We can't undo, but we can rebuild

MESA SPRINGS

Years of dwindling Forest Service budget cuts, Fires, floods, land ownership changes and other issues have rapidly contributed to the loss of trails and the frequent decommissioning of many backcountry camps throughout the Los Padres National Forest. This unfortunately limits access to some of the best places and increasingly forces more traffic onto the limited number of trails still being maintained. Many of the once great camps hidden deep in the forest are a shell of their former selves and in fact often unrecognizable. These rarely visited more remote camps hold a special place in my heart. When I bushwhack for miles and journey deep into the forest in search of these forgotten gems I don't want to roll up and find the camp completely overtaken by brush, camp sign in ruins (if it wasn't already stolen), stoves destroyed, rock fire rings scattered everywhere, picnic tables falling apart. None of that makes me happy. 

ANT CAMP 

Now with that being said what can I do about it ? Complaining and bitching about it will change nothing. Myself and my small team do not have the resources nor the volunteer agreements in place to maintain and open up these lost trails. Even if I did my plans would most likely be shot down. There is a fine line one must walk when working under the auspices of the United States Forest Service and for that matter not every trail needs maintaining we still need some wild places where the hardy can go and find solitude amongst nature.

SADDLE SKIRT

HARDLUCK

Here's what I can do though. I can carry tools on my back to clear brush at the site. I can bring extra bags to haul out trash. Hell if I really wanted to probably even devise a way to bring in a replacement stove. No camp sign, that's fine I'm handy and will make a new one myself. Picnic table destroyed I will rebuild it. I can probably do this successfully for a long time before I get shutdown. Possibly even forever if I can refrain from writing about every improvement I make. I CAN REBUILD AND I WILL. 

ELLIS APIARY

If you have a favorite backcountry Camp in the Southern Los Padres you want to see get some love feel free to comment below or email me. If you're a strong Hiker, a hard worker and want to help we can always use a hand. Buying shovels and other tools to use and leave at each site gets expensive for me. Any tool donations are welcomed. (Shovels, Loppers, McClouds) things of that nature. I also encourage anyone that can afford monetary donations to check out the Los Padres Forest Association the money received goes into their trail program. Without these fine folks our trails would be horrendous. I couldn't image the Los Padres without them. *Disclaimer I am not affiliated with the LPFA and my views and actions are not endorsed by them. They are the charity that I myself donate to on a regular basis and the non profit that I feel brings the most value to campers and hikers throughout the Los Padres.   

SEVEN PINES

Alright signing off for now. Got to get ready for my upcoming Bluff Trip. Looking forward to seeing the current condition and what we can do to improve the site. Love the LP, got ideas, want to help ? Reach out would love to hear from you all. Happy Trails. 

LAST CHANCE

If you enjoyed this post you can use the feature below to subscribe by email and receive additional posts delivered to your inbox as I complete them. If you don't want to follow by email there is also the option to subscribe via the RSS feed reader widget. Which you can access from the desktop view.  Thanks for the support.

Subscribe By Email