[pct-l] Maintenance

[radney@ix.netcom.com]

>Has anyone done it? On the PCT?  I've been thinking about possibly
>spending a couple of weekends or maybe a week doing some trail maintenance 
work with a group somewhere, most likely either the PCT or the Colorado 
Trail. Anyone have any suggestions for connecting up with any trail 
maintenance groups for the PCT? 

Call the PCTA at their toll free # 1-888-PCTRAIL and they will hook you up 
with someone in an area you would like to work in.  You could also e- mail 
Pete Fish, the Regional Coordinator for Southern California trail 
maintenance at    <102142.3414@compuserve.com>.  Pete and his coordinators 
will gladly put you to work, it is a wonderful experience!  

>Also would appreciate hearing stories about trail maintenance
>you've done -- especially, how hard is it and how much flexibility is
>there for physical ... eh... deficiencies (I have arthritis in my foot --
>sometimes it hardly bothers me, sometimes I can barely walk...).
>

Last year Walt and I scheduled some time to help do maintenance work during 
the weekend that Trail Days was held in Agua Dulce.  We came back with a 
special feeling of belonging and joy about volunteering, even feel like we 
had adopted a part of the PCT from Vasquez Rocks to Agua Dulce . Any type of 
trail maintenance is needed Karen.  The PCTA provided all the tools and even 
some work gloves.  Some of the tools they used were; shovels, shrub/vine 
clippers, rakes, chain saws, tree clippers (tall ones), and a special trail 
tool with a rake/hoe combintaion on a long handle - I think they called it 
an adyx (?). You can tell the coordinator what your limitations are I am 
sure they will have a variety of jobs you could choose from.  I would 
recommend helping out to anyone else who would be willing to take a couple 
of days off the trail to do so -- there is a unique bonding that transpires 
between us and the trail as we were working -- we got a gained a different 
perspecitve of the trail and all the people who support it and how much work 
it really does take to protect and maintaine it. 

There must have been 50-60 people at Vasquez Rocks that morning.  The canyon  
parking area had lots of cars, trucks and horse van.  Four of us had spent 
the night at the campground the night before.  The after sunrise was a 
beautiful pink and mauve and a gentle breeze was blowing.  After a breakfast 
of Cream of Wheat and Instant Oatmeal, Walt and I hiked into the canyon to 
the area where the coordinators were. After being assigned an area to work 
in we were give snippers and an "Adyz" and told to follow the Ranger to help 
cut back shrub and widen the trail.  We hiked about 15 minutes, making 
several creek crossings and taking the trail through a heavily Poison Oak 
covered trail.  There were about 7 people working here trying to get rid of 
the Poison Oak, the goat included! On our way back it was miraculous at 
how different the trail was -- no more Poison Oak and the trail was clearly 
descernable!  After we reached our assigned area, we set to work. Walt used 
the "adyx," to widen the trail and I used clippers to cut back the shrubs 
and vines.  We worked together for about 2 hours and then with 4 others to 
widen the trail as it passed under the bridge.  Our friends were further up 
on a hillside grading the trail so some of the switchbacks wouldn't be so 
steep.  It was hard work, but we could work at our own pace and were given 
gatorade and lots of words of encouragement and praise from time to time.   
I know that everytime we hike that section of the trail we will remember 
what it looked like before we started and after we finished.

Hope you will have an opportunity to do some PCT maintenance Karen,  it 
meant a great deal to us to have given back just a little bit from all that 
we have received along the way.

Happy Trails --- Pat 



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