Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship

It fealt like the sky sneezed on me as I walked down the North Yuba. A breeze pushed the melted snow out of the leaves and it fell on my head under a clear blue sky. The day before it had snowed enough to make Saturday on of the season's premire powder days, yet 21 volunteers rallied, from as far as Santa Cruz, through ice and snow, to work on the lower North Yuba which missed the snow by a few hundred feet, remaining open, clear, and dry. This was a testimate to how a well built trail holds up under a storm. There were only 3-4 muddy spots in the whole length of the 7 mile trail after a powerful rainfall the day before.

Wayno spoiled us by cooking for not one, but two days straight, serving up some amazing Corn Beef and Cabbage, to celebrate St Patty's a bit early. He had everything ready when we came off the trail which was extra amazing. And of course none of this would be complete with out some beer from our generous Guiness sponsor.  Read More »

We had our second successful winter trail day, NOT cancelled. Winter has seemed to be working in our favor with our scheduled Trail Daze dates so far. No rain during trail work, though there was a little before and after. 17 folks came out to work on the North Yuba Extension to dial the trail in. We widened the bench and prepared it to withstand the oncoming storms. Trail is looking in fantastic condition. Thanks so much for those who made the trek out.

19 SBTS'rs showed up to work on the North Yuba Extension contributing a total of 152 hours, with 2390 miles driven. Soil conditions were perfect and 200 yards of trail were improved, along with complete brushing of the Goodyears side of NYT. In addition, 2 substandard switchbacks were widened and Henry, Dave and Brad and Brewski built a nice rock wall to support the trail around several trees.

Melinda and Ron had a chance to ride all of the NYT (upper and lower) in both directions and can report that trail conditions are perfect. The improvements made a big difference and NYT is better than ever.

Here are the rest of the pictures from that trail day.

Maggie wandered into Yuba Expeditions in 2003, wanting to try the famous Downieville Downhill ride. Being a local girl, we set her up on a Santa Cruz bike and shuttled her to the top of the mountain with a famous guide (and SBTS Hall of Famer) by the name of Metal Mike. She rolled back into town, bleeding from a gash on her shin and covered in dirt, but she still had a huge smile on her face. For the next several seasons Maggie worked at Yuba Expeditions, handling reservations and mountain biker mayhem. Maggie graduated from Downieville High School and just recently received a degree in Psychology from Mills College. Maggie continues to volunteer on her local trails, and attends nearly all of the SBTS volunteer work days and events. As a token of our appreciation Maggie will be receiving a soft and cozy red custom SBTS Hoodie. Thanks again Maggie!

Long time Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship member and local Calpine resident Dave Orozco is shown here hard at work on the new Mills Peak Trail located in Plumas National Forest and adjacent to the town of Graeagle. In addition to attending numerous Trail Daze events for many years, Dave put in over 100 hours of his time this fall to help build the first 2.5 miles of trail on Mills Peak. With over 4 miles still to build next year, we know he is as excited as the rest of us to get back to work when the snow clears next spring. As a token of our appreciation Dave will be receiving a soft and cozy red custom SBTS Hoodie. Thanks again Dave!