had removed the section blocking the road, there was a lot of debris remaining. The first effort was to clean up the small clearing just up from HQ towards the Sequoia Group Camp where the interpretive staff holds Jr. Ranger programs. 

 With the road coming into the park on one side and the HQ building on the other, there weren't a lot of good places to hide the debris, but we were able to get everything tucked behind a couple of redwoods so it wasn't too visible There was too much debris to be removed from the remaining areas next to the Sequoia Group Camp Trail, so we worked on cutting up the larger pieces so it looked more natural rather than just a large dumping area.

 

 

After taking a lunch break we had a choice of making the steep hike up Meteor Trail to look for a reported down tree or going out to the  Shadowbrook Trail  to look for a misplaced sign that staff said was confusing hikers. The trail sign work was the easy winner, especially since this was the second month in a row that staff had mentioned it was a problem.

We parked at Huckleberry and made the short walk to the Shadowbrook Trail where we found the misplaced sign. It had been incorrectly placed at the small spur trail in to the campground rather than down where the   Shadowbrook and East Ridge Trails intersect. It didn't take long to remove the sign, but there was a lot of discussion at the new location on exactly where to place the sign and its proper orientation so it read correctly for passing hikers. Since we were there, we also replanted a trail marker that had rotted out at ground level. It was a little shorter after we finished, but it looked good and we headed back to HQ to end the day.

 

My crew headed out Gazos Creek road for Sunset Trail Camp.  This ride takes about an hour but usually there are things to take care of on the way and this time was no different.  First there was a Tan Oak and next there was a Madrone.   Although our trucks could pass, we took it out because the taller fire trucks probably would not.

 

 Madrone about 15" diameter

This Fir took about 10 cuts to clear just because of how it landed on the bank and road.  The bank was about 5 meters high and to get the tree on the ground we had to cut from the top.  Of course it didn't just fall after the first cut but after about 5-6 cuts later it finally was on the ground.

 

The 8 mile ride out to Sunset Camp took about 2 hours with the amount of clearing we had to do.  It was a little after noon so we had lunch at the Sunset trail head and then we headed out to clear a "Big Tree" down on Sunset before Timms Creek Trail.  Right after we got onto Sunset we heard a very unmistakeable sound of a rattle and this guy was just off the trail under a small manzanita less than 1 meter from the trail.  He wasn't too happen about us passing through her territory.  So after a few photos I got the oh so clear message and we moved on leaving the girl in peace.

Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) 

 

Along the way we asked the numerous hikers if they had seen anything blocking the trails and one hiker reported a tree down before Timm's Creek coming from HQ.  This contradicted the report we had but after doing this for nearly 20 years little surprises me.  After hiking about a mile, we finally came across the "Big Tree" on Sunset and as you can see big is a relative term.  This was about a 12" Tan Oak that didn't take long to clear and then that was it for the day.

 

 

Surprisingly, we got back before the other about 10 minutes before the other crew but I had left just before they got back.  The 2 crews put in 85 hours and I would like to thank Norm, Dale S., Janie, Michele, David B., David P., Janette, Mike, and new members Kurt and Shyamal.

See you on the trails

Jeff and Mike
Photos by: Jeff and Kurt

Birds of the Day
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)   
Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)

FEB 2015 - 2 Crews: Timm's and Middleridge

It was much cooler at HQ than at my home just over the east ridge but it seemed that the warm more summer like weather would greet us as the sun continued to rise.  There were 11 crew members out so to keep everyone busy we split up into 2 crews.  Dale S. lead one to Middleridge Road and I lead one back to complete the work on the Sunset-Timm's-STS loop.

Dale Petersen's group of Norm Beeson, Bill Drulias, Jan Hill, and Mike Peasland, headed out to work another familiar area along Middle Ridge Fire Road.  The first stop was on Skyline-to-the-Sea between Middle Ridge and the connector with Sunset where we found a down tan oak suspended above the trail about forehead height. It was only about 12-inches in diameter, so it didn't take long to remove this hazard to inattentive hikers.  After we passed Jeff's group of vehicles parked at the fire road-Sunset trailhead, we continued up Middle Ridge north of Gazos Creek. About a quarter mile above Gazos we stopped as the road disappeared into a jumble of branches and foliage. As we got out of the vehicle we weren't even sure what we were looking at. Just a lot of branches blocking the road? Was there a tree in there somewhere? And what happened to the fire road??

We eventually discovered there was a 3.5-4 ft diameter redwood, 90 feet in length and laying parallel in the middle of the road, buried in the mess. Since we had a small crew and only Dale's 14-inch chainsaw we decided to limb the tree and clean up the area so everything would be ready for the State Crew that would have to come out and clear the road. It was still a big task and took about an hour to remove all the debris.

Since we couldn't get the vehicle past the down tree, we headed back to the park office after lunch to take a look another look at the big board for more trail problems. As we stared at the wall map, Susan Blake walked in with a hot off the press report of a tree down on Creeping Forest, so we headed out there. What we found was a 14-inch Doug Fir blocking the trail. It had obviously been dead for a long time as most of the bark was gone or peeling off and when we completed the cuts we discovered it was hollow inside. After a couple of quick cuts and rolling the rounds off the trail, we were done for the day!

As for my crew we were ready for another long day covering the Sunset-Timm's Creek-Skyline to the Sea loop.  We were hoping to be able to hike right out to blockage on Timm's Creek trail but in less than a 1/4 mile about half way to the Sunset-STS connector we found an 18" Fir.  So that's how the day began and as we found out would be how it would end.

The second more motley crew, unluckily decided to go with me back to the Sunset-Timms-STS loop to finish what we started last month.  We thought it would be an easy hike to Timm's Creek Trail but less than 1/4 mile and before the STS-Sunset Connector we ran into this 18" oak.

 

A little farther down the trail we found the 10" fir.  We looked at it and made our predictions but all it did was gently slide down the tree it was resting on.

 

Spring Sorrel Blooming

 

And another on Sunset taking us all morning to reach Timm's

 

Horn of Plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides)

Finally we reached the 30m long blockage of about 3 Oaks and a Redwood but not before  lunch.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

  The day crew being very satisfied with a job well done

After a total of 12 trees from 3" to 18" and when we thought we were done, we ran into this about 1/2 mile from the connector.  There was some grumbling but it only took about 10 minutes to clear.  I had a weird feeling with the remembrance of clearing an oak from the very spot a few years ago in an adventure like today.  Total 13 trees cleared.

 

It was a great work day and I think we all felt satisfied with the accomplishments.  Another great turn out and I would like to thank Dale S., Dale P., Janie, Bill, Jan, Bill, David, Shelly, Norm, Mike, and Michelle.  We put 97 hours and another great summer I mean winter day.  That's California.

See you on the trails

Jeff and Mike

Birds of the Day
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 Pygmy Owl
9 Pacific Wren
4 Chestnut-backed Chickadee
1 Hutton's Vireo
1 Golden-Crowned Kinglet