This is kind of like that only different; points will be awarded for posting the description a tree within Henry W Coe SP that's blocking a trail or otherwise posing a hazard in the park.
An accurate description ("24 inch diameter oak tree down on Cross Canyon 3/4 mile from Coit Rd") is good for one point; this plus a photo will get you another point, a geo-tagged photo yet another point, including a kmz (like from Google Earth) will net you 4 points.
If you've cleared a tree yourself, we'd like to hear about that too---that info is also worth a point. (Maybe more if the tree was gnarly big)
Also; downed trees (that haven't been cleared) previously reported on MTBR qualify to be included here.
Prizes TBD but will be the usual swag and beverages; this'll be a monthly contest.
Here's a couple of mine from 2 weekends ago:
24" pine down on Live Oak Spring Trail about 1/2 mile N/E of Wagon Rd
16" pine down on Live Oak Springs Trail (upper) about 1/4 mile N of the springs
The info gathered will be prioritized and a) if the tree is large the DPR will be notified for removal by chainsaw, or b) the Uniformed Volunteers will send out a work party.
Downed trees at Coe are becoming a huge problem at Coe due to the deadfall from the Lick Fire.
Coe will also be losing maintenance workers next July so the more trees we can get on the list the more the State will be able to remove before then.
BTW; "Pliny's Missing Marker Contest" is alive and well; it's just too far ahead of the group in charge of making repairs to the signs---when they catch up it'll start again.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent any policy of the CA Dept. of Parks & Rec.
Here's an oak I partially cleared from the Jim Donnelly Trail yesterday:
About 3/4 of a mile up from Hunting Hollow Rd---don't bother reporting this one! It still needs complete removal to allow equestrian traffic; hikers and bikers can pass under it OK.
Must've fallen late Sunday or early Monday---maybe because of the storm???
Before you ask, that is a Surly Pugsly!
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent any policy of the CA Dept. of Parks & Rec.
Here's an oak I partially cleared from the Jim Donnelly Trail yesterday:
About 3/4 of a mile up from Hunting Hollow Rd---don't bother reporting this one! It still needs complete removal to allow equestrian traffic; hikers and bikers can pass under it OK.
Must've fallen late Sunday or early Monday---maybe because of the storm???
How? This is the first really compelling reason to get a GPS, IMO. I'm not fast enough for KOM and I've only been lost once. In that case a compass would have worked.
How? This is the first really compelling reason to get a GPS, IMO. I'm not fast enough for KOM and I've only been lost once. In that case a compass would have worked.
My camera doesn't geotag but it's a fairly quick process to add later:
- make sure the clock on my camera is close to GPS time (or know the difference and adjust later)
- upload photos from my camera to PC
- upload GPS track from Garmin (I use SportTracks)
- export GPX track from SportTracks (could use mtbguru or Ascend or something else for this)
- use geosetter to do the actual geotagging
- geosetter adds a location description into the image's metadata which makes searching later easy (I usually change the local setting to "Henry Coe State Park" or wherever I'm riding).
If you only want to geotag, all you need is a GPS logger and you can get those fairly cheaply. There are some memory cards that will geotag, but only if near a wifi network and last I checked, there aren't many of those out on trails!
My camera doesn't geotag but it's a fairly quick process to add later:
- make sure the clock on my camera is close to GPS time (or know the difference and adjust later)
- upload photos from my camera to PC
- upload GPS track from Garmin (I use SportTracks)
- export GPX track from SportTracks (could use mtbguru or Ascend or something else for this)
- use geosetter to do the actual geotagging
- geosetter adds a location description into the image's metadata which makes searching later easy (I usually change the local setting to "Henry Coe State Park" or wherever I'm riding).
If you only want to geotag, all you need is a GPS logger and you can get those fairly cheaply. There are some memory cards that will geotag, but only if near a wifi network and last I checked, there aren't many of those out on trails!
Ratpick, keep doing it the way you are!
A few months back I bought and higher-end Sony point-and-shoot with GPS and found out that it's not well suited for this kind of an assignment. It takes too long in most circumstances for the GPS to find enough satellites for an accurate position report. The camera can be forced to stay on so the GPS will track from photo to photo but this sucks down the batteries.
Some of the newer smartphones might work pretty well but there's still apparently the battery issue when GPS tracking.
I usually just use Google Earth to visually locate the photos using the placemark tool; this is usually close enough. We're not targeting cruise missiles here!
Anyway, keep those photos coming!
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent any policy of the CA Dept. of Parks & Rec.
I usually just use Google Earth to visually locate the photos using the placemark tool; this is usually close enough. We're not targeting cruise missiles here!
Yea, but it must take forever. His method will tag them all, even the ones I don't want to spend time editing, etc because they are crappy. I'd still like them tagged for future usage.
iPhone and Android phone cameras will deliver crappy photos but they will be automatically geotagged, hassle-free... so digging up the cellphone when seeing a down tree may be the simplest.
You already have this one: Cross Canyon Trail on the descent from Coit Road:
Add a 24” diameter Pine 50’ from Millias, and a 24” Oak mid-way up the climb to Willow Ridge Road (a go-around is pretty established here). No pics, sorry.
As far as a few more downed trees in addition to the piles listed above - a ton on Live Oak Spring Road in the section below Live Oak Spring Trail (you can see them from the upper trail); a 12-18" or so midway down Vasquez Trail (but you can ride around off-trail about 20' right); a 6-8" one just past that one that you can ride over the tip; a 6" one about 1/3 mile up Vasquez Road from the bottom, easily dispatched with a small saw; a big older one at the junction of Vasquez Road and the unnamed road heading southeast, but it can be ridden around and driven around. Don't know if anyone ever got the big one (24"+) about 50 feet up Rat Spring trail from Pacheco Creek trail.
Because shade is welcome, trails are sometimes routed through woodlands (lots of other reasons exist). Trails routed through chapparral require frequent brushing, and provide little shade. Trail routed through woodland provides shade, and frequent deadfall.
Sunday 10/09/11 we finished off the tree on JDT. Knobular will provide some photos.
After that activity, I rode up the JDT up to Willson Peak, and down Middle Steer Ridge. At the bottom just one tenth of a mile from the olde JDT junction there is a huge tree down. Bummer!
Double bummer because I left my 13" Fiskar hand saw up on the JDT where I used it. I was able to carefully move enough of the (large amount consisting of 4 large limbs) collateral timber off by carefully levering off the timber piece by piece (like a game of 300# pick-up-sticks) and maneuvering the main trunk so that it is possible to walk over just one large trunk, without cross-country travel up or down slope from the obstruction.
I added the tools I brought (30" bowsaw - mcleod -dhandle shovel - pick mattock - loppers - brace of 100 blue pin flags) to the gang box.
The last four photos above are from this spring removing a tree fallen across the creekside section of Cross Canyon Trail with the Forest Knolls Freewheelers and ROMP (just thought I would share).
Tree removal activities happen. If no one posts them on the internet, fewer see the work. Whatever.
Whilst Sorcerer was taking care of business in the southern end of Henry Coe; several of us mountain-biking "newbie" Uniformed Volunteers were participating in the final stages of the "boot camp" training process. We were on the last march of the day when we came upon a pine that had fallen across the Willow Ridge Trail; clearing it was not part of the course but since most of us still had in our packs the small saws we usually carry while out on trail we thought we'd have a go at removing it. Here's the raw and un-cut video of the action:
Besides myself holding the camera; MTBR regulars Diesel, Fast Eddie and plymmer were doing the hard work. Phil and Travis were also seen assisting in this operation; there are several other trainees in this year's class who are mountain biking regulars---we were probably the largest user group taking the training!
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent any policy of the CA Dept. of Parks & Rec.
It's been pointed out to me that we shouldn't encourage Coe Park users to be doing potentially dangerous trail maintenance work such as removing large fallen trees unless proper protocols are being followed.
Park policy stipulates that no work of this nature be performed until certain paperwork is signed by the volunteer and the work performed in the presence of either DPR staff or a Uniformed Volunteer. (Such as Sorcerer)
This being the case "removal" points will only be awarded to those who remove trees in the above conditions. If you do something on your own godbless but it's best you don't share about it here. Use at your own risk blah blah blah...
We're mostly after those fallen tree locations in this contest, getting the trails cleared is the "icing on the cake"
Here's another short video from last weekend; besides plymmer and Fast Eddie there's an extremely rare sighting of DustyBrown:
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent any policy of the CA Dept. of Parks & Rec.
If removing fallen trees the way we've been doing it is "Plan A" (by using hand saws) and "Plan B" is by informing the DPR so they can use their chainsaws then this video shows the technique of doing as little hand-sawing as possible and then winching the main portions off the trail:
This is the tree near the bottom of Middle Steer Ridge Trail as reported by Sorcerer. This was my first attempt using this method; I tried pulling the tree in the "wrong" direction (broken limbs digging in but a shorter pull) on purpose and the tree would not budge until I took off some weight by cutting off a couple more limbs. Had I pulled it in the other direction I'm fairly confident that I wouldn't have had to resort to using the saw but I would have had a longer pull (and needed to reset the hoist).
Another beautiful fall day at Henry Coe!
Last edited by pliebenberg; 10-12-2011 at 12:21 PM.
Reason: updated video link
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent any policy of the CA Dept. of Parks & Rec.
A narrow volunteer trail is well worn in below the tree now. It may damage the tree roots it skirts around eventually, so something will be done eventually.
Bay City News Service
Posted: 10/16/2011 12:39:34 PM PDT
Updated: 10/16/2011 12:39:36 PM PDT
MORGAN HILL -- Henry Coe State Park will be the site of a prescribed burn on Monday
and Tuesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Saturday.
The "Western Zone Complex" prescribed burn will take place -- pending weather
conditions and approval from the Bay Area Air Quality District -- on Middle Ridge Trail
off of Hobbs Road, approximately eight miles northeast of Morgan Hill, CAL FIRE said.
Prescribed burns have been performed for decades and carry many benefits for public
and natural resources, including watershed improvement, enhanced wildlife habitat and
protection against large, damaging wildland fires, according to CAL FIRE.
Fire personnel said smoke would be visible from most Bay Area counties and possibly
from Interstate Highway 5.
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Originally Posted by pliebenberg
