Friday 8/27 South Ridge Trail

Today, two retired volunteers toted pick, bar, and shovel out on South Ridge Trail beyond the 9 drains we re-dug on 8/5. The trail is gradual on that stretch, but gullies enough to make for few places for a drain and its ditch to carry runoff.

We warmed up by setting a rock of ~ 150 lbs as a step just below some roots still solid enough to hold soil, so hikers can step there. We started a barricade beside it to channel hikers, but more will be needed to deter hikers who can only see straight lines.

After a break, we moved uphill to where an old drainage dip has failed due to traffic trampling a wider path. We quarried three rocks, the largest being ~600 lbs, but we could flip it along the trail with the bar. We measured it, dug its hole, and landed it there on the first try (we got lucky). We then dug a trench from that one across the trail and set two more sizable ones in it. Lastly, we re-dug the ditch uphill of this drain and threw the soil from it on the uphill side of the line of rocks to make a berm higher than the ditch. We also added one more paver just uphill of the ditch.

By now it was 1330, the air was cooler and drier, and we called it a day and went home. Every bit helps, and this is still fun

- Craig Sanborn, CHVTC