Los Padres National Forest
It is time once again for another bout of trail work on Pothole and the day promises to be hot. Most of us meet at the fire station, then we pick up a few more who have their own keys at the trailhead. We climb again directly up the hill, ignoring signs pointing at the memory of a trail off to the left or the right. It is still green, but fading to yellow and brown already.
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| Climbing up that hill. Canton Canyon is in the background. |
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| Looking over Piru Creek where it would be Piru Lake if full. Things are just a bit less green. |
It seems a little like Spring may already be past before it has even started, but there are flowers. They come in thick patches, coloring small sections.
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| One lovely and odd flower. |
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| Poppies and lupine. |
I am a lot slower up the hill this time, even comparatively. Switching my second one up for second to last turns out not detrimental to my chance at some just about usable shade before dropping down to today's work area.
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| Just a little further before we cross into the wilderness and start to drop. |
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| Down to the view of the pothole to start working on the trail. |
It is easy travel to a little past where we were working before, then the brush suddenly starts grabbing at all who come past. We pick out spots and start lopping.
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| Just a little further than before, there are some undercut cliffs. |
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| A pair of caterpillars enjoying a meal. |
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| What still lies ahead: a rocky and brushy bit of trail. |
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| Finishing up the last of the trail work for the day. The little workers pulled their weight too. |
We get to a saddle and are finished for the day. Beyond, the trail is undoubtedly still in need of a trim. I feel like I have only done about 30 feet of work. They were particularly brushy feet, but it still seems quite short. It is time to hike back up and out.
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| A horny toad scurries quickly into the shade to hide. |
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| Scarlet buglers all in a row. |
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| The scarlet buglers have a difficulty with caterpillars too. |
Coming down again is particularly unpleasant. As hot as we thought it was at the top (95°F reported under the chrome dome), it is steadily hotter as we drop down toward the lake. We make it, of course, and have a few drinks and snacks to revive us before we go off on our way again.
©2015 Valerie Norton
Posted 18 March 2015
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