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Photo: David Dalton Ventana Wilderness April 25-May 2, 2009 Highlights: Work with the U.S. Forest Service to build and improve trails Experience Central California wilderness at its best Includes: All meals All cooking gear Trip Number: 09073A Price: $ 495 Deposit: $50 Capacity: 10 Leader: David Dalton Itinerary | Accommodations/Food | Equipment | References | Staff   The Trip Unfortunately, this trip has been cancelled. If you have questions, please contact us. Photo: David Dalton This trip has been cancelled. If you have questions, please contact us. The Ventana Wilderness is located in the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. The steep terrain rises from the ocean to more than 4,000 feet. It has tremendous wooded areas of fir and pine (the Santa Lucia fir is unique to this area), many different plant and animal communities, and a large migratory bird population. This remote wilderness has captured the hearts of visitors for generations. A hike in the Ventana Wilderness can involve traversing habitats of chaparral, coastal redwood groves, pine woodlands, and canyons of tanoaks and madrones, which descend to creeks with deep pools and waterfalls lined with maples and sycamores. The Project Working with the U.S. Forest Service, our primary focus will be the restoring trails that have been eroded or erased by the forest fires of 2008. There are many opportunities for work on the coast side and the inland side of the Santa Lucia Range, and the USFS will choose the actual location for us. Weather and other circumstances may force a change of plans, so you'll need to keep an open and flexible attitude. The area is prone to fires and rapid growth of thick brush, and the Forest Service budget is severely limited, so volunteer projects are crucial to keeping trails open and rehabilitating overused wilderness. Itinerary Back to top Meeting time and location will be provided to registered participants. Getting There The trailhead is located about 50 miles southwest from Salinas, California. If you fly, plan to arrive into San Jose, California and carpool with volunteers who are driving. The trailhead is in a remote spot and there is no shuttle or public transit available. Accommodations and Food Back to top All meals are provided, beginning with lunch on day one and ending with breakfast on the final day of the trip. The leaders have developed menus and meal plans that offer lots of variety, flavor, calories, and nutrition. The menu will be mainly vegetarian with plenty of protein sources. Food preferences will be accommodated as much as possible, considering the circumstances. Please inform the leader and cook of any allergies or dietary restrictions in advance. Group water will be treated in camp for camp use; personal water filters are recommended for field use. All participants will take turns working on meal prep and clean up. Trip Difficulty Back to top The trip is appropriate for participants of all experience levels. We will camp with the cars in a campground chosen by the US Forest Service, and hike several miles to the work site(s) each day. Equipment and Clothing Back to top In addition to your regular camping gear, bring long pants and a pair of sturdy leather gloves for your work. We recommend that you plan to work in long-sleeved shirts, especially ones with snug cuffs, which will help protect you from ticks and poison oak. A well broken-in pair of leather hiking boots is also highly recommended. We will provide all the tools, food, and cooking gear, but you will need to bring your own utensils: plate, cup, spoon, knife. We will also have a full first-aid kit, but you should have your own supply of moleskin, bandages, aspirin, etc., for dealing with small, everyday aggravations. We will treat drinking water in camp, but you should be prepared to purify any water you collect during day hikes. A detailed equipment list will be provided to registered participants. References Back to top Maps of the area are published by both the Forest Service and by the local Sierra Club. For further details, plus a complete list of USGS topographic maps of the area, and books, please visit lhttp://www.ventanawild.org/maps/maps.html Books: Shaffer, Jeffrey P., Hiking the Big Sur Country: The Ventana Wilderness. The book gives a brief introduction to the area, followed by detailed descriptions of all the official trails in the wilderness as well as those in the coastal state lands. The maps at the back of the book show the trails and campsites in greater detail (and more accurately) than any other published maps. Henson, Paul, and Donald Usner, The Natural History of Big Sur. Describes the geology, weather, flora, fauna and the area's human history. A field guide describes the areas covered in our trip in terms of their outstanding natural features. Highly recommended. Conservation The Ventana Wilderness and surrounding open spaces contain unique and fragile environments in relatively close proximity to large and growing population areas. The Forest Service is currently in the process of updating its land management plan for the region. Click here to view the draft plan. The Forest Service preference is to implement Alternative 4, which emphasizes recreation. A coalition of advocacy groups favors Alternative 6, which would set primary goals of biological diversity and the health of the ecosystem. If you are interested in learning about volunteer efforts to preserve the areas within the Northern Santa Lucia range, visit the Ventana Wilderness Alliance. You can also learn about the efforts of the Sierra Club's Ventana Chapter Trip Price Back to top See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner. Staff Back to top David Dalton is a Sierra Club Life Member who has made many backpacking trips into the Ventana Wilderness and Big Sur over the past 20 years. He has worked with the Ventana Wilderness Alliance on trail maintenance and support of Sierra Club trips, and has worked with the cook Charlie Reimann before. He lives in Silicon Valley California and is retired from the engineering world. E-mail: dalton_95014@yahoo.com General Notes About Sierra Club Trips Carpooling How to Apply for a Trip Liability Release and Assumption of Risk Medical Issues Participant Approval Standard Trip Equipment Travel Insurance Trip Feedback Legal Information Seller of Travel Disclosure