Shovels up! Grooming hiking trails is a good deed and a good workout

While shoveling scoop after scoop filled with rocks, you wonder why anyone pays money to work out. If you want to do some heavy lifting, the good folks at the Washington Trails Association would be thrilled to have you. They’ll put you through the trail-work grinder for free — rain, cold or shine.

Twenty-plus volunteers, from kids on up, arrived on a Sunday at Tiger Mountain in Issaquah to work on one of the most heavily used trails in the country. Everyone was a hiker interested in giving back to an organization that puts incredible time and resources into maintaining the state’s trails.

You might help dig a trench under a slope that seeps water onto the trail. Trails are not supposed to be muddy. Shoveling dirt can be fun, though it may seem weird at first to dig into trails you usually take care to preserve. Underneath the dirt is heavier muck.

You will use grub hoes, shovels and other big tools to dig out rocks, either tossing them down the hill or filling in other trenches. You will be amazed how much a few volunteers could do in one day.

Read full story…

 

The following are paid links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.