Corral After Caldor
Nearly everywhere I rode after two months in California had been affected by wildfires, and Tahoe was no exception. In 2021 the Caldor Fire ripped through the Tahoe basin, luckily sparing most homes and infrastructure, but the forest was not as lucky.
While fire is a natural, and severely needed, element in our wild landscapes; the intensity at which fires burn has been especially unprecedented and devastating. The Corral Trail experienced near 100% mortality, and the thin organic layer of soil turned to carbon as well. The forest will return however, and in the meantime we can enjoy views that were previously hidden, wildflower explosions, and an influx of butterflies, birds, and other pollinators. I was lucky to get a few laps in on Corral with my friend Kyle, Mike from CAMTB, and Drew and Nils from TAMBA.
The following day, I joined Sandor Lengyel from TAMBA to work on their new Meeks Ridge Trail. Building trail in the Tahoe basin requires a masters degree in making very large rocks snuggle just right. This crew was no exception, and it was a great learning experience spending half a day building about 15’ of level tread with a rock foundation.
Home of the Washoe people.
Corral on Trailforks.