Yesterday, Monday, December 2, 2019, the FOSM Trails Maintenance Crew removed a total of 37 trees from Crest area trails. Areas covered include Kiwanis Meadow Road, Buried Cable and Switchback trails. Chainsaws, crosscut saw and other hand tools were used
for this work. The trees ranged in size from 3 to 24 inches in diameter.
The weather was mostly clear and cold. There was good snow cover on all the areas the crew hiked. The snow appeared to be from 14 to 18 inches in depth with deeper drifts in spots. Snowshoes or skis are required to move safely on the trails. The Crest
road was mostly clear but with icy spots in shaded areas. It looked like all the paved parking areas have now been plowed. The snow ranged from slightly packed to unpacked and quite loose. There were a few sunny areas with thin coatings of crunchy ice. The
loose snow presented uneven traction, especially for those carrying heavy packs and tools. Overall there does seem to be a good base of snow for the upcoming winter.
Based upon observation of the crew and trail condition reports that are starting to come in, it appears that the Sandias have suffered a repeat of the massive damage done by the windstorms last spring. There is still a lot of work ahead to clear the trails
of fallen trees.
Yesterday's crew consisted of Byron Garner, Cliff Giles, Jerry Pekarek, Jim Levesque, Eric Russell, Cleve Sharp and Bob Lowder.
Please see the attached Word document for photos and additional narrative.
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