CORBA’s intrepid trail crew took part in a joint trail maintenance day on one of the most beloved trails in the Angeles front country. Seventy people came out to give back to the trails, a measure of just how popular this trail is.
The Sam Merrill Trail from Inspiration Point to Echo Mountain has been closed since the Station Fire last year. The first half-mile of the trail was the burn area, but the remainder of the trail was in need of water diversion and erosion control work. Even though it was closed, there was a need to ensure that what remains was prepared for the coming rains, with the hope of getting this trail opened again as soon as possible after the rainy season passes.
CORBA had approximately 50 mountain bikers come out for the trailwork day, including about 15 student racers from the Interscholastic Mountain Bike League. Hiking groups were there with about 20 people. We were introduced to Andrew Fish who is now managing the trail system for the Angeles National Forest. Since we were working on a closed trail, we had to have NFS Rangers accompany the work crews.
Much was accomplished. The mountain biking contingent did brush and tread work all the way up to the burn zone. The Bear Canyon Hiking club and others worked in the burn areas up near the top of the trail, recovering as much of the trail as they could.
CORBA supplied lunch for all of the volunteers. It was a great day and everyone came away from the work day feeling good about what they’d done to help preserve this trail, even though it is expected to be closed at least until this coming spring.
