Henry W Coe JDT/VOCal times

Hi,

It's been a long time since I wrote much on the subject.

It would be proper to catch up on all the events over the last year and a half, but I can't do that.

We've had some problems with the JDT. It culminated in a work stoppage order from the Supervising Ranger regarding certain trail construction choices that were made being outside of the DPR standards. Eventually all of this will be explained in greater detail. The essential contentions are over a couple of bermed corners, a tree bypass (which has been mitigated by DPR staff already), too abrupt rolling grade dips (especially those which are "lumps"; I don't favor those either) which apparently appear to be mountain bike jump features to non-mountain bikers, tread bench that is not wide enough in many areas, and unfinished turns and switchbacks which are not yet up to DPR specification yet. Work may continue, but a staff person must be present. Because staff presence is not convenient to come by, this has been effectively a work stoppage.

Altogether, despite the work stoppage and poor communication problems with staff, the JDT has come along quite well, and is a useful trail which has weathered a winter well.

This weekend brings a huge volunteer shot-in-the-arm with the Volunteers Outdoors California group, VOCal, showing up for a trail building event. I am excited to see what can be accomplished. We do have staff support on this and DPR supervision has been generously allocated.

Johnny Jump Up

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Johnny Johnny Jump Up on a snowy day,
High up on the hill slope with not a word to say,
I asked you several questions,
I asked you about the way,
You gave me no objections,
What I heard is hard to say.

Johnny Johnny Jump Up in the weeds and hay,
Will you still be up there when I come back to play?
I asked you several questions,
I asked you about the way,
You gave me no objections,
We are free to go,
and we will choose to stay.

Day #2 on the JDT

On the way to Hunting Hollow last Saturday morning I stopped by my friend's hourse where we keep a cache of trail tools and loaded them up, and then drove over Hwy 101 on the San Martin Rd overpass. I snapped a photo out the window of the snow on the east mountains of Coe Park. 

I'm not really sure why we get so excited about seeing snow on the hills around here.

We also get excited about rising creek water. Here the rains have swollen Coyote Creek deeply coveringthe ford out to the Rock House.

But hardly anyone except me and few close friends get excited about the most significant ongoing new trail construction in Santa Clara County. Good grief, look at that mud!

We continue to work no matter what the conditions, because we are not going to get many days to work in soft, err muck, conditions. All we have are sporadic Saturdays.

This is a posed photo of Plymmer. The trail is really taking shape.

It was a great turnout of 15 volunteers, especially considering the difficult weather. It rained quite a bit, and it was cold. But it is caliornia afterall, and compared to much of the USA, this is mild winter weather. Here we have a couple of horse riding ladies putting in some serious teamwork with mcleods on the trail.

This section was a quagmire zone, and it was really horendous to try to shape into a trail bench. It indicates that there will be some drainage issues here in the future, and we are planning on some rolling grade dips here.

Here's one of our hiker volunteers working on a nice section. The tree on the right is going to suffer isn't it? I think they could have arced the trail down below the tree and given it a good butress of soil. The section was left pretty much the way you see it here. We need to avoid impacting trees as much as possible.

Turkeys are mating now, and they are showing up in garrulous hordes all over the best meadows and trail intersections.

So goes the trail work. There is so much to do up there yet. I know that all trail work photos are pretty much the same thing. How many times can you look at people grubbing away at a trail? Hence, I am going to be looking for more perspectives on the subject, and try to be more creative.

These are the times here on planet Earth.

After the trail work I high tailed it to a party for someone transferring to another location from work. There I met my wife, and we reaquainted ourselves with old friends who left the company years ago. We went out to dinnerwith themafter the party and I drank so much that I was pretty well hung-over with a headache on Sunday morning. I got well enough to go on a bike ride in the afternoon, but I didn't get much done. I had left my truck at the brewery the night before. My wife drove us home that night. So my ride was going to pick up the truck. Yes the partying and dining and all was fun, and the beer exceptionally good (and free!). The whiskey was not a good idea! LOL. This sort of drinking was not usual for me twenty years ago, but I have slowed way down. I didn't get rudely drunk. In the end, it was a very relaxing experience overall.

Freezing out there tonight. Will I have the guts to ride to work tomorrow morning?

Honesty

"What happened to honesty?"

That is a riposte a friend grumbled when I said that I asked for more than I thought I would get in order to get what I need.

He stopped me literally in my tracks. It appeared at that moment, that my entire life has been "gamed" by an institution, or rather a culture, that asks more while expecting less. Occasionally even impossible objectives are posited with a whiff of earnest sincerity when the challenges are steepest.

Being in that game, I found myself doing the same thing, and being called out for it, I am now over it.

"He speaks with a forked tongue."

It worries me that politics in government and life are muddled by calculated posturing "to move the center" that I cannot identify genuine opinions as pundits advance a positions to fall back from. It is called back-sliding, and it is dishonest. Yes, it is a minor worry. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Proposed Trail Terminus

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The proposed bottom terminus of the JD

After the trail work concluded for the day, Rob, Phillip, Roy, Paul and I evaluated the options for landing the Jim Donnelly Trail down onto Hunting Hollow Rd without using the land below the dam, and keeping within the 10% grade limit.

We used pin flags and a clinometer. We investigated a few ideas, even entertained a couple of far flung and impractical ones, but ended up with essentially what is represented in these altered photographs. I used a photo editor to superimpose the proposed trail for visualization purposes.


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Above is a photo looking taken from Hunting Hollow Rd looking N up towards the trail (and back towards the parking area). The flag line is at 10% and heads right up to where the trail bench arrives at the ridge nose just before the stock pond (where we are directed to not use the stock pond area terrain).

The trail could simply follow the flag line from the foreground. The 2 main problems with that are:

1. The place where most trail users will be coming and going from is behind the background of this photo, the parking lot. That means that a volunteer trail would spring up to shortcut the meadow.

2. The straight shot down to the road along the flag line drops mountain bikers right behind a tree and a blind turn on the road.

We decided on putting a turn in back towards the parking lot. The turn serves to slow riders down. The trail has a good view below to the road with great sight lines. Visbility is excellent. The turn gets people heading in the most likely direction they need to go, discouraging a short cut volunteer trail.

The next picture looks down from behind the fenceline from the exact location where the trail would cross the fence line. The black line superimposed is a rough approximation of the trail line. Of course there is a bush in the way that keeps you from seeing where it would lie on the hillside.

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In the above photo there is a barbed wire fence which needs to be cut and crossed. On the right side of the frame is an organge flag. That orange tape (now removed) in the photo hangs from a tree. That tree was used as a fence post and grew around the wire, so that the wire is embedded around 3 inches deep. Further down the fenceline you can see a metal fencepost. The proposal here is to have the trail tread cross the fenceline at the blue tape. The orange flag tree would hold up the fence to the northwest, and the metal post would be staked down by a tensioned upper fence wire to keep the rest of the fence up and tight. Since grazing leases will not be renewed, we presume that there is no requirement to install a gate here. Because this is the only practical alignemnt for the trail, we presume that permission to cut this fence line will be permitted. 

Next shows an idea of how the trail might look from a little bit past and below the fence. You can see the road below on the right. You also see how that if the trail went straight down the flag line (decribed in the first photo above) it would not be a good place to send cyclists on a finish of the trail Since the HH Rd is popular with equestrian traffic, it is definitely a risk. Instead you see the proposed trail aglignment make something like a 140 degree turn (switch-back) to the right.
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Next is a visualization of the turn from above, with Diesel hiking up the proposed alignment.

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And the next shot is of how the proposed alignment reaches the HH Rd. The photo was taken from the downhill leg of the switch-back. It heads right for a large distant and prominent Sycamore tree, and provides a good sight-line for any traffic on the road. The exit onto the road is preceded by a shallow flat turn to help slow bike traffic at this crucial location.


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Next is a view of the proposed trail alignment taken from the edge of the road looking up towards the trail. This gives an idea of how it is arranged.


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And the next is a concept sketch of the turn from above. There is plenty of room to make the turn radius bigger here, and we will have to. We will measure this terrain with a tape. If we get a serious rain storm we should go out there and see how the drainage is here, and what sort of soil is here. The trail is in a slump of what is probably an old slide from a super-saturated mass of soil. Judging from the rock exposures in the area, which are quite significant, it is likely that the soil is relatively shallow over massive bedrock. The bedrock doesn't absorb moisture. When the soil becomes super-saturated a layer of water and mud forms at the interface between rock and soil which allows the mass of loose dirt above to slide down the side-slope, usually in a slow and elastic motion. Another possible effect is one of localized ephemeral springs located by the crevices in the bedrock.

The area of the proposed turn shows some unusual erosion and the trail traversing to the fenceline above may be vulnerable to the same source of that erosion. But this is the only practical solution which avoids the stock-pond situation. So is it worth the risk? We think so. Future descriptions will show how this alignment meets the trail corridor above in a good and logical place.

Below is a sketch of a way to use the terrain in-situ to make a narrow radius version of the turn. This construction is proposed as the first stage of construction to make the corridor usable for travel, and not exactly the final shape of the turn. The lines in this view show how there is a depression where we located the turn.

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This alignment proposal as portrayed here is our best alternative. There remains one more turn above everthing pictured here. That turn is a tough switch-back which needs a cribwall to build a turning platform upon (the rolling crown). We'll look at that proposal in depth, in a separate post.

One thing I wish to remark upon, in relation to the switchback near the pond, is that it will require the removal of a significant amount of dirt on the upper leg, excavating into the upslope. Depending upon the final design of that turn, we may end up with a lot of excess "fill" to dispose of somewhere. The alternative proposal for the lower turn, I mentioned above, would put a portion that fill to use in it's construction as compacted fill, which would be wheelbarrowed down.

There are certain choices to be made in the creation of the pond switchback. The main one, as I see it, is to decide how much are we willing to cut into the upslope to obtain enough swing-out to provide the large radius 12-14 feet (28 feet across)the trail needs to accomodate horse traffic. That is because that will determine how much, if any, retaining wall is needed. Paul L. made this observation on site.

Another consideration is that the existing trail bed above the pond swithback is, I estimate between 3% and 7% in grade locally, and so it may be possible to lower that bench to bring the approach to the switchback to a slightly slacker side-slope location. However, mature trees along that corridor are quite tight. Lowering the trail could require threading around trees in shallow turns and reversals, which would make it much more attractive than the current laser-straight line.

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This drawing was hard to do for me, and it is wrong, but it tries to give an idea of what the turn at the bottom would look like. These sketches make the trail look like it is in the air, but it would be sunk down below the fluff of the grass of course. The most controversial aspect of this corner is that it will require fill dirt to create the rolling crown turning platform over a minor drainage area. We may be well advised to bury some perforated pipes in gravel at the bottom, and have them poking out of the downslope discretely to aid drainage. As mentioned earlier the fill would come from the turn above the fence line near the pond. If it is permitted, we would like to be able to use rock from the creek bed as well to form some of the edges and have something substantial to defend the inside of the turn.

Another consideration we may be required to observe by policy are ADA principles to construct the trail surface up to this turn, a relatively relaxed 2-5% grade section, ADA accessible.

Since we have generously received a lot of rain this week, we'll be able to examine this final turn location this Saturday and see if it is an active drainage. I think we'll be able to tell if water was flowing here. It is possible to go further ahead and make a flatter turn, but we feel the flow and visual appearance of the trail will be better in this location.  

-Paul

Day #1 on the Jim Donnelly Trail

Day #1 on the Jim Donnelly Trail

We are benching the tread to a full 48". Of course it isn't always easy.
That's an easy spot above.

On February 12th we had 16 volunteers out there from 9 to 3. We've got motivated volunteers.

Currently the plan is essentially to continue to bench the sections of trail corridor which are not constrained by trees, rocks, drainage crossings, and across switchbacks. We will also skip sections identified as possible drainage opportunities, such as grade reversals. We will also skip areas which lead into and out of certain problem sections, in case a slight reroute is needed in the approaches.

The immediate goal is not to bench the trail to the full requirement and finish the tread. We'll be making a lot of passes on this bottom half of the JD trail. The goal is to leave each section passable and ready for weather however. In the photo above, the up-slope cut is too steep and will need to be beveled off, the bench may still be too narrow.

It's a Class I trail. It will receive a lot of use, in both directions, from all types of trail user, right from the trail head parking lot at Hunting Hollow.

The trail is currently closed to use. We are wiring closed the portagee gate after each work day. The top entrance to the trail is uncontrolled at this time. Any person descending the mountain on the trail corridor will most likely end up using the new trail corridor. A saw-horse could be taken up there at a great cost of energy and time, but it would probably make little difference. A home grown sign, or some tape across the trail would probably do little to discourage use of the trail either. The main thing I am concerned with is tread damage after rain. Certainly once the trail is open, advisory signs to not use the trail after and during rain, need to be in place. Just as important, the local trail using community and trail patrols need to communicate this. One horse going up the trail in poor conditions would be able to create a lot of damage.

Flagging tape will be going around some trees to mark problem areas in the trail. That doesn't mean the trees are slated for removal. They are indicators that a technical situation is present and that options are being considered. For example, there are a couple of places anticipated, where the trees may be too close to allow a wide enough bench to meet the standard. We'll consider slight reroutes of the trail if possible, against removing a tree, or raising the tread height to obtain a consistent width, or for that section making an exceptional narrow section to serve as a traffic control point. If a tree is recommended for removal, it will be evaluated by staff, and we'll wait for staff to find an opportunity to remove the tree with a chainsaw. We'll document many of these situations here on this blog as they develop.

Since it is a multi-use trail, and conveniently located next to the parking area, I am very serious about getting the entire community out there working on it side by side. Bikers, hikers, and equestrians all need to pitch in some labor and get to know each other more. I think this will bode well for minimizing conflicts on this trail.

This weekend all user groups are invited and will be working on the trail this Saturday the 19th of February. We'll share building it, and we'll share using it, and we'll share maintaining it.

When the bench work on the trail reaches the 1500' elevation we'll split the focus into two areas: above 1500' and finishing the trail below 1500'. We need to get the entire tread ready for traffic below 1500' so that a ranger or maintenance worker can drive a quad up the trail to operate a chainsaw and assist. The problem areas in the trail will by then have solutions ready to apply, and these can be performed by small teams of our most experienced trail work volunteers. We wish to avoid solutions which require cribbing, but there will probably be a few cases where it will be neccessary to shore up the tread on steep sideslopes and spare magnificent trees. 

Here's a section above which looks like it may actually be over 10% in gradient, side slope is steep. The trees on the left side of the trail form a line past which benching cannot occur. The only way to make the trail wider and reduce grade is to bench lower. The risk here is that large deep oak tree roots may be found, which if severed, will injure the trees and make them more prone to falling down across the trail and creating more damage. Is this a situation where it may be best to compromise the standard a bit? No conclusion yet. This is mentioned just for the sake of an example of a potential problem section.

Above is a photo of completed tread benching in a straightforward easy section, with relaxed sideslope. The upslope is nicely beveled and the tread bench actually exceeds 48" and there is no evidence of a partial bench trying to masquerade as bench. The tread isn't perfectly smooth, and that's fine, as I expect the repeated hiking of many trail workers will take care of that. Out slope appears to be present, but will be checked with a bubble level toward the final stages of the build out.

The outside edge of the tread is flagged before benching the tread, here marked by red pin flags, to provide a point of reference for the trail worker. Multiple passes by different personnel are made with cutter-mattocks and mcleods to acheive a consistent finish. Volunteers are instructed work as teams, typically of 4 to 6 with appointed crew leaders. Volunteers are discouraged from "owning" a section of trail and bringing a section of trail to completion from start to finish alone. When one or two people work the same section to death it can take longer and can create unusual trail features. If people stay in the same place too long they can actually take too much material away and even create basins which become puddles someday. Crews of four or five people working as a team in multiple passes will get more trail built with more consistent results, and will enjoy a very social collaborative experience.

At the end of the day volunteers should have a good feeling about what they have accomplished. They will be tired but not to the point of exhaustion. They use safe practices and do not rush the work. Quality is important. Toward that quality they need to have patience and understanding that perfect results may not be possible in one day. Some things will require many visits to fine tune to a satisfactory condition.

Inevitably we encounter tough rocky sections of trail. Some times unexpectedly we find rock buried under the surface of what looks like smooth turf at the surface. These sections need special attention and evaluation before committing to the flag line. Rocky sections are excellent opportunities for the trail. The excavated rocks themselves, of all sizes, are excellent building materials for other places along the trail. Rocks should be securely piled up and collected in caches above the trail tread line. No rocks should ever be pitched or rolled down the trail or allowed to do so, as they could end up injuring a worker below. Sometimes we may need to tread the trail around certain large rocks we find. Each instance will be unique, and require creative problem solving. Rocks are dangerous. Moving heavy rocks can break fingers and break backs. Every move must be carefully planned. Coordinated teamwork is essential. Rocks can be found anywhere in the tread you are digging. Always wear eye protection! Flying chips can seriously injure an eye.

Soil conditions vary. We need moisture in these coarse clay mineral soils to break down the cohesion of the soil. When dry, this soil is almost as hard as rock. That is why I am going to organize as many trail days as possible when the conditions are right with this remaining winter and spring.

We've got a long way to go. Additionally we have a technical situation at the very start of the trail which we think we have a solution for, that will cost $1000 in materials and many hours to implement. We also need to find time to re-flag the sections above 1500' before the grass grows up tall. It's a real challenge.

Another idea we are pursuing is the purchase of a job-box to chain up to a tree higher up the trail so that we can have a ready tool cache onsite.

And finally on the bottom technical trail build at the start of the trail off of Hunting Hollow Road we are thinking about using horses with pack saddles to help haul up the 50# retaining wall stones we'll need. It's not neccessary, and may not happen, as we could get a ranger to use a quad, but it would be wonderful to do it that way if it is possible and permissible.

Currently we've been getting some rain this week, and trail building conditions should be ideal for this Saturday.
Here are some more photo's from 021211 followed by comments:
What not to do!
This is not shown because it is a nice photo. It's not a nice photo, or particularly interesting is it? There are trail work activities going on here which deserve comments. First, the guy in the hat either walks towards some guys actively at work or he is talking to them. In either case all of these guys should be cued in on their proximity for safety's sake. Always get the attention of trail workers and get permission to cross their line of work before walking across it. Never assume that someone swinging a pick will stop picking away just because you happen by. Make them promise!
The other comment about the photo above is the position of the guys apparently grooming the bench. This is not an example of the best practice. The best practice (and I do not have a photo of it yet) in the last stage of grooming tread is to stand on the bench itself and use the tools in the parallel direction of travel. Working that way takes a certain amount of time to get used to.  Everyone needs to try it and use it on the final pass for sure. Why? These reasons:
  • It spares the outer edge from accidental degradation.
  • Scraping and raking in the direction of travel, up and down, instead of across the trail, evens out the crennelations, craters, and comb marks from earlier in the trail building process (which are often perpendicular to the direction of travel).
  • By keeping the workers weight on the trail, compaction is enhanced.
  • The worker feels the trail and sees the trail from the perspective from which it will be used and makes adjustments based upon that valid feedback.
  • It encourages the worker to look and travel up and down the section being finished to evaluate the trail as a whole which encourages consistency and continuity.

I allow that it makes some things more difficult, like moving excess material off the bench. Yet that is also the beauty of this. It discourages the removal too much material and creating divots. Keep in mind that this technique is valid for all phases of trail work, and that you should not always work from the side and below, straddling the outer edge. But you can straddle the edge and work from below, and often you must, but try working from on the bench a lot more. I think you'll discover the good things about that approach. The final finishing pass on the trail should be made from on the trail.

A pink flag hangs on a branch to indicate that something needs to be removed here to allow the headroom for horseback rider to pass. We do want to remove branches, and only if absolutely neccessary, trees, before winter ends. When we do get to this phase of the work, it must be done using proper technique. We cannot abide scars on trees from careless acts on our new trail! Nobody cuts anything until the word is given by the boss. If it comes to removing a tree, we'll need to enlist a maintenance worker with a chainsaw.

 

Above, as you can see, is a visualization of what to remove from the cut-slope or upslope in order to lay back the side of the trail to standard. As you can see, it amounts to a lot of earth to be moved. If it is not done, we risk criticism from the Distirct Maintenance Chief! More pertinently, when the trail's inside slope is too steep it inevitably collapses and narrows the tread. In fact collapses are inevitable no matter what you do to some extent, but laying the slope back is an important thing to establish right away. This section was beautifully finished. Just think of how that will be buried and then excavated when the back slope is relaxed. Trail work is hard enough. Yes, that will expose a lot of bare dirt, and yes maybe the turf on the cap would hold it together well, but the truth is that best practice and standards require the cut-bank to be less steep.

 

IMBA VIP reception

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Somehow I managed not only to get invited but also managed to get on down to Specialized in Morgan Hill this evening to attend this event. (Thanks Chris for driving and carpooling.)

I did not know what this was about until I got there and figured it out. There were like 60 people or so there. Among them the board of IMBA's directors. They flew out from Boulder CO and other points to convene a special board meeting and possibly a sort of retreat. Specialized used their lobby/museum as a reception area. Time was spent socializing and catching up and sharing visions, and forming relationships, etc. I knew a about one third of the people there. There was a wonderfully brief round of speech making and I was impressed with IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel's delivery. Mike Sinyard had a few words too. Really all I wanted to do was represent the PRA, FOGHS, and Henry W. Coe SP. And the reason I was really there was for Coe Park. Who knows if I made the right connections, but I hope I can succeed in revitalizing a relationship with Specialized. So the IMBA board is coming to visit Henry W Coe SP at the trail work day, and I'll show them a little ride then. It should be quite a serious day in the park on Saturday. I can't wait!

I love Henry W. Coe State Park. Please help support us!

-Paul
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

My Old Friend McLeod

Let me tell you about my old friend, McLeod. He's an odd looking long handled buddy that we always see when we are building and maintaining trail. He's a stand up guy, and you can always rely on him to stand up for you, when everyone else is lying down or propped up and leaning. You can set him right down, and he'll tell you right away if you've got enough outslope on the bench. He's a quick and handy measure, for his length right about four feet.

McLeod has many talents I've discovered over the years I've dragged him all over the trails and no-trails hillsides we live amongst. One of his least appreciated talents is the folksy music he makes when he twangs against a rock. I've even heard a harmonius chord sung out when the tines grabble across some loose gravel.

But ringing out the music is nothing compared to the useful jobs McLeod works at. Most of the time he's employed pulling on his long handle. Sometimes you can give him a push too. And then, just as often you might see him chopping down with a strike.
The hoe blade is meant to be kept sharp but from use as often scraping it can be McLeod's bluntest part. But you can tilt him down on his weighty corner to bite down like a pick. You'll never swing Mc Leod overhead. But you'll always use short chopping motion to chop and pick instead.

The other end's thick rake tines are often used to spread, the uneven dirt and chunks, that become an old trail's tread. They can easily bust up all sizes of dirt clod, and even chip up sticks and bark: and for little critters dread. And the tines extend on long reach, the ability to grab, raunchy branches, vines, and hay, and let you carry them to a place where they might stay.

The rake can be used in team work, with a partner ready to chop or lop, the straggly branches of some brush that you have pulled down in this way. You can even chop at poison oak vines, and that's another way to say: Never carry a McLeod atop your shoulder, because you might get itchy all over that way. When walking carry it by your side and away, with the rake-hoe head forward, and the handle back the otherway. Carry it on the down-slope side and be ready, in case of a trip or a fall, you can let it fall away.

Before you use them, check your tools for safety. Check the handle for any flaws or splints. Ensure the head is secure and tight. And see how sharp the hoe edge is, for cutting roots it's right.

The hoe grubbing edge of the McLeod glints bright when it is freshly sharpened, keen and slight. It can strike a mighty blow where a saw or an axe are hard to use in ground attacks. And a favored path is often cleared by chopping up the sod with the well placed hack, and oft times peeled, when you pull back.  But for smoothing out the path by pendulum swings of the head, many praises for this tool, the Mcleod, are often said.

Let's not forget to mention, that other odd peculiar motion, you'll see crews finishing up work with on their grade. And that's the up and down tamping action they'll temper the dirt with what they made. They will compact all the soil by pushing the tool down rapidly, and sometimes they even stand and hop around on it, clasping on the handle handily, like fools riding an unsprung pogo stick.
Yes, the McLeod is a tool of many uses, and I haven't listed them all here. Let's just say if we didn't have one, the deprivation would be severe.

Sometimes the McLeod is called a fire rake, because it is also used in fighting wildfires. McLeod (with a capital L) is the surname of Malcolm McLeod who invented this device in 1905. McLeod was Ranger in the Sierra National Forest of California. The tool bearing his namesake is designed to perform two main tasks: raking, and hoeing or grubbing. It's use in combat against spreading wildfires is often in scraping and raking dry duff away to the incombustible mineral soil to prevent fire from spreading.

Henry W Coe 2nd Sat Trail Work Feb 12 New Jim Donnelly Tr 9am Hunting Hollow Blueberry

In Coe-operation with California State Parks, the Pine Ridge Association, Responsible
Organized Mountain Pedalers, and the Friends of Gilroy Hot Springs, we bring you:

Henry W Coe 2nd Sat Trail Work Feb 12 New Jim Donnelly Tr 9am Hunting Hollow Blueberry

 
This trail day plan happens rain or shine. :)

You have the opportunity to be part of the first group of volunteers to begin work on a brand
new trail that climbs directly up to the ridge above Hunting Hollow at a 10% grade or less
for 4 miles. This is a groundbreaking event in a metaphorical sense. It represents the first
new trail construction project in Coe Park in many years. This trail will be an instant favorite.

We are very proud and excited to present this!

Here are some photos from last Saturday, Feb. 5, of the trail alignment:

 

Our main job will be to widen and define the tread using grubbing tools.
There is no brushing or saw work.

Please come on down and help define this badly needed trail. When complete, it will
provide a much easier way to access, Spike Jones Trail, Willson Peak, and all the nice
trails that descend off the peak.

Free Henry W. Coe Maps to the volunteer trail worker, and a T-shirt to those who return a second time.

Please bring your own work gloves, wear eye protection, and sturdy footwear.

The trail work site for this activity is directly adjacent to the parking lot, only a 50 yard
stroll away! Therefore there will be no time spent riding or shuttling volunteers to the site.
So if you bring your bike a post TW ride you'll need to either lock it up good, or bring it
along a short ways.

(Having a bike complicates carrying the tools.)

The trail work is just on the other side of the creek. There is a shallow ford.

Everyone meets up in the Hunting Hollow parking lot for orientation.
We will distribute the trail tools in parking lot.
RSVP's are appreciated. In the future I think I'll  have to start offering schwag for RSVP's
who show up, as an incentive, to help us get a head count. A head count really helps us
with planning.

Directions:

And here's a bonus sunset photo from Feb. 5th of off Middle Steer Ridge
near the Bowl Road junction:

SKY BRANCHES

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Bike Speak

Smog_free

Here's a photo from a 1972 book called "California Bike Tours". How far have we come? Not as far as I would have hoped. Let's not kid ourselves. The industry that makes bikes and electric cars pollutes. But riding a bike still kicks my butt every time! Smog free my ass.
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