Clear the way in Los Padres

This year’s wet weather has turned normally brown trails into vistas out of Ireland. The downside is a profusion of growth that has tangled up backcountry paths. Saturday, volunteers will help reclaim an overgrown trail at a local celebration of National Trails Day. The restoration project takes place at one of the Southland’s hidden gems: the Potrero John Trail in the Los Padres National Forest, about 15 minutes from Ojai. “It’s one of the best introductions to the Los Padres backcountry, very scenic, with lots of different landscapes,� says volunteer wilderness ranger Eric Wetherbee. The trail follows Potrero Creek, hopping over it a few times to a wildflower-studded meadow and a campground alongside choice swimming holes. The Forest Service has come to rely on volunteers who help keep the nation’s trails -- hiked by 155 million Americans each year -- from becoming impassable, washed-out, overgrown obstacle courses. You don’t need any previous trail-clearing experience, and tools are provided. The mission is to clear the path from the trailhead to the campground, Wetherbee says, but whether you want to burn calories or take a more leisurely approach, the focus is as much on having a good time as clearing a path. Volunteers meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center off Highway 33, eight miles north of Ojai. Call (805) 646-4348.