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Past Activity

Blanton Ridge Trail Maintenance

  • Start date: 01/25/2025

  • Start time: 9:00 AM

  • End date: 01/25/2025

  • End time: 12:00 PM

Description:

Join us to clear the Blanton section of the Ridgeline Trail of slough. Slough is where soil and debris fall from the backslope onto the trail. We will carefully scrape away the accumulated soil and debris to remove it from the trail avoiding creating a low point on the inside of the trail that could catch water. Additionally, we will also scrape any debris from the drainage ditches along the trail and clear the culverts in the Blanton section of trail.

Meet at the Willamette and 52nd Trailhead parking lot, the gravel lot on Willamette. Additional overflow parking is available on 52nd.

Barb and Matt remove debris from a drainage ditch.

Photo by: Pat Soussan

  • Event Leader: Matt Bell

  • Event Leader Phone: 503-884-8829

  • Event Leader Email: matthew.v.bell@gmail.com

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Stewardship

  • Area Type: Urban

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Moderate

  • Roundtrip total drive miles:

  • Season: 2025

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required:

  • participant prerequisites: Wear weather and work appropriate clothing and footwear. All necessary tools, equipment, and gloves are provided by the City's Parks and Open Space division.

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 2

  • Member Fees: —

  • Elevation Gain: 500

  • Non-Member Fees: —

  • Committee: Stewardship

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Our group of industrious Obsidians met up on a brisk January morning for our first outing of the new year. The City had asked that we work on the Blanton Ridge section of the Ridgeline trail to clear drainage and remove slough from the uphill side of the trail. Of course we agreed. We grabbed Terra hoes, flat shovels, and McLeods from the back of Matt\'s pickup before heading out from the Willamette & 52nd Trailhead parking lot to hike in, warm up, and being our work. We hiked in to the set of double drainages and began our work working our way back out. We cleared debris from the ditches which included BJ and Bill rolling a large cap stone out of one of the ditches. As we hiked back out we cleared additional ditches and outflows as well as undertook our primary task of removing slough from the uphill side of the trail. Our large group deftly maneuvered the hoes, shovels, and McLeods to cut the slope and blend it into the tread. We made it back to the trailhead and pickup by about noon to enjoy juice and cookies from the City, delicious pumpkin bread and energy balls provided by Janet, and warm sunshine on a clear cold morning. <br />
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Special thanks go to Clara for cleaning the Main Trailhead steps and kiosk.

Gallery

Gathering on a frosty morning to work on the Blanton section of the Ridgeline Trail.
BJ and Bill remove a large rock from from the ditch that was blocking the culvert.
Barb and Matt remove debris from a drainage ditch.
Betty throws debris from ditch.
Steve and Barb enjoying removing slough from the trail's edge.
Matt explains aligning the tread cuts to the existing tread to BJ.
Barb, Bill, and BJ as Matt begins to discuss and demonstrate how to make pruning cuts on woody vegetation.
The whole crew at work removing slough and duff from the trail's uphill side.
Matt explains the details of using the Terra hoe to shave off small amounts of material to sculpt the tread to Betty.