2006 Strawberry Trail Fall Maintenance
From Gold Hills Posse 4x4 Club
October 14, 2006
By John, 2006 Trail Master
The Posse had our Annual Fall Maintenance Run. We sponsor the Strawberry Trail in the Eldorado National Forest. It is our job to keep the trail open, clean, and in good repair. We are very proud of our Adopt-A-Trail and we work hard to keep it one of the most beautiful trails in Northern California.
Attending this year's Fall Maintenance Run was:
- John and Brad in Wrangler
- Keane and Mark in 4-Runner
- Vernon and Peggy in Wrangler
- Fred and Don in Wrangler
- Larry and Cole in CJ
- Chuck and Shanda in CJ
- Sarah in Cherokee
- Brendan in Wrangler
- Chuck in Wrangler
In total there were 9 vehicles and 15 people in attendance. I want to thank the people who left their rigs at home and caught a ride with someone else. This keeps the trail less crowded and makes the work go faster because we're not spending a lot of time moving vehicles around.
We started out the day meeting at the EDH Starbuck's. We had a quick visit from our Founder, Bryan, who we hadn't heard from in a while (nice surprise). After getting coffee and visiting we took off to meet Chuck on Hwy 50 and then on to meet Larry on Iron Mountain Road. We ran the trail down from Hwy 88. This is the easier direction but most of the work we had to do was up towards the top. We trimmed bushes that were making their way onto the trail. We cut several trees that were leaning into the trail. We re-dug a few water bars and lowered some natural runoff spots to control any erosion that may occur. We blocked off the by-pass again. This time we winched a big fallen tree across the trail. No getting around that one. There was very little trash to pick up this time. We sometimes have a problem with hunters in the area abusing the trail but it seems there was a higher class of sportsmen up there this time. Good for them!!!
I must say that the trail is in the best shape ever. I remember how narrow and unkept it was when we took it over. Now we are getting many compliments on the trail and it seems to be getting used more and more. We notice increased traffic every time we go up there. The best part is that these people are respecting the efforts we put forth and they treat our trail with respect. So a big thanks to our fellow wheelers, quad runners, and motor cycle riders out there.
As far as the wheelin part of the trip goes, The Posse always has fun on the trails. Even though we ran the trail in the easy direction it still offers a few challenges on the way. This was Sarah's first ever wheelin trip. Let me tell you she did a great job and the smile on her face let us know she was enjoying the new experience. She's already asking, "What's next?" I think Vern was enjoying the new rig he purchased. I believe he ran the whole trail 2WD and Open. I think the 37 inch tires are making it too easy for him. Time for the Hammers Vern? All of us had fun making sure everybody got through without any damage at all. Good job!
Once again I'd like to thank everyone for showing up and working hard. Strawberry is a trail we can all be very proud of and enjoy for years to come thanks to your efforts. It truly is a beautiful trail and this run was no exception. The weather was perfect and the trees were showing their Fall colors. A really great day on a really great trail.