Our first hitch was a doozy. After sitting in a car for three days on our maiden voyage out of Longview, WA down to Southern California we were ready to hit the trail. We climbed almost 2000 feet out of the Idyllwild region to Apache Peak on the shoulder of Mt. San Jacinto. It was a grueling first climb of the season but everyone carried their pack well and our campsite was an amazing overlook of the Coachella Valley with water from a nearby spring that was clear and cold.
Our work was the much-needed cutting of tread. We dug back into the hillside to afford a wider walking surface battling roots, rocks and other hazards. We kept in mind our newfound tenants of a quality trail and vastly improved the often narrow and uneven trail. Our final two days were spent on a switchback whose interior was badly eroded. We set rock on the hillside over an area approximately 180 square feet. In some parts of the country this technique is known as riprap.
We worked hard, got dirty and lived in a beautiful piece of the world for 9 days. We got a chance to practice a host of backcountry skills from cooking to cat-holing and had a blast doing it. The sun was hot, the flies thick, the work dusty and the hike uphill but it was beyond a doubt worth every moment. I could not have asked for a better kickoff to what is sure to be a great season.
Trail Maintained: 6000 ft
Rock Retension: 180 sq ft
