Fall trail work season is in full swing on the Catamount Trail, and we couldn’t be happier to get out in the woods and clear trails before the snow starts to fall (soon, we hope!) Of course, all the trimming, lopping, sawing, brushing-out, and scouting that we have going on over the next two months would not be possible without many, many volunteers, including groups that have been helping with the Catamount Trail for years. This past Friday, I had the chance to work with two dozen students from the Missisquoi Valley Union High School National Honors Society.
Members of the NHS group are obliged to participate in six different community service opportunities over the course of the year, getting them out into the community at events ranging from cookie bake-offs to muddy trail work. NHS advisors Dante Napolitano and Eric Gildemeister report that their yearly trail work on CT Section 31, originally organized by Trail Director Amy Kelsey and Trail Chief David Burns, has become one of the most popular service opportunities. This year was no different. As the high schoolers unloaded the bus, grabbed work gloves and tools, and got their instructions for the day, I could feel their energy and enthusiasm to be outside and to get things done.
While one group of students shuttled up to Lucier Farm Road and worked their way downhill on the CT, my group began hiking up from the Jay Country Store. The first challenge we encountered was an enormous fallen log, spanning 15′ across the trail. I would have happily stepped over this waterlogged monster and left it for later chainsawing, but Mr. Napolitano, who teaches Social Studies to ninth graders at Missisquoi, would have none of this. He knew that the students would enjoy the challenge of engineering a way to move the log. Fifteen minutes of elbow grease later, the trail was clear and ready to ski — no power tools needed!
I quickly learned that I was working with a group of problem-solvers, and that no downed tree or fallen limb would go un-cleared. The group would string out up and down the trail to lop and saw, then group together for team efforts. Though none of the students had skied on the CT, their passions for alpine skiing, hiking, and being outside came through as they reveled in the sunny weather and fall colors.
After a few hours of following blazes, we intersected the other group and took a break for lunch and to share stories. Then we made our way back down out of the mountains, thinking (in my case, anyhow) of all the great skiing to be had on Section 31 this coming winter, and relishing in a day well spent.
Many thanks to the MVU NHS students, Eric Gildemeister and Dante Napolitano for leading, and of course David Burns for his work as Trail Chief! If you’re interested in volunteering for trail work, don’t hesitate to contact us, and take a look at our Fall Trail Work schedule for opportunities.
