TRAIL VOLUNTEER

The southern Los Padres is fortunate to have a tremendous network of trail organizations and individuals who devote their free time to keeping the trails open.  While some might say its thankless work, I beg to differ.  While they may not get the notoriety or deserved publicity, the time spent in the field doing trail work is more than enough payback.  Volunteer work usually gets you access to parts of the forest the rest of the public doesn’t – this is a huge perk.  On top of that you are giving back, learning new skills, meeting new people and gaining a connection with the environment you can’t get just by hiking.  You really should give trail work a try, you’ll probably love it!

There are a variety of organizations that lead trail projects.  I’d suggest starting with either the Forest Service or the Los Padres Forest Association.  Get on their email lists, connect with trail leaders in your area and get out on a project.  No excuses, see you on the trail, hopefully with a lopper and Pulaski in hand.