West Ridge Trail, Friday 10/4

We carried on with making the trail more user-friendly, and closing herd paths. We worked downhill from where we stopped last time, 9/6. Our team was two, Steve P. and TM Craig. We hiked up slowly because we did outreach to curious hikers, passed out our cards, etc. After break at 11ish we tackled the biggest job of the day.

A chunk of ledge fell on the trail sometime before we got there in 1985. Hikers could get by it, until the COVID crowds found it too difficult and made a herd path downhill, through a mudhole, then up a steep bank. If we could just move it a few feet further, out to the edge of the ledge where the trail is, we/d have a trail hikers might use. Photos show how the boulder was, how we pried it around with two 10-lb. bars, and then how we tipped it up so as to leave a path about 3' wide. We then added a step in the trail to hold soil on it.

We also added a large step below one we set last 9/6. That encourages hikers to walk up them and up a stone ramp with some irregular talus as steps, which leads up to the new path we opened up for them. Ascending hikers used the route as soon as we opened it. We finished with a paver beside a ditch draining a spring across the trail, so walkers have a straight line with pavers leading them to the new steps.

This part of the trail still needs barricade, maybe helped by a rope on trees on the downhill side.

The next job downhill is a rock staircase on the slope downhill of the cascade. Repairing fixtures from the top downhill is the only way the higher bits of the trail will get the attention they need. Weekdays before winter, email [email protected] to sign up.

Craig Sanborn, CHVTC
Trailmaster