Archive for the ‘Rides and Events’ Category

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Help restore trails in the Conejo Canyons during the 2019 Fall Trail Work Day on October 19

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

Join CORBA, SMMTC, COSCA and other volunteer groups to work on the Conejo Open Space trails in Thousand Oaks.

This year we’ll be repairing and doing preventative maintenance on trails in the Conejo Canyons / Western Plateau area that were damaged last November by the Hill Fire and then subsequent winter rains.

We’ll also be celebrating the re-opening of the Hill Canyon Bridge that was severely damaged by the Hill Fire.

There will be a thank you lunch and prize drawings at noon after the work. This is a great event with lots of like-minded folks to help out. If you use the trails in Thousand Oaks, come out and help build and maintain them! No prior experience is necessary and all volunteers work at their own pace, taking plenty of time to rest and chat with other trail enthusiasts!

This annual Conejo Valley event always helps to put some very sweet trails into good shape. Be sure to stay afterwards for the free lunch and prize give-away.

Registration starts at 7:30 am on Saturday October 19 at the Santa Rosa Valley Park (use this Google Map to find your way), and crews assemble and head to the work sites at 8:00 am.

Please help us by signing up online in advance to we’ll know how many people to prepare for – Thanks!

Things to bring:

• work gloves
• long pants and long sleeved shirt
• water, snack
• sunglasses and sunblock

Tools and instructions on how to use them safely will be provided. There will be a free thank-you lunch and prize give-away afterwards from noon until about 2:00 pm.

Remember to sign up online!

Posted in Conejo Valley, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

August Skills Clinic photos posted August 4

Sunday, August 4th, 2019

There were only three participants in this month’s Skills Clinic on a hot day in the park.

The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park.

You can see the photos in our August photo gallery.

Posted in Rides and Events | Comments Closed

July Skills Clinic photos posted July 26th

Friday, July 26th, 2019

There were only two participants in this month’s Skills Clinic. Graham again took over as photographer, and in fact, has taken over from Steve for the time being.

The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park.

You can see the photos in our July photo gallery.

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May Skills Clinic photos posted May 7th

Tuesday, May 7th, 2019

There were six participants in this month’s Skills Clinic on a cool day in the park. Graham again took over as photographer.

The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park.

You can see the photos in our May photo gallery.

Posted in Free Basic Skills Clinic, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Summary of SMM Trail Days held April 26-28 in Pt Mugu State Park

Tuesday, April 30th, 2019

In places, the Two Foxes Trail is almost completely closed off by overgrowing brush.

The turnout this year for the 2019 Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days was probably the largest ever! The event was hosted by the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council (SMMTC). Volunteers came from that organization, CORBA, the Sierra Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, high schools, various Meetup groups, and more! There were tents scattered all over the campground on Friday and Saturday night as people took advantage of the free camping and meals to go with their volunteer work.

There were about 170 volunteers on Saturday. The vast majority went to fix up the Blue Canyon Trail that had been hit hard by rainstorms and overgrowing brush. In some places you couldn’t even tell where the trail had been. The workers made quick work of restoring the 0.8-mile-long trail and were back at the campground well before 2:30.

CORBA president Steve Messer uses a hedge trimmer to make quick work of the overgrowing brush on the Two Foxes Trail.

The 7 members of the CORBA crew headed to the very overgrown Two Foxes Trail, a favorite of mountain bikers. The two crew leaders wielded gas-powered hedge trimmers to quickly cut down the overgrowth while the rest picked up the clippings and moved them off the trail. We got about 2/3 of the 1.25-mile-long trail cleared on Saturday. On Sunday we returned to the section we missed, this time with 6 volunteers and only one hedge trimmer, and cleared out the remainder of the trail. Now you don’t have to worry about ducking the brush and you can see much further to tell if you’re going to overtake or meet someone coming the other way, and the trail is much more fun and safer for it! We got back to the campground just about the expected time of noon.

On Sunday, there were 70 volunteers, more than double the usual number! The non-CORBA group all when to fix up the Upper Sycamore Canyon Trail.

All crew leaders reported that everyone did a great job, especially the high school kids and the scouting groups. Thanks to everyone for their fantastic support of our trails!

You can view more photos of the volunteers at our 2019 SMM Trail Days photo gallery.

The Saturday barbecue dinner.

Posted in Santa Monica Mountains, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Crags Rd trailwork summary from April 20.

Monday, April 22nd, 2019

This past Saturday, about 40 volunteers gathered at the M*A*S*H site in Malibu Creek State Park to fix up the Crags Rd trail section fondly known as the “Rock Garden” or “Creek of Doom” just before you arrive at the M*A*S*H site from the main entrance to the park on Malibu Canyon Rd.

Smoothing out the tread to fill in between the rocks sticking up.

Volunteers hailed from CORBA, the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, Girlz Gone Riding and the Mountain Bike Unit.

Overall the trail was in pretty good shape after the Woolsey Fire burned all the hillside brush in November and then winter rains flooded everything, but there were a few very serious problems that we needed to address. The worst was a 3-foot culvert that was uprooted and deposited in the middle of the trail, blocking it, and leaving a deep rut where it had been. Also, a large oak tree was uprooted and fell across the trail.

The serious issues were dealt with as best we could with hand tools, and the whole trail was generally brushed to widen it, the tread was smoothed and debris was removed. Overall we restored about a half-mile of trail in 4.25 hours, including lunch (subway sandwiches provided by CORBA) and shuttling to and from the work site.

Thanks to all the volunteers who worked hard and did such a great job of restoring this trail in record time! You can view the rest of the photos in the Crags Rd trailwork photo gallery.

Posted in GirlzGoneRiding, MBU, Santa Monica Mountains, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

April Skills Clinic photos posted April 12th

Friday, April 12th, 2019

There were about 15 participants in this month’s Skills Clinic on a beautiful day in the park. We haven’t had a clinic since January because of poor weather. Graham again took over as photographer because Steve was out of town.

The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park.

You can see the photos in our April photo gallery.

Posted in Free Basic Skills Clinic, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Crags Road Trail Restoration and lunch in MCSP on April 20, 2019

Friday, April 12th, 2019

Crags Road, also known as “The Rock Garden” or “The Creek of Doom,” suffered major blows this winter, first by the Woolsey Fire that decimated the hillsides, then rainstorms that tore the trail up pretty badly and covered parts with rock slides. We worked on this section not far from the M*A*S*H site in November 2017 (see photo above) and now we’re going back to fix it again.

This is a combined project between California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, CORBA and Girlz Gone Riding.

All tools will be provided, as well as instructions on how to use them safely and effectively, by experienced trail crew leaders. No experience needed – everyone works at a rate they’re comfortable with and takes lots of breaks. Bring a snack to eat on the trail; CORBA will provide lunch after the event for those who sign up here.

Wear sturdy hiking boots with good lugs, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses, sunblock and a hat, and bring water, snacks. Bring work gloves if you have them. We have a few pairs we can loan to people without.

You can learn more about trail restoration work here http://corbamtb.com/programs/trail-crew.shtml and here http://smmtc.org/trailwork/voltips.php

Parents/guardians are responsible for minors at all times, and they must constantly and directly supervise children under 14. Children must be over 7-years old to attend. Please leave your four-legged friends at home!

Online signup is requested to help us plan the number of tools and the amount of lunch food we’ll need. Sign up at our Meetup page for this event https://www.meetup.com/CORBAmtb/events/259311989/

Map: http://tinyurl.com/3q6z8bm

Posted in GirlzGoneRiding, Santa Monica Mountains, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Trail Days 2019: We Need Your Help to Restore Sycamore Canyon Trails April 26, 27, 28!

Friday, April 12th, 2019

The organizers request you register online for this event at their website: https://www.smmtc.org/machform/view.php?id=11102&element_4_4=California by April 22, especially if you plan to join us for the Saturday BBQ dinner and/or camp overnight.

Complete info from the organizers: https://www.smmtc.org/maint/traildays.php

For the 38th year running, we have an opportunity to work at rebuilding the trails and then BBQ and camp at Danielson Ranch in Sycamore Canyon. It is opened annually for the Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days! This is a unique opportunity to work on the trails that we enjoy so much in Sycamore Canyon, and the event is followed by a BBQ dinner and prizes (see photo), with free camping on Friday and/or Saturday night. This is hands down the best day to get in some trail maintenance work! Camping is optional; you may leave with the escort after the BBQ.

This event is for Saturday only! There is another event for Sunday trailwork. Feel free to sign up for both!

Schedule at a glance

Friday night April 26 – arrive for overnight camping (optional). Bagels and hot beverages supplied Saturday morning for campers.

Saturday April 27 – Trailwork, barbecue dinner, prize give-away. Bring your own lunch. Optional overnight camping. Bagels and hot beverages supplied Sunday morning for campers.

Sunday April 28 – Trailwork, prize give-away. Bring your own lunch.

You can volunteer to help out on Saturday, Sunday, or both.

BRING: LUNCHES, BEVERAGES, SNACKS AND WATER. Tools and instruction on using them are provided.
WEAR: Gloves, hat, long pants, protective clothing, and work boots or sturdy shoes.
REGISTRATION: Advance registration is required for the activities shown below, and appreciated by April 22th!
TRAILWORK: Saturday and/or Sunday. Help with trail restoration on one or both days!
CAMPING: Free camping Friday and/or Saturday nights for volunteers at the Danielson Multi-use Area located under the sycamores and oaks in the heart of Point Mugu State Park. Bring your own gear.
DINNER: Sat. Night Barbecue Free FOR VOLUNTEERS. Bring appetizers and beverages.
PRIZES: Thank-you prize give-aways will be held Saturday after dinner and Sunday after trailwork.
VEHICLE ACCESS: You will be able to caravan into and out of the park by vehicle only at these few designated times:

ARRIVE

Friday – 5 pm and 7 pm
Saturday – 7:30 am and 4:30 pm
Sunday – 7:30 am

DEPART

Saturday – 4 pm and 9 pm
Sunday – 8 am and 2:30 pm

DIRECTIONS: Take the 101 Freeway to Wendy in Newbury Park; drive south to Potrero Road, turn right; at Reino bear left to NPS service road (first driveway). Cars will be escorted into and out of the park only at designated times shown above. DON’T BE LATE or you won’t be able to drive in.

MAP: http://bit.ly/1jvTBZP

Posted in Santa Monica Mountains, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Report on the March 16th COSCA Spring Trailwork Day in Hawk Canyon

Sunday, March 17th, 2019

Forty-five to 50 volunteers turned out to help restore several hundred yards of the Hawk Canyon Trail in the Conejo Canyons/Western Plateau open space areas on Saturday March 16th for the annual COSCA Spring Trail Work Day. The area had been burned by the Hill Fire in November, then inundated by heavy winter rains. We worked on the north-eastern half, the newest section that was built in 2017 during the Spring Trail Work Day.

The primary focus of the work was to move the trail slightly uphill, further from the flood plane where it had been buried by mudflows. Because of all the rain, the soil was quite soft and quite easy to dig out and pack down. This made the work easier than normal, but still there was a lot of dirt to move where the cross-slope was quite steep, and there was one section of about 20 feet that was covered by large rocks that had to be moved.

About a quarter of the volunteers worked a little further up the trail, clearing the heavy grass, mustard, thistle and other weeds that were choking off the trail.

Everyone did such a great job that we got finished and back to the staging area for lunch before the expected time of noon.

The event was a cooperative effort of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), the Conejo Open Space Action Committee (COSTAC), the Conejo Open Space Foundation (COSF – provided the thank-you lunch and snacks), the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council trail crew, the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA) trail crew, and dozens of other volunteers. Thanks everyone for helping make the trails safer and more enjoyable for everyone!

View more photos of the work day in our Spring Trail Work Day photo gallery.

Posted in Conejo Valley, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | 1 Comment »

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