Project: Huddart Park - Chinquapin Trail
Photo Album: Huddart Park - Chinquapin Trail Photos
Huddart Park - Chinquapin Trail
Trail Center Work Day Report
February 8, 2020
On Saturday, February 8, the Trail Center performed some bread and butter maintenance on the Chinquapin Trail at the upper end of Huddart Park. We had a great turnout of about 30 people, with lots of first-timers. We were welcomed and greatly assisted in preparing for staging by Rangers Joe Immethun and Dylan Hofflander of San Mateo County Parks, who walked the trail with Judd before flagging to confirm the priorities for the work. They confirmed with Kings Mountain Archers that our event wouldn’t conflict with others so we could use the parking lot at the archery range for trailer and volunteer parking (SMCP post “52”). A representative of the archery group also helped ensure the gate stayed unlocked and provided a tool to a late-arriving volunteer.
The day started clear but chilly in the 50s as volunteers gathered. After the safety talk, the crews made the steep descent about 0.5 mi down Archery Fire Road to the upper of the two SMCP “41” posts that marks the lower end of Chinquapin Trail. The crews would spend their day working uphill on the trail.
Dave C’s crew took the first section of trail, where there was damage from drainage off King’s Mountain Rd. They restored the pathway, and re-purposed a length of 10” diameter redwood log on the hillside as a bar set firmly in the trail to protect against future heavy flows running down the trail. This area also needed a great deal of removal of dirt from the inside edge that had accumulated, narrowing the tread. Woody was key to that effort. They then continued upwards throughout the day to handle additional de-duffing the inside, mild brushing and tread clean up.
Hank’s crew was the next in line. Their key tasks beside more de-duffing and brushing was to add several drains on a long, straight, steep run of trail to reduce water speeds during rains. Several first time volunteers were able to participate in this effort, with mentoring from Hank and Judd. Further uphill, they brushed back the huckleberry growing on the uphill side of the trail.
Helen’s crew dealt with a root ball that impinged on the trail corridor a bit, cutting back parts to widen the path and then improving the tread through widening. Ken worked with a new volunteer on a very nice drain in this section. The crew then handled several drains that needed to be re-established off the ends of switchbacks. They also removed log debris that was getting in the way on the up-hill side.
Bill’s crew, furthest up the trail to start, converted a “speed bump” style drain that had already been damaged under foot to a swale-style one at a wet turn in the trail that’s more open due to power lines running overhead. They worked on widening the tread in a number of places, too. One of their special projects was to replace some lost boulders that helped retain soil in the ramp at one end of a footbridge. They did a great job making it look like there was never a hole there. In addition, that crew helped to restore some width near the upper end of the trail where an uprooted tree had taken out some of the outer edge. They cut into the hillside a bit to accomplish this.
As the day went on the crews advanced to the longer switchbacks at about the 0.8 mile mark and were able to clean up the tread quite a bit there and do additional brushing. As a final push, several crews worked on removing lots of duff/dirt from the inside edge to restore the width on a long, steep section that eventually parallels a ravine with a bit of a causeway. It was just past this turn (about 0.9 miles in, flag 40) that we came to the end of our time and hiked out the upper end of the trail, to post “51”, then back down Archery Fire Rd to the trailer for drinks and snacks. Bill and Kathy were kind enough to coordinate snacks. Thanks to Dave C. for hauling the trailer.
-Judd Volino
2/27/20