Yesterday, Monday, May 22, 2023, the FOSM Trail Maintenance Crew hiked up Cienega Trail and then down the upper portion of Pino trail to locate and remove previously reported fallen trees. There had been a number of these reports, but there was some conjecture about exactly where these trees were located. All reports indicated that the trees were located in the upper switchbacks on Pino but not all seemed to agree precisely where in that area. The crew decided that the only way to solve the "Mystery of the Pino Trees" was to go up there and hike down from the top of Pino trail until the trees were located and removed. So we did that. The trail maps showed that accessing the trees by hiking up Pino was twice the distance as hiking up Cienega trail and then down Pino. Not to mention the higher temperatures at the bottom of Pino.

By the end of a very long day, the crew had removed a total of 13 trees, or parts thereof, from both trails. The largest were the two on the Pino switchbacks that were 11 and 14 inches in diameter. The remainder, mostly on Cienega trail were 3 to 9 inches in diameter. Some of these appeared to have fallen since the last CTR report on Cienega was issued and others were older cuts which needed a bit of remediation. Some encroaching shrubs were also trimmed back. Cienega trail is now clear from end to end and unless something unreported has happened, the same is true for Pino trail.

Despite the number of short re-routes done over the years, Cienega trail is still Cienega trail. It is steep with sections of loose rocks and gravel. It was muddy and slippery in the morning but had dried in most places by the late afternoon. As is the case with very steep trails, hiking downhill is more hazardous than hiking uphill and Cienega is a prime example. The day was beautiful with cool temperatures and light breezes. It got cloudy in the late afternoon but it did not rain. Wildflowers are abundant. The spring near the "Big Rock" is flowing at a level not seen in a long while.