On the weekend of September 23, 2005, seven members of the VWA Trail Crew worked on the Arroyo Seco Trail supported by two Forest Service packers and a mule string. Given the excellent carrying capacity of mules, they ate like kings!

Friday night was Brie with crackers, then homemade spaghetti with a nice 2001 Paso Zinfindel. Saturday night was chips and guacamole and salsa, then more brie with a nice Reisling, then homemade Chile Verde over rice, and homemade chocolate chip cookies for dinner, ending up with a French Merlot and some more Paso Zin. Breakfast Saturday and Sunday was pancakes with maple syrup and turkey sausage on the side. The mules even packed in a gas stove, 4 chairs, and a table which made it easy and comfortable to both sit and prepare dinner.

On this trip the crew removed and/or sawed about 13 logs and/or trees off the trail that were less than a foot in diameter, sawed and removed one 28 inch tree from the trail, cleared the trail to false Madrone camp to pack standards, and documented 3 trees that were beyond their capability to safely remove. And as always, they had good fun in the process.

More pictures can be seen on crewmember Robert's website: http://www.sfpeaks.net/050923-arroyoseco/index_arroyoseco.html

Thanks to the Forest Service, we had a luxuriously appointed camp at Lower Forks!

With some interesting rocks on the ridge south of camp.

Pat and Luke were able to bring the horses up as far as False Madrone Camp.

(left: before; right: after)

Here we are working on an over 2 foot diameter oak that has been down on the trail for a while. Despite our hopes, it was solid all the way through. After cutting the section that was across the trail out, we were also able to lever the uphill butt of the log off the hill and into the ravine, removing a future hazard. In the after image, Robert is climbing down the slope to retrieve a wedge the tree spit out.

Just past that log, we ran into a couple problems that we didn't have the tools to tackle. At first glance, this doesn't look too bad...

...until you look up!

We spent a while clearing a set of trees that brushpiled on the trail.

And just below Madrone Camp, this chunk of a tree caused a sketchy trail diversion, unfortunately, we didn't have the time to work on this one.