While, as far as we’re concerned, every day is trails day, if not head-off-the-trail-and-see-what’s-happening-in-the-trackless-woods-day, this year’s official National Trails Day will be Saturday, June 4. To celebrate, the Ventana Wilderness Alliance, REI Marina and the California State Parks will be offering us all an easy way to help keep the trails in good condition. Sign-up opens at Big Sur Station at 9:00 am, with trail work projects available for “all ages.” They supply tools and refreshments. All you need are gloves, water, a hat, and closed-toe shoes (you weren’t really going to do trail work in sandals, were you?). See the VWA website for more information.
As there aren’t many endeavors in which a few hours toil can yield such satisfying results, this whole “Trails Day” thing is, basically, a sneaky way to get you hooked on the pleasures of this type of work – with the hope that you’ll then volunteer for more lengthy stints on the VWA’s backcountry trail crews. There’s certainly no doubting that the trails need more help than they’re getting.
So here, in honor of Trails Day and to inspire you to get out on the trails and get (or stay) involved in maintaining them, we present some scenes from the trailsides of Monterey County …
Tufted poppies along the Skinner Ridge Trail – Ventana Wilderness
Michaels Ridge – Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
SFB Morse Botanical Reserve – Del Monte Forest
High Peaks Trail – Pinnacles National Monument
Vicente Flat Trail – Ventana Wilderness
The Quarry Trail – Parcel B
Boronda Trail – Los Padres National Forest
Pine Ridge Trail – Ventana Wilderness
Rocky Ridge Trail – Garrapata State Park
Big Pines Trail on Blue Rock Ridge – Ventana Wilderness
Michaels Ridge – Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Mt. Carmel Trail – Ventana Wilderness
East Molera Trail – Andrew Molera State Park
Big Sur Trail crossing Cisco Creek – Ventana Wilderness
Mt. Manuel Trail – Los Padres National Forest
Pine Ridge Trail – Ventana Wilderness
East Ridge Trail – Garland Regional Park
Cypress Grove Trail – Pt. Lobos State Reserve
Xasáuan Today 
Greetings Xasauan!
Great photos of some really special places. Volunteering to help take care of these places is a fine tradition that needs your support. The CA Labor Code states that this “trail work” is a “public works project” and when state lands and funds are involved, the volunteers must be paid the prevailing wage.
We are urging support for AB 587 and SB 644 to again exempt volunteer efforts from this Labor Code nonsense, as we did in 2004 and 2008. See more info at the CA Watershed Network website and help us help our wonderful open space areas throughout California!
Thanks for the heads-up, XT, and for the collage of reminders why…