From 11:00 am until 5:00 pm
Join NM Wild Rangers in the field maintaining trails in the San Pedro Parks Wilderness, a scenic hidden gem in the Santa Fe National Forest.
This 3-day, 2-night overnight backpacking project will run Friday-Sunday, and involve clearing downfall off trails using saws and other tools, as well as brushing vegetation and doing minor tread restoration as needed.
We will be gathering near the Rio Gallina trailhead along Forest Road 76 at 11AM on Friday, 9/19 and backpacking ~3 miles in to our basecamp at the junction of Rio Gallina and Upper Gallina trails. On Saturday, we will have a full work day primarily clearing trail of downed logs and vegetation. Sunday we may do a short half-day of work or just hike out, depending on the group's level of enthusiasm! We plan on having the crew back at their vehicles by 5pm at the latest on Sunday 9/21.
Skill level: This project is suitable for folks comfortable with back country hiking, backpacking, and outdoor manual labor! No previous trail maintenance experience is required and all instruction will be provided on-site, but participants must feel comfortable with a ~3 mile/~1000 ft elevation gain approach, additional hiking around work sites, and using tools such as shovels, picks, and saws. All tools and PPE will be provided. Participants are asked to prepare independently with all they need for 3 days of backpacking including bringing all their own gear (tent, pad, sleeping bag, bear rig, cooking system, etc.) and food. Please reach out if you have any issues acquiring all the necessary gear or if you have questions about how best to prep for this trip.
Travel/carpooling note: Coordinates for the exact meeting point will be shared in a details email to registrants. Please note that we will be leaving vehicles along Forest Road 76 about a mile away from the proper Rio Gallinas Trailhead, and hiking a mile along a rugged road before entering the trail system (this is accounted for in the ~2.5 mile approach estimate above). Parking along FR 76 is limited, so please get in touch if you are willing to be connected with other volunteers for carpooling.
