Carson Pass Trail Crew

[balzaccom]

I joined Ranger Chip Morrill and a Youth Conversation Crew from Generation Green to do trail work in the El Dorado National Forest around Silver Lake this last week.  It was a good workout, we saw some terrific scenery, and got a ton of work done--much of it thanks to the six young people with loppers, shovels, and McCleods.

Day One we cleared the trail to Lake Margaret, using every one of those tools at one point or another on the 2.5 mile trail to the lake.  The good news is that on the way back, all the work was done, and so we could enjoy the scenery of the hike a bit more. 

Day Two focused on tree work around the Martin Meadows dispersed camping area, and then the lower two miles of the Horse Canyon Trail.  This trail is part of a larger system around Silver Lake that we got to know much better on Day Three.

Day Three was epic--an eight mile loop through the lakes south of Silver Lake, including Hidden Lake and the Granite Lake group. We worked our way through deep banks of snow, huge deadfalls across the trail, lopping overgrown bushes, and improving trail drainage.  And some of those trees were huge.  The one at left was quite an effort.

It was fun to meet hikers on these trails, as they were so deeply appreciative of the work we were doing.  That really made the kids' day/  

On Day Four Chip and I worked through the two-mile Castle Point trail, clearing up some deadfalls, then joined the crew as they lopped their way to Shealor Lake.    In the afternoon, the youth crew headed into the office, and I headed home.

The final score was a total of thirteen miles of trails cleared, which was a tribute to the work ethic of this crew.  And I returned home with only minor scrapes, two bug bites, and a few sore muscles.  And given the fun we had and the scenery we saw, it was all well worth it!

Edited July 19, 2019 by balzaccom