Since Memorial Day, King Range Staff have been engaged in training and preparing our seasonal ranger staff for their summer on the Lost Coast. The last week of May, our new rangers and I walked the coast and took on two trail maintenance projects, removing some dense brush near Spanish Flat and establishing a safe route around a landslide on Lower Rattlesnake Trail. King Range hired five seasonal staff, this year. If you plan to do a trip this summer, you may have an opportunity to meet and greet our new crew! I will be on the beach also, so look for us in our new green shirts. During our training, we went over all the same points that I have gone over in the blog, over the course of the past six months. Our staff has four talking points and I am sure you will recognize them:
- Backcountry permits are required for all groups spending at least one night in the backcountry. These are available for free at all trailheads. Read the permit before you sign, and be sure you are in compliance with the regulations attached! Organized groups and commercial groups must have a special use permit, issued by the King Range Office.
- All overnight users must store all of their food in hard-sided bear-proof canisters such as the Bear Vault or Garcia Backpackers' Cache. All food must fit--no food hangs allowed!
- Campfires are allowed in existing fire rings, burning dead-and-down wood or driftwood. Fire restrictions may go into effect in late June, stay tuned for details.
- All human waste on the beach must be buried in a hole six-to-eight inches deep BELOW THE HIGH TIDE MARK. Use the toilet in the wet sand or gravel, close to the ocean. Just like in the high country, be sanitary away from drinking water sources. The ocean is NOT a drinking water source.
We are on the trails seven days a week, all summer to offer advice and assistance. We will be inspecting permits. We look forward to visiting with you on the trail!
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