Rattlesnake Canyon Trail Clean-Up

I've taken you with me on several hikes up Rattlesnake Canyon.  A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go do some trail work with some other folks from the Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, for whom I've been doing more work lately.  One of the physical therapists there is a trail crew leader, certified by the National Forest Service.  He put the call out for volunteers to help, and of course I jumped at the chance to work on one of my favorite trails.

The Tea Fire and the Jesusita Fire had both burned the area, and the trails bear a lot of the fire's effects, from greater erosion to overgrowth with the heavy rains after the fires.  We mostly tackled the overgrowth.  Dave picked out a few sections for us to work on and set us to work hacking away the growth so that the trail was more usable.

It was a beautiful evening, perfect for a hike and a little elbow grease.  After we signed the necessary acknowledgments, Dave showed us how to use the heavy hand tools. We donned helmets and gloves and started up.

Here we are at the trailhead.  Ready to get to work!

Hiking up:

Getting to work!

Izzy tossing the debris into the bushes.

A "before" picture.  The trail was really crowded by overgrowth, mostly wild mustard.

 

And "after" -- wow, good work, people!

 

The reward!  Enjoying the view after the hard work.

Another "before" picture:

And after, it was a more enjoyable trail to hike.

I learned a lot about trail maintenence in general.  Dave was a good guide, showing us where other maintenence was needed like making new berms or re-forming berms to guide the water off the trail. 

The following weekend I hiked up the trail again, and I was really proud when I came to "our" sections.  I felt a real sense of ownership!  Neat!  I told Dave I'm ready for the next one anytime.  It was a lot of fun!

Here's to a good few hours' work!  Cheers!