Santa Teresa Park Stile Ranch Trail Work Day, 11/5/11

On November 5, 2011, REI and the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council sponsored trail work days all around the Bay Area. One of the events was held on the Stile Ranch Trail in Santa Teresa County Park, just like last year. This time, the group was bigger, so they worked farther along the trail. Volunteers met at the Pueblo Picnic Area. These are pictures from the work day.

Volunteer trail workers meet at the group picnic site at the Pueblo Area. They sign in and pick up snacks and water.

Volunteers pick up T-shirts.

Joel Gartland, Volunteer Coordinator for the Bay Area Ridge Trail, greets the vounteers.

Greg Bringelson, head of the Santa Clara County Parks Trails Program, welcomes the volunteers and gives instructions for the trail work. Greg is standing in the trailer containing trailwork tools.

Greg talks to the volunteers and instructs them to break into small work groups. There ends up being 5 groups.

Trail crew leader Roy Ichinaga heads for the tools.

Workers pick up gloves at the tool trailer.

Roy Ichinaga assembles one of the groups, along with crew leader Woody Collins (right).

Another group gathers.

The workers head down the Mine Trail.

The Mine Trail is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

The workers make the steep climb up the Mine Trail. The flatter Fortini Trail is on the right and will be used by some crews on the return trip. In the background is Big Oak Valley. The Rocky Ridge Trail runs through it, up to Coyote Peak.

The workers reach the Stile Ranch Trail, which is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

The groups head up the first switchbacks on the Stile Ranch Trail.

At the bottom of the first switchbacks, trail crew leader Woody Collins demonstrates clearing the side of the trail.

In the background is IBM's Almaden Research Center. The Stile Ranch Trail is actually on IBM property. IBM granted an easement for the trail.

Over the hill, a second set of switchbacks leads down into a valley, and third set leads up the other side. Roy Ichinaga's group is working on the upper section of the second switchbacks.

More groups are spread out along the second switchbacks.

These groups are along the bottom of the second switchbacks, while other groups work on the third switchbacks across the valley.

Trail crew leader Sam Drake looks at the work done on the bottom of the second switchbacks.

Looking back up the second switchbacks.

This group is working on the lower part of the third set of switchbacks.

Workers in the foreground are working on the third set of switchbacks, while crews in the background work on the second.

Over the hill, another group works on a flat section of trail. The first set of hills in the background include Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The mountain range in the background contains Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. The Bay Area Ridge Trail runs through Almaden Quicksilver County Park and Sierra Azul.

There is a long ancient rock wall crossing the hills here.

Crews worked on this part of the trail. In the background is the South Almaden Valley.

The trail goes through the rock wall. A crew is working on the other side.

Crews are working on the fourth and last set of switchbacks that end up at the trailhead. Just behind the hill is the start of the Calero Creek Trail, which leads to the Alamitos Creek Trail, both of which are part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. The mountain peak in the background with the white building on it is Mt. Umunhum.

Park trail maintenance staff member Eric McFarland (center) leads the last group on the fourth switchbacks.

After finishing their work, the last crew heads back on the Fortini Trail, which is flatter and shorter than the Stile Ranch Trail. The pictures below show some of the end results of the trailwork on the Stile Ranch Trail.