Resume Hike

  • SF2T 2026 Day 6, June 14, Sunday
  • Start Santa Barbara Campground mile 66.1
  • End Trail 22, past Los Esteros pond, mile 73.1
  • Miles walked: 7

After a fine breakfast, all 3 NMVFO crews worked on Centennial Trail this morning, leap-frogging each other.

We return to Santa Barbara Campground by 12:30, and everyone departs, while I resume my hike just as rain begins, first showers, then steady with thunder accents.  I cross a creek wet-foot style on Indian Creek Trail, and climb in the rain from 8.3k to 11.7k elevation, where there is dense understory of one plant, that I had encountered before at high elevations, possibly kinnikinnick.

The route joins the Divide Trail, and views to the east are fogged over. I follow along a firebreak.

Soon I descend on Trail 22, thoroughly drenched and cold, and get to lower elevation and finally pitch a tent, climb in, dry off, and warm up.

Finished audiobook A Plague of Pythons, by Frederik Pohl.

Sawyer Zero

  • SF2T Day 5, Saturday, June 13
  • Start Santa Barbara Campground mile 66.1
  • End Santa Barbara Campground mile 66.1
  • Miles walked: zero

15 NMVFO volunteers spl?t into 3 crews, working on the Middle Fork, West Fork, and Centennial Trails. My crew cleared 45 trees on 0.6 miles of Centennial.

Afterwards we were treated to an amazing dinner, featuring jambalaya.

Meetup Nero

  • SF2T Day 4, Friday, June 12
  • Start mile 62. * West Fork Rio Santa Barbara
  • End Santa Barbara Campground 66.1
  • Miles walked: 4.1

I walk a short distance to Santa Barbara Campground and await my compatriots to arrive for the annual NMVFO trail project at this location.

We go to the restaurant in PeƱasco, Sugar Nymph, now a tradition, and later chat around the campfire, and discuss plans for trail work tomorrow.