Take-back upper Live Oak Spring Trail
The idea began with a flurry of messages on a Yahoo email list (“Nightriders”). It was time to get the saws out, hit the trails, and clear some fallen trees. Eric wrote, "The upper Live Oak Spring trail has enough for a days worth of work." I spoke up and agreed to work on this one with the group (all Coe Bike Patrollers). So it was decided, meet November 9, 2013, 9:30am, Hunting Hollow; we were going to take-back upper Live Oak Spring Trail from the fallen trees!
I got a jump on the group, left Hunting Hollow at 8:25am. My backpack was loaded with loppers, gloves, food, water, and since it might be a long day, lights for riding back in the dark. It weighed just under 10 pounds. This would be another test of my recovering shoulder (it did okay).
On my way up Lyman Willson Ridge Trail, I stopped to take a picture of this cloud when Eric rode up:
So I had some company on the mostly fireroad ride out. Passing Rodeo Pond, a pack of Wild Boar (in the circle) ran out of the mud and straight up the hillside at great speed:
There was easily a dozen. It is always impressive to see how fast they run!
Some where along Wagon Road, Eric saw this view and told me to take a picture:
I like cloud pictures so I did it. Turned out pretty cool.
Just past 11am we reach the location of Live Oak Spring Trail's first fallen tree. To our dismay, someone had got to it first:
Minutes later, Roy and Jim ride up:
In his left hand, Roy has an old mylar balloon in his hand which he found along the way.
We checked-out the length of the trail and it was all cleared!
After being hyped-up to slay some fallen trees, group moral was deflated as that balloon Roy found. We had a lunch break. The talk turned to tires…my Santa Cruz Blur had a brand new set of just-arrived-in-the-USA Continental 650b tires but was out-done by Jim with a
Schwalbe Thunder Burt which he got from Germany. 415 grams! Insanely light but Jim finds these things.
After lunch, the team armored a couple gullies which were becoming washed-out:
Jim test rides the work:
Around noon, Jim, Eric, and Roy left to go find more fallen trees. They had targets on Cross Canyon and Grapevine trails. I stayed with loppers and cut back the foliage on Live Oak Spring Trail for a couple hours. This is a good time of year to chop down Poison Oak, there are no leaves on the plant.
2:30pm I get back to riding the bike. This is the Coit Dam Trail:
…with the low sun this time of year, there are long shadows mid-afternoon
I rode around the edge of Coit Lake and then took Willow Ridge to the Cross Canyon Trail. Cross Canyon descends into a valley and immediately I hear the noise of my (worn-out) front brake pads going metal-to-metal. Ugh, for the second week in a row (on different bikes) I have to tip-toe back to the car using just my rear brakes. (Later, pedaling up Coit Road to Sierra View, my handlebars came loose!?!)
The group did some work on Cross Canyon Trail but I didn’t spot it. Then again, I didn’t stay on the full length of the trail opting to ride Kelly Cabin Canyon Trail through the stream-bed section.
Well their work on the Grapevine Trail was obvious:
Lower left is the tree trunk which they cut. 14” – 16”, maybe 18”. Roy: ”Grapevine was our crowning achievement!”
Tough to work so low to the ground. Great job guys!
That photo was taken at 5:20pm. 10 minutes of dusk left. Should I now take the time to dig out the helmet light from my Camelbak and deal with mounting that? Naw, I could make it back with just the handlebar light if I skipped Anza—with only a rear brake, I’d just be a Skid Kiddie anyway—so I took Grapevine Road to Coit Road and out. Back at the car at 5:45pm.
Roy’s Strava trackStart at Hunting Hollow » Hunting Hollow Road » Lyman Willson Ridge Trail » Bowl Trail » Willson Camp » Wagon Road » Wasno Pond Trail » Wagon Road » Live Oak Spring Trail (upper), ad hoc trailwork. Wagon Road » Coit Road » Coit Dam Trail » Coit Lake Perimeter Trail » Coit Road » Willow Ridge Road » Cross Canyon Trail » Kelly Cabin Canyon Trail » Coit Road » Sierra View » Wasno Road » Domino Pond Trail » Cattle Duster Trail » Coit Springs Trail » Grapevine Trail » Grapevine Road » Coit Road » Coyote Creek gate » Gilroy Hot Springs Road » Hunting Hollow parking. 25.40 / 4:23 / 9:22 / 4,358 '
Gilroy:
Cordoza Ridge:
