Focus on the Forest trail cleanup SAT 24 August 2024

[SAS]

There is a trail cleanup on Old Stage/Gold Camp Road this Saturday, August 24th, 9am to 12pm.

Focus on the Forest does these Old Stage cleanups two or three times a year; we've volunteered before and it's always productive (and pretty easy with more hands!)

Go to their webpage focusontheforest.org

Click the "EVENTS" and "CALENDAR" tabs to see August 24th. Click on the text and see all the details.

Download the "RELEASE WAIVER" from the same drop-down tab, print and fill, bring with you (or they will have paper copies at the meeting site)

Meeting Site: 9am at St. Paul Catholic Church (9 El Pomar Road) behind the Broadmoor resort complex.



If you can make it, click the EVENT SIGN-UP link and fill the data for Saturday's event.

 

[Manitou Decline]

Will I get to see your beautiful face?

 

[SAS]

Will I get to see your beautiful face?

You obviously have confused me with someone else! Ha ha!

Yes, I plan to be at the St. Paul Catholic Church at 9am on Saturday!

 

[Goslow]

I will probably be there tomorrow, as well. Will let you know final answer later tonight or tomorrow morning. I will look for beautiful faces!

 

[Goslow]

Tracy and I attended this event. We met up with the focus on the forest group at the junction of Gold Camp Road and FS 379, where their operation was already set up and running. They have a dumpster that they carry on a flatbed trailer, a trailer with mesh sides for carrying trash, and other trucks present. Several people were camped in fifth wheels and they had large tent canopy set up with picnic tables. Lunch was served at the conclusion consisting of tacos, burritos, and side dishes. This is a well run operation and they clean up the forest in various locations during the year. Very impressive.
This year‘s focus was on cleaning up the trashed out in formal shooting areas along Gold Camp Road. Tracy and I were assigned a specific spot and filled up several large trash bags. A guy in his two sons join us and helped. They picked up all of the trash we collected and carried it back to the dumpster in the trailer. We then Went to a different worksite and joined a larger group and worked until it was time to have lunch and conclude. USFS law enforcement was present to make sure that target shooters in the area were not near us. It was a very satisfying day to hang out with all of these folks and accomplish as much work as we did. I hope to hear about these events in the future and participate when possible. I hope many of you readers can participate, as well.
Gold camp Road had been graded this week and it was the smoothest I’ve seen in my 35 years of traveling this road. It was very busy, especially in the 1st mile or two from the bottom. I stopped at the switchback where the dirt meets the pavement to air up and had a lengthy conversation with a guy with a jeep. He doesn’t like going with the jeep club because they are too hard-core for him and is looking for other people to wheel with. I sent him a link to our club page and a personal message and would not be surprised if he wheels with us sometime. He was a really nice guy.
The first image shows where Tracy and I worked for most of our time. Other images show the basecamp and we met up with focus on the forest people and had lunch.

 

[Goslow]

One more pic.

 

[SAS]

This was a really good outing; there were lots of volunteers so the work was pretty easy (and made a big impact). Focus on the Forest does this Old Stage cleanup multiple times per year; I'll keep an eye on their calendar and try to post up more than just a few days in advance. The group is growing with now a "chapter" in Monument and Black Forest. Check out their webpage for more info, focusontheforest.org