Category: Uncategorized

About 18-20 volunteers showed up yesterday to fix the damage to Strawberry Valley as a result of too early riding on that trail. Andrew roughed it up with a dozer and then the McLeods and rakes took over. It was a day for volunteers new and old to meet and become friends. Much of what we wanted to accomplish was completed. PLEASE DON’T RIDE THIS TRAIL UNTIL WE GET SOME RAIN AND COMPACTION!

Thanks to one and all who participated.

Reminder: We’ll be finishing work on lower Strawberry Valley where early riding created ruts in the trail and then it hardened. Trail Labs will bring in a dozer to rough up the trail, then we’ll smooth it out and compact it with hand tools and motorized compactors. Much of this is rake work. Join the gang and stay only as long as you want. Meet at the Gateway Trailhead on Everitt Memorial Hwy at 10. We’ll work if it sprinkles and probably cancel if it rains hard.

Remember: 10 am, not 9 (because of the Ski Swap).

When I arrived at the trailhead with concrete at 8:45 am yesterday, there were already three volunteers waiting. By 9:30, we had mixed and poured 10 bags. We had to go get four more bags and were done by 10 am. We topped the holes off with gravel and raked the dirt by 10:30. Awesome job, Emma Wilcox, John McDermott, Rick Cory, Steve Larson, Jim Pepin, Neil Posson, Mike McGill, Steve Diaz, and Ray Uhlig.

The following is from Hanne Meyers at the USFS:

We are tentatively looking at conducting another prescribed burn in the Gateway trailhead area next week, as early as Tuesday October 24^th. We have 270 acres identified and prepped for burning within the closure area on the attached map, split into two units. A helicopter may be utilized to assisted with ignitions of the unit, so if you see a helicopter flying over the area, don’t be alarmed. 

The trails passing through the closure area on the attached map will remain temporarily closed.

Let’s pour cement to finish the kiosk installation this Sat. morning. I’ll pick up the cement between 8 and 9 am and meet everyone at McBride Trailhead at 9. All we need is an additional metal wheelbarrow and some extra 5-gallon containers of water (or anything containing water, for mixing and cleanup). This won’t take long.

Thanks.

We got it done. Eleven of us wrestled with the three posts and templates to get them level and at the correct depth. Several immovable rocks at the bottom of one hole made the job tough, but not too tough for this grizzled group. Thanks to Jim Wrona, Mark Derby, John McDermott, Ray Uhlig, Neil Posson, Steve Larson, John Kelly, Emma Wilcox, Jack Moore, and Steve Diaz.

Stay tuned because we’ll be pouring the concrete soon; possibly Saturday. The concrete, oddly, is much easier than what we did today.

We got the kiosk finished at the Ten Gallon Trailhead the other day (see Mark Derby below, smiling after putting up with me for the final steps). Now we’re starting the kiosk at McBride. We need a little more digging (some of it already done), some arranging of the steel posts, and then cement work. All I want to accomplish is the digging and placement of posts on Tuesday. We’ll do the cement later.

Please meet us at the McBride Trailhead (about 100 yards below McBride Campground) on Everitt Memorial Hwy at 9 am on Tuesday, Oct. 17. We’ll work an hour or two. Warning: if you don’t show up, I’ll do it all myself, and you’ll miss out. Reality: I can’t lift the steel posts myself.

Trail Labs has already roughed in some long segments in the Learning Zone of Gateway II near the Nordic Center, and we are gathering to do some finish work. It will be raking and shaping the tread, removing small rocks, and nipping some roots. This work day is sponsored by SORA, MSTA, and Bike Shasta. Meet at 9 am in the Nordic Center parking lot (or stop at the Park and Ride at 8:45 to carpool). This is the last phase of trail construction under our big Prop 68 Grant. Hope to see you there.