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Author: Karl Mosgofian

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Details TBD - Razorback Ridge Trail

Staging/Directions:
TBD

Additional Information:
Volunteers need to bring: sunscreen, water, snacks and lunch, sturdy shoes (hiking boots recommended), precautions against poison oak exposure (long sleeved shirts and long pants), your own gloves. (Trail Center can also provide gloves). The Trail Center will provide tools and crew leaders to direct your work, and refreshments at the end of the day.

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We will perform primarily tread and drainage work on the Redwood Nature Trail in San Mateo County’s Huddart Park in Woodside. We will formalize a use trail that connects to the loop from the parking lot. We may also do some minor brushing, improve a culvert crossing, and re-install interpretive signs. As usual we will meet at 8:30 and work until 2:30 or 3.

Staging/Directions:
We will meet in the Oak Picnic area’s parking lot, in the southeast corner of Huddart Park. Restrooms are available there.

The main entrance to Huddart is at:
1100 Kings Mountain Rd.
Woodside, CA 94062

When you approach the entrance kiosk, let the attendant know you are there for the trail project to avoid paying the entrance fee. Shortly after passing the kiosk, watch for directional signs to the Oak Picnic Area, which will be right turn. Continue 0.7mi on the park road past the Sequoia and Redwood areas and then turn right into the large Oak Picnic Area parking lot. Use this link as the destination for turn-by-turn directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7MK6MV3GvnqyzHg2A

Additional Information:
Volunteers need to bring: sunscreen, water, snacks and lunch, sturdy shoes (hiking boots recommended), precautions against poison oak exposure (long sleeved shirts and long pants), your own gloves. (Trail Center can also provide gloves). The Trail Center will provide tools and crew leaders to direct your work, and refreshments at the end of the day.

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Photo Album: Skyline Trail Photos

Skyline Trail Work Day Report - November 4, 2023
Prepared by Hank Magnuski, The Trail Center

The Bay Area Ridge Trail service day is an annual event where many groups and trail organizations come out and spend a day fixing the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 400+ mile (eventually 550) trail circumnavigating the whole Bay Area.

Thanks to the scouting work of Judd Volino and approval by our agency partner, San Mateo County Parks, the Trail Center was able to pull together a service project on the Skyline Trail just North of the Wunderlich Park boundary. The work involved clearing duff and debris from the tread to widen it and to recenter the tread which was, in many places, getting dangerously close to the outside, downhill edge.

We were very fortunate to have thirty volunteers, four crew leaders, two staff, a trail boss and two representatives from the Ridge Trail Council show up for the day. We sincerely thank all those who took time out of their Saturday to come to help on this project.

During the morning announcements the Trail Center was very pleased to award red Crew Leader shirts to Jennifer Lange and Sam Warring who have been training with us over the last year. We thank them for their service and willingness to participate as our newest crew leaders.

Four crews were formed and assigned to work at various spots on the first half mile of the project. Earlier, Judd Volino had prepped many spots on the trail for easy brushing by cutting vines and brambles with an electric trimmer. It made cleanup of those sections go much faster.

A few days before the event we found out that a 35K and 50K major race was scheduled for the same day as our work. Not the best plan, for sure, but we could live with it. The trail crews were very supportive of the runners and cheered them on as they passed.

The highlight of the day was having a volunteer strike an unseen ground nest of yellow jackets. In an instant a swarm was attacking the volunteers, trail runners and even the Trail Boss. Crew Leader Helen Shaugnessy was on it immediately, diving into our first aid kit for meds and lotions. Fortunately, the allergic reactions were local and none of the victims had to depart for the day.

The Trail Boss, however, made a decision that no crews would pass the war-zone nest and that meant we had to reroute and shuttle all volunteers to the North end of the work area to continue the project. We managed to arrange that and enjoyed a Chipotle burrito lunch together at the Molder Trailhead while we were waiting for all crews to re-assemble.

We worked until around 2:30 and despite the reroute got roughly 95% of the original plan done. There are some reports of serious damage to the tread just North of the Molder Trail junction and we'll need to finish up the last one-fifth mile of undone work, so it looks like another project day or bonus day will be in the works.

We finished the day with our usual refreshments and a raffle with prizes provided by the Trail Center and the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

The Trail Center wishes to sincerely thank Susan Kelso for hauling the lunch burritos to us and being very flexible about our change in plans, Ryan Mack for being the Ridge Trail representative and helping out in many different ways during the day, and Natalia Cortes for coordinating plans and volunteers for the Ridge Trail Council. A shout out also goes to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for use of their El Corte de Madera parking area.

Respectfully submitted,

Hank Magnuski
Project Supervisor

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Big Basin - Sequoia Trail

Burn Debris Cleanup

Activities: Work on the Sequoia Trail near park headquarters to remove dead and live vegetation along trail corridor and construct burn piles at specified locations.

Directions: Volunteer cars will meet in the Jay Trail Camp parking lot, which is off Big Basin Way, 0.3mi south of N. Escape Rd, and just north of the intersection with Hinh Hammond Rd.

GPS Coordinates: 37.168708, -122.221746

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Skyline Trail

Molder Junction to Alambique Trail

Directions: Directions to El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve parking lot, 16040 Skyline Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94062:
The parking lot is on the west side of Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard), 9.7 miles south of Hwy 92, about one mile south of the Caltrans Skeggs Point parking area and 2.7 miles north of the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 84.

Volunteer

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Project (click for directions):Annual Tool Party

Hidden Villa

Activities:Tool & Trailer Maintenance

Bring: work gloves, rags, electric drills with brush attachments (if you have them), good spirits, stories and friends.

Tool party location: Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills.

Directions to Hidden Villa 26870 Moody Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022:
From San Francisco and the Peninsula: Take I-280 South to exit 16 towards Moody Rd. Bear left to stay on El Monte Rd for .5 mile until the intersection with Elena Rd. Turn left onto Moody Rd and continue 1.7 mile until the entrance of Hidden Villa on the left. Turn left to take the driveway, let the person at the gatehouse know you are with the Trail Center, continue about .2 mile and turn into the main parking lot on your right. From the parking lot, walk up the road to the staging area where the trailer is parked.

From San Jose and the Valley: Take I-280 North to exit 16 for El Monte Rd. Keep left at the fork for El Monte Rd west, follow signs for Moody Rd/Foothill College and merge onto El Monte Rd. Continue about .7 mile until the intersection with Elena Rd. Turn left onto Moody Rd and continue 1.7 mile until the entrance of Hidden Villa on the left. Turn left to take the driveway, let the person at the gatehouse know you are with the Trail Center, continue about .2 mile and turn into the main parking lot on your right. From the parking lot, walk up the road to the staging area where the trailer is parked.

Volunteer

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What were you doing 40 years ago?!
You are invited to the Trail Center's 40th anniversary celebration, a picnic at Huddart Park's Miwok shelter, Saturday, September 16, 12-2 pm, with some history, a little bling and a raffle. Friends and family are welcome! Huddart County Park is located in Woodside, CA.
Lunch will be provided! We're not requiring a formal count, but pease help us plan by emailing volunteer@trailcenter.org with the number of people in your party and any dietary restrictions. It will be perfectly okay to come at the last minute, too!
There will be no entry fee. We will hand out Trail Center dashboard cards if the kiosk is not manned.
Mark your calendar for Saturday September 16 to come celebrate TC's anniversary!
We look forward to celebrating with you!

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We will be hosted by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association over the weekend of July 21-23, and help them with a reroute of the Horse Meadows Trail. The work will be at about 8500 feet, and camping at the Horse Meadows Trailhead, in an unimproved campsite with a porta-potty.

We will work full days Friday and Saturday, and half day Sunday, returning home Sunday afternoon. All meals except Thursday dinner will be provided. Volunteers will rotate kitchen duty.

Volunteers need to bring: personal camping gear, hat, gloves, water bottles/bladders (plan 3 liters/day), sunscreen, sturdy boots, long sleeved shirts, long pants, and rain gear. All volunteers are advised to be fully vaccinated.

Volunteers should arrive before nightfall Thursday July 20. We encourage and will help arrange carpooling.