Since our last blog update a great deal has happened. First, on 9/30 the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) came out for a special session. They worked really hard, completing a significant trail section. When finished this new multi-use trail connector will give our neighbors on the south side of Little Mountain their own trailhead. Unfortunately our friends from NOLS worked so hard that nobody took a moment to take a photo. At our last regularly scheduled session, Saturday 10/11 - WOW it rained hard! We were fortunate, we were at our awning enjoying hot coffee and fresh pastries when the downpour hit. We decided to let it blow over. It worked out well, pretty much passing before we went to work. Below you can see our 'completely finished' big switchback corner. We finished the rock wall and trail's tread last session, this session we restored the natural vegetation.
Below you'll see Bret and Paul (both AmeriCorps volunteers) and Caroline (with Youth United) transplanting ferns and other plants. Later they covered the bare mineral soil with duff, branches and deadfall:
Meanwhile (shown below) Paul and Cesar are working on the trail section that connects Bonnie & Clyde's to Sidewinder. It is great to have Paul back; he volunteered with us several years ago. Not only did he rejoin us, he brought us a hard working friend...
Below Matt and 'another' Paul are leveling and packing the soil we were moving down the new trail tread. The reroute worked out really well, both corners can now be ridden safely in both directions.
And in this last photo Lynn hides the prior route, she's really good at this...
We hope to see lots of you at our session this Saturday, October 25. While we will be meeting at our normal time, the location is different. We'll be working on the trail that will serve as our southern connector, starting at the Silver Arrow Bowmen Archery Range.
We have two featured groups joining us for this session; Skagit Valley College's Outdoor Club, and a group of Cub Scouts (arriving after lunch). To get to our session follow East Hickox Road 'nearly' to its end. To see a map of Little Mountain click on the following: http://mountvernontrailbuilders.com/map/.
Things in my view are going really well. And Art Tuftee agrees, so much so that he wanted to tell our story at the Washington State Trails Conference last week. We gave an hour long presentation on the work we've been doing here in Mount Vernon, and the support our community is showing for trails -- pretty cool. Thanks Art and Larry Otos!
I must admit, presentations (at least for me) are a little scary - lol...
