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Mt. Disappointment Race Training Runs & Trail work

Mt. Disappointment Race Trail work
The Mt. Disappointment Endurance Race is an approved USDA Forest Service Region 5 Angeles National Forest trail maintenance group. Trail restoration, trail maintenance, and trailhead/station area improvement/maintenance projects are charities of The Mt. Disappointment Endurance Race:

  • Restoration and maintenance of the USFS trail network
  • Providing volunteer opportunities for Los Angeles area residents
  • Painting, masonry, repair tables, rails, signs, structures, parking area clean-up, Sutter walls
  • Assisting other volunteer groups with their projects
  • Providing projects and hands-on help for scouting troops

Trail-work meeting place: (Meeting time is 7:00am for 2012)

  • Mt. Disappointment trail work volunteers can once again gather at the original meeting place alongside Highway 2 in La Canada Flintridge. Yes, Highway 2 is now open.
  • Directions:
    • From the 210 Freeway exit at Angeles Crest Hwy (CA-2) and go North 0.1 miles.
    • Pull into the frontage road on the East side (right side) of Hwy 2 and park facing South, away from the residences.

You MUST e-mail Gary during the week before the trail-work day so we have enough tools!!

Trail work dates are:

2012

2011
  • February 12 -- Silver Moccasin or Kenyon Devore Trail (POSTPONED)
  • February 19 -- Silver Moccasin or Kenyon Devore Trail (CANCELLED)
  • March 12 -– Silver Moccasin or Kenyon Devore Trail
  • April 2 -- Silver Moccasin
  • April 23rd -- Silver Moccasin
  • May 22nd (Sunday) -- Silver Moccasin or Gabrielino from Westfork to Kenyon
  • June 18th -- Silver Moccasin
  • July 2th -- Lower Kenyon Devore
  • July 30th -- Valley Forge Trail
  • August 6th -- Valley Forge Trail


  • 2010
  • May 2, 2010 -- Silver Moccasin Trail (Sunday!)
  • May 8, 2010 -– Silver Moccasin Trail
  • May 22, 2010 -– Gabrielino Trail
  • June 5, 2010 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • June 26, 2010 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • July 17, 2010 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • July 31, 2010 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • October 16, 2010 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • November 20, 2010 -- Kenyon Devore Trail - CANCELLED due to storm.


  • 2009
  • January 24, 2009 -- Strawberry Trail
  • March 7, 2009 -– Silver Moccasin Trail
  • April 5, 2009 -– Silver Moccasin Trail
  • May 30, 2009 -- This date conflicts with AC 100's trail maintenance date. If you'd like to help with Mt. Disappointment's trails please join us for the June 20st date.
  • June 20, 2009 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • July 18, 2009 -- Kenyon Devore Trail


  • 2008
  • January 26, 2008 -- Silver Moccasin Trail
  • February 9, 2008 -- Silver Moccasin Trail
  • February 23, 2008 -– Silver Moccasin Trail (part of the 50-mile course)
  • March 15, 2008 -– Strawberry Trail
  • April 5, 2008 -– Newcomb’s Loop (part of the 50-mile course)
  • May 24, 2008 -- Silver Moccasin Trail (from Westfork)
  • June 28, 2008 -- Silver Moccasin/Kenyon Devore.
  • July 5, 2008 -- Training Run #1 - Meet at Red Box at 7:30 a.m.
  • July 26, 2008 -- Training Run #2 - Meet at Red Box at 7:30 a.m.
  • August 1, 2008 -- Kenyon Devore Trail


  • 2007
  • March 3, 2007 -- Silver Moccasin Trail
  • March 10, 2007 -- Silver Moccasin Trail
  • March 17, 2007 -- Cancelled
  • March 24, 2007 -- Silver Moccasin Trail
  • April 14, 2007 -- Silver Moccasin Trail
  • May 5, 2007 -- Kenyon Devore Trail
  • June 2 -- National Trails Day (Meet at 7:00am)
  • June 30 -- Training run (Meet at Red Box at 7:30 am, run starts at 8:00 am)
  • July 14 -- Training run (Meet at Red Box at 7:30 am, run starts at 8:00 am)
  • August 4 -- Kenyon Devore
  •  

    Please contact Gary Hilliard or Gabor Kozinc if you want to come help. All trail work hours can be certified for volunteer credit.

    Valley Forge Trail Restoration - 2011

     

    Kenyon-Devore Trail Maintenance

     

    Things to bring for trail work (USFS wants to see proper clothing…please help us comply)

    • Proper clothing – Hat, long pants, and bring a long-sleeve shirt.
      • Trail shoes or boots (the USFS likes leather work shoe/boots.  Please come and volunteer even if your shoes are not complete leather.  No Sandals or flip-flops!  Thanks.)
    • Work gloves!
    • Sunscreen, Ivy Block, bug repellant, netting if preferred.
    • Food & water (enough for a full day’s hike/work).
    • Personal first-aid kit, band-aids.


    Trailwork is for you if interested, it is not mandatory for race entry.

    Safety Notes:
    1. Some insects seem to bother people, so you should be prepared. Have and use the necessary repellent that works for you.
    2. Poison oak exists in the forest. Please take any necessary precautions.
    3. Be prepared for hot weather (in case you haven't come out of the Air Conditioning lately).
    4. Carry band-aids or blister kits if you blister.

    Carpooling, Meeting Place:
    Everyone should try to carpool. Forest Adventure Passes are required to park in the National Forest.  Passes can be purchased at REI. I will try to have some one-day passes ($5.00) with me. 
    Finally, trailwork can be more exhausting than ultra-running, mountain biking, or hiking. Don't be discouraged if you become tired. Pace yourself and KEEP drinking fluids. This is a very damaged yet scenic and beautiful Forest. We want you to have a GREAT San Gabriel Mountain trail-work experience.

    Gary Hilliard, Race Director and Trail Group Team Leader
    e-mail:  gary@mtdisappointment50k.com            Home: (626) 836-8950

      Red Box Guardrail Restoration Project - 2008

    Tools of the Trail

    The two most common tools used are the Pulaski, a sturdy tool used for rough work which has an axe blade on one side and a grub hoe on the other. The other widely used tool is the McLeod. It has a flat, square shaped blade with a cutting edge on one side and a rake with widely spaced tines on the other. The cutting edge of a McLeod is good for taking off small layers of dirt, while the rake can be used to clear leaves and disperse the loose dirt. The McLeod is also great for packing down soils because of its flat bottom.
    Other tools include flat and rounded shovels, the adze hoe, tree pruning shears, rock bars, the pick mattock, clinometers (used for measuring slopes), weedwackers, and chainsaws; the last two must have spark arresters if used in the Angeles National Forest.

        Sponsors

    Brooks Running
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    Ultrarunning Magazine


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    Nathan Sports


    Black Diamond


    Pasadena Cyclery


    Zombie Runner


    Mrs. May's Naturals


    Elite Fitness Bootcamp


    Hylands IvyBlock

     

    Trail tools
    The McLeod and Pulaski


    Safety First!

    Always have a safety orientation meeting on the tools and the trails BEFORE beginning any trail work. Always have someone available with first aid training and a first aid kit close by. When working with tools of any type, always be safe.
    THINK! Be aware of what is going on around you, and never swing or carry a tool over your shoulders. Also, be ambidextrous with tools, so at the end of the day; you will be sore all over and not just on one side.

    Happy Trails!

    Photos by Jan and Mike Riter (courtesy of International Mountain Biking Association IMBA).
    Some of the narrative information above also courtesy of IMBA.
    More information can be found at: The IMBA website


    Volunteers clear trail

    Thanks go out to Rollan James Parker of BSA Troup 966 (Torrance) who's Eagle Scout project involved clearing the section of trail between Switzer's and Clear Creek Station. Rollan, along with Trail Boss Leader David Ledford (Scoutmaster) and their group of 29 volunteers, worked in 100 degree heat to clear the trail of vegetation and rocks. The staff of the Mt. Disappointment 50k is very grateful to them for their tireless efforts.



     

     

     

     

     

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