Project: Memorial Park
Photo Album: Memorial Park - Homestead Trail Photos
Memorial Park – Homestead Trail
Trail Center Work Day Report
June 26, 2021
On Saturday, June 26, the Trail Center returned to Homestead Trail in San Mateo County’s Memorial Park. This was the third of three scheduled workdays with the goal of recommissioning the trail in time for the 100 year anniversary reopening of Memorial Park. The Trail Center was thrilled to participate in this important work, and its 15 volunteers brought this enthusiasm to Saturday’s workday.
The weather began with overcast skies that cleared by late morning, temperatures in the high 50s to the low 70s. The trail tread is a mix of organic, sandy, sandstone soil, nicely workable even after this season’s lower than average precipitation.
We staged the trailer and volunteers in the overflow lot at the Huckleberry Flat picnic area. Ranger Dave Vasquez had previously staged the required materials and tools nearby at Milepost 14. SMCP staff unlocked the gates and opened up the restroom in anticipation of our arrival.
Karl and Helen’s crew began at the unfinished retaining wall (tan oak fallen onto Douglas fir) and proceeded east to the Azalea Flat Campground for brushing, reestablishing trail width, and ensuring proper outslope. Along the way, Stu Smith and Jennifer replaced the rotted first stair step at the Milepost 6 staircase. After lunch, the crew remobilized to Huckleberry and proceeded east to complete all tread work on the Azalea-to-Huckleberry stretch of the Homestead Trail before heading west to perform the same work on 0.1 mile of the trail between Huckleberry and Homestead. Their work on these portions is truly impressive.
Judd’s crew designed and built a redwood bridge crossing a major drainage (second only to the extensive bridge and culvert over Pomponio Creek). The new and level redwood bridge replaces a rotted, slippery, and dangerously steep set of planks installed many decades ago. The bridge has the added advantage of leading hikers away from the precipitous outer edge of the trail to the more stable and maintainable inner bench. Upon completion of the bridge, they removed several toe-tripping roots on the approach, taking care to leave enough remaining to maintain the stability of the trail.
Dave’s crew attempted to resume and complete construction of the retaining wall where a tan oak had fallen onto a Douglas fir and had narrowed the trail. Disappointingly, they were immediately attacked by ground bees and after multiple stings, discretion became the better part of valor. Ceding the battle but not the war, they regrouped and successfully designed and installed not one, not two, but THREE retaining walls at especially narrow portions of the trail west of the planned work area. These walls will buy Homestead Trail several decades’ protection against erosion and sloughing into Pescadero Creek. Due to the persistence of bees at the planned location (both the Trail Center and San Mateo County Vector Control were unable to locate the nest), the Trail Center recommends that completion of this wall be postponed until winter when the hive will be dormant. In the meantime, the trail is passable to those who tread lightly. SMCP may want to consider filling in the construction hole this summer (preferably early in the morning and by staff wearing earth-tone clothing) and placing standard bee warning sign in order to ensure the public’s safety.
Summary:
Except for the above mentioned retaining wall, all work on the Azalea-to-Huckleberry section of the Homestead Trail is complete.
West of Huckleberry Flat, the Trail Center has completed approximately 0.1 mile of trail tread work. The pending two-tiered retaining wall at the decommissioned utility bridge remains to be addressed.
The Trail Center Projects Committee will convene Tuesday, July 6, to discuss a timeline for returning to Memorial Park to complete all portions of the Homestead Trail.