Good Morning Los Padres,
Lets get right to it, shall we?
The LPFA is honored to be partnering with the Wildling Museum to host a panel discussion about the history, impact, spledor and future of the Santa Barbara County Wilderness areas. The event is Saturday February 7 at 5:30pm in Solvang. We are fortunate to have a fantastic panel assembled to talk about the Wilderness. Joining us will be James Wapotich, Bob Burtness and Kerry Kellogg. You can read their bios and more information at the following link:
Space is limited for the event, it will sell out. If interested, get your tickets ASAP. Make a day out of it. Go for a dayhike at nearby Figueroa Mountain or the San Rafael Wilderness and come back in time for the panel event. It’s going to be really fun and chock full of great stories about the SB Backcountry. See you there………
If you’ve not checked out HikeLosPadres.com and you are reading this, you probably should set aside a few mins (or more) to explore the website. For the past few years the LPFA has been working with web designer extraordinaire John Ziegler to create this fantastic tool and resource for LP Forest users. The site is literally being improved every day. It’s been a huge undertaking and there remain bugs throughout the site that are on our todo list – but we are hacking away and as mentioned making it faster, better and more user-friendly each day.
One of the new features we’ve added is a page dedicated to the gates across the Forest. We just launched this feature earlier this week and it’s still very much a work in progress. Our hope is that we can work with the Forest Service and the public to have as up-to-date information as possible as to if the gates are open or closed. Did I mention its still a work in progress? Check it out:
At the moment we only have a handful of gates included on the site but we will be adding them regularly over the coming weeks. If you can think of any gates to be added, have information on any closures or have any ideas/opinions about the gates page, PLEASE let us know. INFO@LPForest.org As the winter moves on, we’ll be updating information as we get it so please share or come back and check on the status of a gate before your next journey into the Forest. You can update the status of a gate by clicking on the comment section on the gate page as well.
PINE RIDGE TRAIL UPDATE
– The Pine Ridge Trail and parking lot at the west side of the Pine Ridge Trail is scheduled to open again today, this is the parking at Big Sur Station.
– While the trail remains in poor shape, especially for the first couple miles, it is passable for hikers.
– Please be careful along the trail. For more information contact the Big Sur Station at (831) 667-2315
WHEELER GORGE
– Wheeler Gorge is ramping up for another busy season of interpretive events.
– Our summer schedule of events is filling up and we’ll be sure to share them with you as summer approaches.
– For starters, Wheeler is hosting a Trail Boss program on February 7.
– Trail Boss is a Forest Service supported program that teaches the techniques and safety involved with trail maintenance.
– The program is open to anyone 12 years or older and is usually a huge hit amongst the scouting communities.
– Topics include: first aid, trail terminology, introduction to trail tools and history of trail work.
– This is a great program for teaching respect for the trails and introducing the next generation of trail users to the art and science of trail building and maintenance.
– For more information contact Gordie: WheelerGorge@LPForest.org Hope to see you there!