The Lowelifes Respectable Citizens' Club is all about backcountry trails.
At first glance the people gather at the National Forest trail head parking bunch in the cold-blooded , clear alpine morning face just like any grouping of outdoorsy friends , quick for a day of biking in the mountain . But wait a minute … there are two new - baked pies stack next to a jumbo chain saw , and a powerfully - mustachioed human beings is pull prybars and heavy - duty axes out of his reborn van , and the bikes are being load like packmules give birth camping gear and hardhats . This is no normal , frivolouswilderness outing — there ’s serious study to be done . This is theLowelifes Respectable Citizens ' Club , and they ’re maneuver into Angeles National Forest to touch on trails , to ride cycle , and , apparently , to rust some pie .
Despite the big power tools and liability waivers being sign , the vibe is pollyannaish and lay - back — someone snuff it around donut , and as more masses come in various new wave and 4x4s , the group coalesces and their camaraderie is evident in the excited chats about the day ahead . By the time the final adjustments are made to the strapping mint bikes bristling with tools and the gang starts pedal them into the wood , it ’s obvious this operation is a manual labor of lovemaking .
The Lowelifes take their name from the iconic Mt. Lowe , and this fearless band of volunteers dedicate their free fourth dimension — most 10,000 hours of it since 2019 — to building , maintaining , and savor the trails in the Angeles National Forest , the sprawling backcountry playground that sits in magnificent repose just above the cacophonous feast of Los Angeles . Within this vast 700,000 sq foot wilderness dwell the legendary peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains , such as Mount Baldy ( real name Mt. San Antonio , but does n’t “ Baldy ” just flap off the lingua ? ) and Mount Baden - Powell ( this one could use a spanking sobriquet , honestly ) ; plus beautiful waterfalls , big wildlife , pristine campsites , and a seemingly endless variety of trail . But in an area so monumental , the governing resources to adequately handle the demand of the Forest can sometimes be spread out slender , or non - existing .
Photo by Matthew Baffert, courtesy of The Lowelifes
Angeles National Forestis deal out by the United States Forest Service , and addressing the reality of a wilderness this sizing that can be accessed by 20 million people is a staggering job , as the forest can see more visitors in a year than both the Grand Canyon and Yosemite . And it ’s a chore which the element make all the more difficult : sinewy violent storm move sway and earth , roads and track are swallow or rinse away . Blizzards wail , boulders the size of it of railroad car smash down the chaparral hillsides . Wildfires sear century of one thousand of acres and run through structures and vehicles in an split second . The USFS but does n’t have the time , men , or funds to contend with the indomitable will of nature all on its own . And that ’s where The Lowelifes make out in .
“ It is a plebeian misconception that USFS trails are maintained by paid Forest Service proletarian . Nothing could be further from the the true , as the USFS heavy count upon a volunteer workforce to keep their track connection . ” Erik Hillard , the Lowelife CFO / Treasurer , excuse .
The Lowelifes Respectable Citizens Clubwas born in 2019 , from a few Quaker ’ desire to not just help keep the track they loved to ride on their raft bicycle , but to spread out raw trails , to become standard bearers for environmental stewardship , to foster and educate a community of all types of wild - lovers , and to have a damn secure sentence doing it . When they lay down a 501(c)(3 ) non - profit organization with a focus on forest resourcefulness restoration , they decided the Lowelife ’s foreign mission would go beyond moving giant rocks , chainsawing through massive felled trees , and slicing back prickly brush … but there would be plenty of that too .
Photo by Karl Hess
Trail piece of work is just that , work . And this job is tough — even catch their fleshy gear into the backcountry is no well-off effort itself . To that destruction , the Lowelifes often snare rugged trailers to their bikes to haul tools , fuel , and metal stakes and net fencing material that can organize the foundation of new trails . Biking up or down a steep , rocky singletrack is hard enough — now try it tow a metal house trailer full of gasoline and piercing blades . It takes a hearty sort to thrive in this surround .
But the Lowelifes steadfastly consider that if you ’re hold up to act hard , you also have to flirt hard . They ’ve body forth that ideal from the starting with their monthly two - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. campout events , which are open to anyone who is n’t afraid to get a footling sweaty . The campouts combine set in dependable work with an as important missionary station — having a in effect sentence with good people in the great out-of-doors . And after a farsighted solar day out on the trail — whether it ’s cutting down branch of the fear invasive poodle - dog bush ( no petting , it ’s poisonous ) , or splitting boulders with a baron hammer — there ’s only one affair on everyone ’s judgment : dinner .
“ Camping out and preparation dinner in the backcountry is a great way to work up relationships and create a quad where we can get to have it away each other , ” tell Matt Baffert , the Lowelifes CEO / President , and the bearer of that powerful mustache . “ Because of that , we have built meaningful relationships and a community of stewards and friends who spend time with each other outdoors of work trail . ”
Photo by Karl Hess
As the campfire crackle china and plenteous cold I crack up unfastened , the vivacious citizenry from the trailhead this morning all seem wiped out , but there ’s also a giant smile plaster on every aspect , gleam in the firelight . It was a red-hot daylight of clayey body of work on the exorbitant hillside of this beautiful forest , restoring plane section of the Kenyon Devore track close since the catastrophic Bobcat Fire in 2020 , but now laughter wafts amongst the woodsmoke , and the fledgling to the radical seemingly palpate already as much a part of the work party as the grizzled veterans . Anticipation originate , it ’s reached the hour for a vaunted Lowelifes culinary tenting tradition : it ’s taco time .
And we ’re not talking store - bought tortilla — that would be an abuse to the graceful sensibility of this merry assemblage , and to the very timber itself . No , a tortilla press is get and the fresh masa starts going in . As the tortilla impinge on the griddle , so does a very healthy amount of blue carnitas , and while that beautiful smell fills the Nox line , a worthy raiment of topping is laid out : from freshly - made guac to pickled ruddy onions , from luscious Oaxacan quesillo to bright , fragrant pico de gallo . “ Food is a really of import part of Lowelifes , ” says Matt as everyone hungrily descends , and there ’s no argument . These here citizens have produced an fantastically tidy gap .
After a daily round of seconds , and thirds , and a few pulls from the flaskful being passed around , the once - blazing fire is now only coal , and the gathered crew of about 15 souls lounge back in their camp chair , satiate from the feast . But before people ’s thoughts turn to crawling into their tents for a much - deserved slumber , there is one more point of business , one last line for this tireless squad : “ We get down ta eat these PIE ! ” exclaim Rob Pettersen , a founding member of the group , his panoptic smile elucidate by his headlamp . And without falter the Lowelifes do what they do best : they get to work .
Photo by Karl Hess
