Project: San Mateo Memorial Park - Mt. Ellen Trails
Photo Album: 1708 - Memorial Park
On Saturday, August 19, we returned to San Mateo County’s Memorial Park to work on the Mt. Ellen Summit Trail, continuing both above and to the west of the work completed on the May 13, 2017 workday.
The weather was clear, with temperatures in the low 50’s at the outset and the high 70’s when the workday ended. The trail tread is soft Doug fir and redwood duff or a mix of organic and sandy soil made workable by last winter’s rains. The work area was almost entirely under tree cover. Our 24 volunteers included a nice mix of experienced and first time volunteers
As on previous workdays, we staged the trailer and volunteers parked in the lot immediately before the park entrance kiosk. Thanks to Rangers Dave Vasquez and Matt Auda-Capel for reserving this area, providing lumber and stakes for the retaining walls, and coordinating with us on the work scope. We accessed the Summit Trail by hiking up the eastern end of the Mt. Ellen Nature Trail.
Dave Taylor’s crew began at the western junction of the Summit Trail with the Nature Trail and proceeded uphill to clean the inside edge, brush, remove roots, and improve drainage at two switchbacks, heroically fending off stinging yellow jackets at one location. Beginning 0.1 mile above the eastern junction of the Summit Trail with the Nature Trail, Hank’s crew installed a retaining wall to divide the upper and lower approaches of an eroding switchback, improved the switchback drainage, installed a retaining wall along a portion of trail that had slid off the hillside during the winter rains, restored the trail width and replaced a badly split fence rail. Above them, Judd and Larry’s crew followed in Judd’s Shindaiwa wake, brushing, defining inside edge, restoring trail width, and adding a switchback drain and drain dips.
Approaching the summit from the east and from the west, the plan was for the crews to meet and complete all Summit Trail work. The extensive undergrowth, however, did not allow this in the time available. The remaining work on the Mt. Ellen Summit Trail includes the portion from 0.1 miles west of the Pomponio Trail junction to 0.1 miles east of the junction. The scope includes brushing, restoring tread width, and adding drains at switchback drains and drain dips, estimating a crew of 15 volunteers to complete in one workday.
Thanks to Dave Taylor for driving the trailer, to Kathy for coordinating and signing in our volunteers at the beginning of day, and to Larry for catering the snacks and beverages at the end of the day.
Bill Farrell
9/23/17