Recap: Rock Work on West Engelsmans Reroute!
April 11, 2019
Words by Emma Ussat
Photos by Issac Wallen
[embed]https://youtu.be/CKu8i1SxRJs[/embed]
Last Saturday over sixty MBOSC volunteers and staff headed out to Wilder Ranch State Park for a Dig Day on the new West Engelsmans reroute trail. Another Bike Shop (ABS), located on the westside of Santa Cruz, sponsored the day. MBOSC’s Advocacy & Outreach Intern, Kristen Webster, employee of ABS, has become a regular face at Dig Days this season. ABS has sponsored an MBOSC Dig Day each year, as well as sponsored the Old Cabin Classic since its inception. Thanks ABS!
Like all good days, we started the day with coffee and donuts!
We like to start the day learning a bit about each other. At this Dig Day, everyone said their name, where they’re from, and a cool wild animal they saw recently. We heard about a lot of wild turkey chases and other Santa Cruz Mountain creatures.
Everyone signed up for a crew before heading out; crews varied from wheelbarrowing to building rock walls.
We hiked to our worksites on the trail, with tools in hand, which covered the entirety of the new trail.
Our focus for the day was rocks. Some crews hauled rocks with wheelbarrows all day from a base pile at the top of the trail, while others used the rocks to build walls or armor the trail with rock to prevent natural springs from creating muddy bogs.
“Trail work with MBOSC can be very diverse, sometimes you get to shape trails with a shovel and sometimes you get to smash rocks with a hammer all day. #rocksmash” - Christine Weir, MBOSC member, Trail Academy student, and volunteer.
"The Wilder Ranch dig day was a blast! It was great to work directly with Jose Castaneda, CA State Parks Trail Crew Lead, and learn the intricacies of building an accessible and dependable trail for riders, hikers and equestrians alike. I never knew rock placement was so important!" - Katy Poniatowski, MBOSC member, Trail Academy student, and volunteer.
Jose Castaneda, CA State Parks Trail Crew Lead was working hard all day to offer guidance and help dump loads of rock at the base camp with Cob Hyde, MBOSC Trails Specialist.
Kathy King, MBOSC Trail Crew Leader and member, loaded and pushed over a dozen wheelbarrow loads of rock.
All smiles and high-fives here!
We get by with a little help from our friends! And power wheelbarrows!
Thanks to Another Bike Shop and all of our volunteers and staff for a great day! The West Engelsmans Reroute is going to be a beautiful, sustainable, well-draining trail.
Checkout the Dig Day schedule for upcoming opportunities to get involved. If you want to support the work we’re doing, please consider becoming a member!
Like all good days, we started the day with coffee and donuts!
We like to start the day learning a bit about each other. At this Dig Day, everyone said their name, where they’re from, and a cool wild animal they saw recently. We heard about a lot of wild turkey chases and other Santa Cruz Mountain creatures.
Everyone signed up for a crew before heading out; crews varied from wheelbarrowing to building rock walls.
We hiked to our worksites on the trail, with tools in hand, which covered the entirety of the new trail.
Our focus for the day was rocks. Some crews hauled rocks with wheelbarrows all day from a base pile at the top of the trail, while others used the rocks to build walls or armor the trail with rock to prevent natural springs from creating muddy bogs.
“Trail work with MBOSC can be very diverse, sometimes you get to shape trails with a shovel and sometimes you get to smash rocks with a hammer all day. #rocksmash” - Christine Weir, MBOSC member, Trail Academy student, and volunteer.
"The Wilder Ranch dig day was a blast! It was great to work directly with Jose Castaneda, CA State Parks Trail Crew Lead, and learn the intricacies of building an accessible and dependable trail for riders, hikers and equestrians alike. I never knew rock placement was so important!" - Katy Poniatowski, MBOSC member, Trail Academy student, and volunteer.
Jose Castaneda, CA State Parks Trail Crew Lead was working hard all day to offer guidance and help dump loads of rock at the base camp with Cob Hyde, MBOSC Trails Specialist.
Kathy King, MBOSC Trail Crew Leader and member, loaded and pushed over a dozen wheelbarrow loads of rock.
All smiles and high-fives here!
We get by with a little help from our friends! And power wheelbarrows!
Thanks to Another Bike Shop and all of our volunteers and staff for a great day! The West Engelsmans Reroute is going to be a beautiful, sustainable, well-draining trail.
Checkout the Dig Day schedule for upcoming opportunities to get involved. If you want to support the work we’re doing, please consider becoming a member!
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