College of the Canyons Tubatulabal Trailblazing Event

On Sunday, November 2, Heidi and I hosted our second National Park Trust event. We had a group of 21 people help us establish a trail in the Tubatulabal Tribal land in Weldon, CA. This tribe has been in the lower regions of the Southern Sierra Nevada for at least 5,000 years. Having this opportunity to help this Tribe with their vision of allowing the public to enjoy their lands was an honor. 

On the morning of the event, students met at 7:45 am at an elementary school just below the entrance to the land. Once we got to the location, we met up and got to learn more about the land from Robert, Miguel, Ricardo, and Ian. The lovely men gave us a rundown on how they have been able to upkeep, manage, and protect the land. In 2023, they were finally able to gain ownership and have been working hard to take care of it.

Once we had finished learning about the land, we were escorted to the upper dirt trails, and Ricardo guided us off-trail on our hike while we marked the most optimal loop trail to gain access to their lower rock slide area, where there were swimming pools. Students were put through terrain that may have been seen as strenuous for an average city hiker. But overall, the feedback was positive, and the opportunity to introduce students to ancestral lands and how to respectfully volunteer for the Tribe was a success.