| Trailwork |
| Event Schedule |
| We generally
have small work parties each week, scheduled on Monday, for
a weekday and a weekend day. We also run scheduled events
for student, office, civic, church and other other groups.
Currently we are building a new trail on Cougar Mountain, repairing interior sections of the Tiger Mountain Trail, clearing away seasonal brush growth, and doing other repair jobs here and there in the Alps. If
you know of a group looking for a volunteer event, or would
like to be informed of our short-notice weekly events,
please contact
Scott Semans,
425-369-1725 |
Why is Trail Maintenance Important?  |
| Volunteer
trail maintenance is a vital part of the hiking experience
in the Issaquah Alps. Most of the trail maintenance work
done on Tiger and Squak mountains is done by volunteers,
such as yourself, and volunteers have a valuable role in
helping the park staff on Cougar Mountain as well.
Volunteers in prior decades laid out and built most of the
trails on all three mountains, and without the continued
help and vigilance of dedicated volunteers, many of these
trails would have been long gone (see below). Volunteering
in a trail crew is a great way to preserve the region's incredible trail network for the future, accomplishing
several objectives: to learn new skills; to meet others; and
to get to know the landscape of the Alps more intimately.
Restoring and upgrading existing trails raises the
confidence level of beginning hikers, and allows them to
move farther into the woodlands, lessening impacts on
over-hiked trails. |
What Kind of Work is Involved?  |
| Trail crews
do a wide variety of tasks: clearing summer brush off
overgrown trails, fixing water problems by raising or reshaping the tread (surface of the
trail), clearing clogged culverts, building or replacing ageing bridges, removing wind-felled trees, and rerouting trail around problem areas.
Sometimes we have the opportunity to build a new trail or
section from scratch. The work is similar to starting a
garden, or landscaping, and is moderately strenuous.
Volunteers are encouraged to work at their own pace, and
take frequent rest breaks. |
| How to Join the Trail Maintenance Crew |
| Events are scheduled weekly to avoid bad weather.
Contact crew-leader Scott Semans and advise what days of the week, or specific dates, you are available. This helps us plan events that best meet our volunteers' schedules. You will receive weekly emails advising the dates for that week. Larger groups may schedule specific dates up to four months in advance. |
| User Maintenance Do's and Do Not's |
| If you see trail problems such as heavy brush, bad drainage,
or downed trees note as many details as you can, including exact location,
and report them to the land manager. Check the signage at the trail's
start to find jurisdiction, or notify TRAILWORK,
or the Official Advocate listed on page 2 of the Alpiner. Simple work such as pruning brush, removing small windfalls, cleaning and deepening drainage ditches and culverts is generally welcomed by public land managers. Hand pruners, grass whips, and shovels can be carried on a hike. Non-blocking woody debris should be tossed well away from the trail, or left in place, not thrown on trailside plants. More complex work such as removing brush from abandoned trails, widening or making new trails, or using power equipment should be discussed with those who know or manage the area. Public lands have master plans which set up a framework for existing and future trails. The IATC has long-standing relationships with land-mangers, owners, other trails organizations, past trail-builders, and other stakeholders whose input can be quite valuable. Joining a trail work party run by IATC, WTA, VOW, or the Greenway is a good way to learn safe, effective, and environmentally sound techniques of caring for trails, and ensure that the efforts you put into trails are appreciated by all who use them. |
| More Specifics On Trail Work |
| WHAT IS THE WORK LIKE AND HOW STRENUOUS IS IT? |
| From the assembly point we
will carpool to the trailhead, then walk to the work site.
The crew leader will discuss the goals of the project and of
the day's work, demonstrate basic trail work tasks, and
discuss tools and safe work practices. Generally volunteers
work in pairs or small groups, and can share tasks and
advice with their partners. The crew leader or another
experienced volunteer will walk the work site to distribute
tools and answer questions. Many tasks are more strenuous
than hiking, and volunteers are encouraged to work at an
easy pace, take frequent breaks, and rotate tasks to avoid
fatigue. Creating or restoring trails ranges from ordinary
gardening and yard work to serious landscaping or ditch
digging. Think of preparing a new lawn or garden along a 5
to 6 foot strip. Depending on the work site, volunteers may
or may not be able to return to cars during the course of
the event, or leave early. |
| USING TOOLS SAFELY |
 Always wear gloves. The crew
leader will demonstrate the proper and safe use of all
tools. In general, tools should be carried at the sides,
with the sharp end pointing down. In use, maintain a good
distance from other workers, announce yourself when passing
someone with a tool, stop working when someone is passing
you, and lay the tool down with the head off the trail,
sharp side into the ground. Keep your knees bent when using
long-handle tools and never bring a tool head above your
waist when chopping or digging. Pruning saws cut on the
pull stroke only and are extremely sharp; lift the saw
slightly when pushing it forward. Safety is the first priority in trail work, followed by having fun, and getting some work done. |
| TRAIL WIDENING |
| Some trails were never up to
modern standards and others have narrowed over time through
natural processes. Our job is to remove plants from the
high side, which push hikers to the downside, then scrape
off the "living" or black soil, and shape the underlying
mineral soil to a wider trail tread that will shed water
naturally. Plants intruding on the trail are pruned or
removed. |
KNOW YOUR SOILS  |
| The most difficult skill to
teach new trail work volunteers is soil discrimination.
Trail work is all about separating living "organic" soils
(usually black) from underlying "mineral" soils (usually
yellow-brown or gray. The living soil, along with leaves,
sticks, and small plants, must be carefully scraped up and
moved away from the trail. Underlying roots must be
pulled up and cut away, often revealing more pockets of
organics. As found, rocks should be collected in one spot
or a bucket. Usually this stage of careful scraping and
hands-&-knees work will be 80% of the work. Only when this
is done can the underlying hard mineral soil and rock be
shaped into the final tread of the trail. The organics removed earlier can be pulled back to the lower trail edge for support and regrowth of small plants. |
| EXOTIC TOOLS WE USE |
| Our main tool is the mcleod, a
long-handled kind of rake/scraper developed for fighting
wildfires. It can move large amounts of soil and rock, or
do very fine leveling work. Several volunteers have been so
impressed that they've purchased mcleads for their own yard
work. Other commonly used tools include the pick/mattock
for aggressive digging and rock breaking, a pulaski or
fire-axe, rock bar, and good old shovels and buckets.
Pruning saws and clippers are used to remove limbs and
roots. |
| BACKWOODS CRAFT |
| When we need to make a small
bridge, steps, or curbing to hold soil in place against a
hillside, we work with materials at hand. The original
loggers in the 1920s and earlier took the big cedars, but
left abundant "slash" or pieces too large or small to be
taken out. Eighty-plus years later this amazing wood is
still usable. We will excavate it (if buried), cut to size,
and use draw knives to clean any rot from the surface, then
position and pin it in place. |
TRANSPLANTING FERNS  |
| Whether cutting new trail or
widening old, the main plant to be dealt with is the common
sword fern. They are fairly easy to dig up. We preserve
the roots, and give them a new home on the down side of the
trail (keeping feet away from the fragile low edge) or
nearby in the woods, rather than leave them too close to the
trail to be cut back every season. |
| SOIL MINING AND TRANSPORT |
| Not every job requires this,
but when there is too much soil in one spot and not enough
in another, or rocky soil is needed to pave over clay, it's
shovel and bucket time. We use wheelbarrows or small buckets so folks
unaccustomed to carrying loads will not try to be heroes and
strain muscles. |
| ROCK COLLECTING |
| Rocks are even better for
building than cedar, so someone may be delegated to comb the
slopes for loose rocks or mine out rocky spots for building
material. During the organics-removal stage, they should be saved in a bucket. |
| STUMP & ROCK REMOVAL |
| Individuals or teams are given
a certain length of trail to work, and those unlucky enough
to get a stump, a huge rock, or a buried, rotted redwood log
on their turf will attract volunteers from other teams who
enjoy a challenge! Chopping, cutting, prying, hauling away
the rotten wood - whatever it takes to clear the corridor
down to mineral soil. Crewleader will generally supervise
to ensure safe tool use. |
| FINISHING A TRAIL |
| The finished trail should be free of trip hazards, brush, and overhead branches. The surface should be even and compact with grade (up and down) reasonable and slope (across the trail) very slightly downhill to allow water to run off easily. Loose roots should be clipped from the surface, and ferns or "uglies" (rock, stump, log) placed to deflect hikers from the fragile downhill edge, and prevent overshooting curves or cutting switchbacks. Moderate step-over logs can be left across the trail to create a natural look or to discourage wheeled vehicles. |
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