IMBA Trail Care Crew In Santa Barbara- Building A Rolling Crown Switchback, March 5th, 2011

The IMBA Trail Care Crew came to town again this year and they showed why they are most wanted around the country. The TCC's Chris and Leslie Kehmeier led 3 days of free education and instruction to all those interested in learning more about sustainable trails and trail building.

This years hands on project took place on McMenemy Trail where many of the switchbacks suffer from erosion and angles which make it difficult for equestrian users and other trail users to navigate. The solution- creating a rolling crown switchback to improve sustainability, longevity, and accessibility of all users.

Building a RCS is a massive undertaking with a lot of planning and coordination involved. Almost like building a house, it involved clearing the space, excavation, building the foundation, and shaping. Thanks to Marc Russo of the MTF, the construction area was already cleared of brush for the build. We dug up as many large boulders and rocks as possible then removed all stumps and roots that were still in the way. The retaining wall was build to last but not be seen and look as natural as possible. The final steps of construction are still underway as a little more works needs to be done for it to fully functional but the project is usable and all of those involved know their work made this trail better for all to use

Props to SBMTV for bringing the TCC to town again and special thanks to all that came out to help.

Volunteers at the IMBA TCC event

Construction of the RCS in progress
Retaining wall completed and holding

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