Clearing a Path

Today I did something totally new for me and joined the Stewards of the Sequoia in clearing the Whiskey Flat trail.

After seeing the difference between a well cleared trail and an overgrown one, I really wanted to be a part of the effort but wasn’t sure how to get involved. I’d heard of the Conservation Corp. but that’s way more commitment than I could offer. I always figured any other work would be done by the US Forest Dept.

Turns out there are local groups or clubs that volunteer to create or clear trails by working with the USFD and the BLM. One of those groups is the Stewards of the Sequoia

I was lucky enough to hear about the Stewards in a local news and info group on Facebook. I contacted them to find out what I needed to do to volunteer. Someone got back to me pretty quickly and told me about the form I had to fill out and when and where they would be meeting.

I met them at the Sierra Gateway Market. The Stewards provided all the tools, and Sierra Gateway Market donated lunch (which was a bonus). Then we continued down the road to a campground across the river from the portion of the trail we would be working on.

The Whiskey Flat trail is around twelve miles long according to AllTrails, but actually extends several miles further to Fairview. The portion we were working on was quite a ways in and much too far for hauling all the tools. So, they enlisted the help of one of the guides from Eagle Rafting to float us and all our gear across the river. Definitely an exciting way to get started.

Because we were starting at a midway point in the trail, it was a bit challenging to get to the trail itself. After crossing the river, we had to climb up a fairly steep side of the hill to get our gear and ourselves to the trail. Once we made it, we split into groups. We used brush cutters, chainsaws, clippers, and good old-fashioned elbow-grease. Only people that were certified could use the chainsaws, but I got to try out the brush cutter, which was a lot of fun. Basically, the way it worked was some of us cut, while others cleared, making sure we moved the brush away from the trail. The work was physical, but the weather was on our side. It stayed fairly cool and breezy for most of the day.

I brought a backpack with a few bottles of water, but had a mishap with a pruning saw that lost me two of them. Luckily. someone was kind enough to share their water with me. I brought a ton of snacks I didn’t eat, a few tools I didn’t use (like the offending saw), gloves I did use, and sunscreen (which I was glad I had). I wore layers (always wear layers)-- it was a little cooler when we started, and the long sleeves helped with preventing scratches and poison ivy.

Next time I will bring more water and ditch the saw.

After working on the trail all day we ended the day at Pizza Barn, where they donated free pizza to the cause. Definitely the best way to end the day,

Volunteering meant I got to meet new people with similar interests and spend the day outside on a beautiful trail. It was great to be able to see the difference we made on the trail, and I can’t wait to do it again. I think I might even look into getting chainsaw certified because-- why not? I would highly recommend volunteering at least once with a local group of some kind, it’s a great way to create a sense of community. I really feel like I learned a lot.

If you are interested in volunteering with, or learning more about the Stewards of the Sequoia check out this link:

http://stewardsofthesequoia.org/accomplishments.aspx