It has been awhile since my last trail maintenance with WTA so I signed up to work on the John Tursi Trail in March. We met Saturday morning at Sharpe Montgomery Park on Fidalgo and then car pooled to the end of Ginette Road, passing through the gate for authorized vehicles only and parking on top of the cement slab of a former home. I stood on top of that slab a few weeks earlier when I had hiked the Tursi Trail. Now I am back to make my own contribution to the trail.
We are a diverse group of old and young. The youngest is around seven and this is his 10th trail maintenance project. He goes with his grandma who has done more than 50 projects.
The goal for the day is to level tread and spread dirt on the path. Several large rocks are moved to build retaining walls. I spend most of the day hauling buckets of dirt, spreading it out and tamping it down.
A barrow pit provides the dirt. A sling system slides the buckets of dirt down to the trail where they are detached and I haul and dump them.
At 2:30 we hike a mile to our cars, carrying tools and empty buckets. I am tired and a bit sore but the satisfaction I feel at seeing my beautiful section of trail is immense. There is another trail maintenance party in April and I will probably be back to help again. There is still a lot of trail to be built before the trail will be opened.
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