| | | | | | Hello Friends, You may know that the Los Padres is a very large and diverse forest covering approximately 1.75 million acres of the central California coast from Big Sur to the Los Angeles County line and from sea level to almost 9,000 ft. Yet, right now might be the most diverse we've ever seen the Los Padres. The unusual pattern of localized bands of rain that we received in September have left the Los Padres looking more diverse than ever. Some portions of the forest were pounded with inches of rain while just a few miles away might not have received more than a few sprinkles. The end result has the forest looking more like a green and brown zebra with alternating stripes of bright green and dead brown. Rain truly is the giver of life in these parts and while some areas are alive and well, others are still waiting their turn for some much needed rain. That being said, the temps are cooling and we're seeing a lot more activity on HikeLosPadres.com and answering far more emails about trail conditions and water reports. As the fall season kicks on and more and more of us return to our cooler trails, please be sure to check out HikeLosPadres and report back when you get back so we can share water reports for others. It's a great time of year to explore the Los Padres, remember to be prepared ahead of time and hope you get some trail time soon...... Sincerely, LPFA Team | | | UPCOMING EVENTS Oct 22: LPFA Party, Paradise Road Feb 4 2023: Volunteer Wilderness Ranger Training May 2023: Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center 20th Anniversary Celebration! | | | | | | | | LOVE TO VOLUNTEER? Do you love the Los Padres forest or love to volunteer? If so, we have some fun upcoming volunteer projects that might be right up your alley.... | | | | | | SESPE WORKING VACATION: November 12-20 The LPFA will be hosting another terrific Working Vacation this November along the Sespe River Trail based at Willett Camp. If you've been on a Working Vacation, you know how much fun they are. It's always great giving back to the trails we love and meeting new friends in the process. We'll be on the Sespe for 10 days in November and would love your help for any number of days you can contribute. All food, tools and instructions are provided by the LPFA, we just ask that you can backpack 10 miles down the Sespe and help with a day or more of trail work. Please email us to sign up or with any questions: VOLUNTEER@LPFOREST.ORG - hope to see you out there! | | | SIERRA MADRE/SWEETWATER WATER RUN: October 29-30 Any trail runners out there? The LPFA is partnering with Runners For Public Lands on the last weekend of October to help run a stash of water out the Sweetwater Trail along the Sierra Madre Mountains. Long story short, the LPFA Trail Crew has been working on the Sweetwater Trail and are at a point now where we can't continue the work without a large amount of water being stashed along the trail. That's where the runners come in. We'll be looking for runners interested in helping run the water out to the stash location so the Trail Crew can continue on restoring the trail down to the Sisquoc. We'll be spending a weekend out there with the water run, a fun run, some special site visits and perhaps a Halloween themed game or two. For more information please email: VOLUNTEER@LPFOREST.ORG thanks! | | | LPFA USED GEAR SALE: October 22, 1pm The LPFA will once again be hosting a Used Camping Gear Sale this coming Saturday at 1pm at the VWR Cabin (34.545144, -119.792281) off Paradise Road. If you are looking for any new camping or backpacking gear, this is the place. We'll have a large assortment of gear including packs and tents donated by Gossamer Gear. All proceeds go to the LPFA Trail Care fund and directly back into maintaining the trails you love. Let us know if you have any questions: INFO@LPFOREST.ORG | | | | | | LOS PADRES FOREST ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS In addition to the project specific volunteer opportunities listed above, the LPFA is always looking for volunteers interested in helping with a wide variety of forest projects. These efforts include road patrol, building maintenance, gate repairs, graffiti removal, web design, helping at Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center, HikeLosPadres support and of course we're always interested in helping to support volunteer efforts on specific trails or other forest related projects. If you've got an idea that helps the forest, let us know and we'd love to help.VOLUNTEER@LPFOREST.ORG with questions or to throw your name or idea in the hat. THANK YOU! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Los Padres Forest Association
PO Box 1282 | Goleta, California 93116 info@lpforest.org | | | | | | | | | |
