BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR BEGINNERS

"Trail Taming Techniques" classes recognized by Austin American-Statesman

Saturday, December 10, 2005
"BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR BEGINNERS"

Group that builds, maintains trails in parks also trains home gardeners to create paths through their landscapes.

Winter is a great time to ponder building a path in the Central Texas landscape. The pondering part is important, especially in an erosion-prone region where a gullywasher can quickly obliterate a poorly planned trail you've worked so hard to build.

Enter Central Texas Trail Tamers, a group that has built and/or maintained trails in state parks and other public places in Texas, Wyoming, California and Mexico. The organization now offers lectures and hands-on workshops for those who would like to move past the pondering process, but aren't sure how.

"This trail-building stuff is not rocket science; it's just sort of a lost art," says trail tamer Dave DeGroot. "To be sustainable, you need to think quite a bit before you start digging up the earth."

True, you might not need that much expertise if your plan involves laying stepping stones in a small backyard. But plenty of people with Hill Country ranchettes, and urban dwellers who want to make their large lots or steep hillsides more inviting, could benefit from the wisdom acquired by these trailblazing experts.

DeGroot recently led about a dozen people through a recent Friday night class and Saturday trail-building excursion at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.

The first lesson: Study the land and the creatures that inhabit it; then plot a design that connects the entire habitat instead of chopping it up into disparate pieces, DeGroot said.

While a field that's naturally clear of trees and fairly level might seem like a logical place to build a trail, it can quickly become overgrown, he said. On hillsides, trails that zigzag (switchback) tend to wash out less than those that head straight down.

Pre-existing trees and vegetation will obviously have an impact on where your trail goes. Most people want to preserve as much natural habitat as they can — and if you share living quarters with an endangered species such as the golden-cheeked warbler, it might even be illegal to disturb the tree canopy on your property.

But if you plan to trim trees, DeGroot said it's sometimes better to remove them altogether than to prune haphazardly. He also recommends removing all bushes within one foot of either side of the trail, including small ones that don't seem like they're in the way. Little bushes become big bushes quickly, and their root systems can disturb the trail as it grows, he said.

Directing water where you want it is another important factor in building trails that will hold up over time in all kinds of weather. In general, the idea is to encourage water to flow across the trail, instead of following its path. If building on a hill, it makes sense to preserve the original drainage of the slope, and to make sure there's someplace lower than the trail for water to go.

DeGroot said you accomplish that by building trenches (two shovels wide) on either side of the trail, by raising the level of the path or doing both. A common mistake that novices make: building trails and trenches that are too narrow. Another big mistake: failing to remove grass or leaves from the trail before piling on surface materials, such as crushed rock, which has a tendency to slide off the loose debris.

"You can't just cheat," said DeGroot, "or you'll be back there next year again."

The hands-on Saturday morning session has several purposes - to move trailbuilding out of the theoretical and into the more strenuous reality for those with paths in their futures; to give the Trail Tamers a shot at attracting new members who will have trailbuilding skills; and to upgrade trails at Wild Basin.

The two-day workshop costs $10, and Central Texas Trail Tamers plans to offer it on the second weekend of each month. E-mail registration information at planning@trailtamers.org or call 394-9998. The group's Web site is www.trailtamers.org.


Tools for building, maintaining trails

Building a trail is a substantial project, and the tools you've acquired for casual piddling in the yard might not hold up to the task. Most of the tools DeGroot recommends -many of them designed to be used in fighting forest fires - are occasionally available locally at home improvement centers or farm and ranch supply companies. They can also be ordered online, he said.

Among his must-have implements: a Pulaski or fire ax for chopping tree roots, a fire rake for removing leaves and other loose materials from the path, and a rock cradle, which allows heavy boulders to be rolled into a net 'cradle' which can then be moved by several people. Find more information on tools at www.americantrails.org.
By Julie Bonnin, Austin American-Statesman

10/8-15/05: Ouachita National Forest, Western Arkansas

October 8-15, 2005
Ouachita National Forest, Western Arkansas - by Steve Baker
The theme for this years Trail Tamers trip to the Ouachita National forest must be, "Sometimes life has other things planned for you." Our trip leader, George Boemerman, did the pre-trip planning and communications but on Saturday, October 8, got a call that he was needed in Virginia due to a family medical emergency. That left Chuck Lundstedt, Terence Donovan, Rocky Nelson, and me. I agreed, earlier in the planning, to carry the kitchen tent and cooking gear. We had the necessities to make our camp, but we knew we would miss "Boemer".

Our Forest Service contact, Paul Tankersley, arranged for us to stay in the Queen Wilhelmina State Park that is within the Ouachita National Forest. We were assigned to the "overflow" camping area that turned out to be a large, beautifully manicured lawn across the access road from the RV campsites. We were within twenty yards of the exceptionally clean bathhouse with easy access to electricity and water. The views were excellent and one of the nicest car camping environments one could ask for. The park also has a lodge with a very nice restaurant which we visited our final evening in camp.

We arrived Sunday afternoon and set up camp. Later that day our Forest Service trail crew leader, Tom, stopped by to fill out paperwork and coordinate for the weeks work. We agreed that he would meet us at camp Monday morning at 0700 and we would drive to the first work site that was about 10 miles east of the park.

Tom arrived at 0630 Monday morning and we were on the road by 0645. We parked at the Foran Gap trailhead, gathered our tools and hiked in just over a mile to the first project planned for us; a 200 yard long reroute of the Ouachita Trail. Tom had flagged the route but everything from brushing the line to final tread cutting needed to be done. We soon discovered that the predominant flora in the area is poison ivy so long sleeves were necessary. Rocky knew himself to be prone to ivy reaction; the rest of us would find out later in the week. We worked steadily all day and had the majority of the reroute cut by that evening but would require half a day on Tuesday to haul dirt from the back slopes to fill in tread over rocky areas. On the way back to camp, we went through Mena, AR to stop at the Wal-Mart and buy additional long sleeve shirts and hydrocortisone ointment.

Tuesday we returned to complete the previous days work and had it done by lunch. Tom had to work elsewhere but had flagged out sections of the trail for about a mile further in that needed water bars and re-tread work. We hiked in to the end of the marked area and began work on those sections. Due to the remoteness of the area, we were able to cache our tools and didn’t have to carry them in and out each day.

By Wednesday morning both Rocky and Terence were showing signs of poison ivy contact on their arms, in spite of wearing long sleeves, but neither complained or missed a beat of work. Chuck and I never did have any reaction. Wednesday and the first half of Thursday were similar work in the same area; re-treading sloughed in sections of the trail, building water bars and reinforcing drainage crossing. The final total for that section was 200 yards of new trail, 6 water bars, two reinforced drainage crossings and almost two miles of restored trail.

Thursday afternoon we relocated to another section of the O.T. closer to Queen Wilhelmina. This section was steep and rocky with some badly eroded areas. Tom marked the location of many needed water bars and areas that needed to be repaired. We completed several water bars but decided to knock off an hour early; we came out about 3:30 PM.

Traditionally on these trips, Friday has been an off day but Chuck, Terence and I decided to work at least part of the day. Rocky said it was "time to see his bride" and left Friday morning. The remainder of us worked until about 1:30 PM having completed an additional 10 water bars, one drainage crossing and more retread bringing the trip total up to almost 3 miles of trail worked in 140.5 man hours. We returned to camp to load up the kitchen tent and gear. We treated ourselves to a restaurant meal at the lodge that evening, a nice buffet.

Paul and Tom came by the camp Friday evening to thank us for the work and indicated we would be welcome to return.

This is an excellent venue for those wanting to do some badly needed, serious trail work but still like a shower in the evening. Try to include it in your plans for next year.

9/17-25/05: Pacific Crest Trail, Inyo National Forest, CA

September 17-25, 2005
Pacific Crest Trail, Inyo National Forest, California - by Pat Dixon
While folks back in Austin, Texas were cooking at 108 degrees, the Trail Tamers volunteer crew camped at 9,000 ft elevation with highs in the mid 80s in the beautiful Ansel Adams Wilderness on the Pacific Crest Trail near Mammoth Mountain, California. We had a great crew and everyone had a great time enjoying each other’s company.

The work consisted of some re-routing of the trail, improved water crossings, building structures to protect against water erosion, and some brush removal along the trail. The work went quickly and results were noticed. Steve Baker gets the award for moving the biggest rock of the week. The forest service personnel were very impressed with our expertise and ability to do quality work. We really enjoyed working with them, as their approach to trail work was complimentary to our techniques. We had many requests to return again next year.


The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) volunteers were led by Campy Campenhausen, who was an excellent cook. PCTA provided all the food and cooking for the week. We were very well fed and looked forward to second helpings at each meal. The PCTA volunteers were a great bunch and we really enjoyed working with them and sharing a few laughs around the campfire.

The setting was wonderful. Beautiful sights surrounded us. We had time to do our own excursions to further explore the area, which we took advantage of.

Some of our crew travelled on their own by car, while others flew in Reno, NV and we car-pooled with a rental car. The drive from Reno into Mammoth Mountain, CA is very pleasant. The town of Mammoth Mountain is very nice and there is a lot to choose from for restaurants and shopping.


It was a great trip, and we all are looking forward to another go next year!

8/27-9/5/05: Rocky Mountain National Park

August 27-September 5, 2005
Rocky Mountain National Park, Co - by Philip Russell
Thirty log checks, two log drains, 88 square feet of rock wall trail foundation and 107 linear feet of trail four feet wide completed in 226 work hours. Not bad for a small group of Trail Tamers working on the Ypsilon Lake trail in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).

Steve Baker was chief executive officer and logistics sergeant before, during and after the trip. He attended to all details and was a highly effective ramrod for the operation. Jerome Collins distinguished himself by recruiting John Shanks, a retired chef, restaurateur and caterer, as a camp cook. Bo Bosarge was the only veteran of previous Central Texas Trail Tamers (CTTT) trips to RMNP, having gone twice before. Martha Davies, rock wall expert; June Griffith, attorney and Texas Outdoors Woman Network (TOWN) member from McKinney; Jane Moss, digital photographer from Wimberley and also a TOWN member, and John Yarber of Austin made up the crew.



We left promptly at 7am on Saturday and drove to Raton, NM the first day. Steve and John Shanks left early the next morning for RMNP to set up the camp ahead of the van crew who did some sightseeing, including black bear, big horn sheep and Garden of the Gods. We arrived mid afternoon to a spaghetti supper and met Jane Moss who had arrived earlier. Shawn Wigley, RMNP trail crew chief, met us with a load of firewood and laid out plans for the Ypsilon Trail project.

Monday morning, Steve, Bo, Jerome, Martha, and John Yarber met the trail crew at the Lawn Lake trailhead and toted tools up to the worksite. Our cook stayed behind to buy groceries and organize the cook tent and bear boxes. June and Jane used the day to acclimate to the 8500 ft. altitude. The Trail Tamers huffed and puffed behind four RMNP trail crew (Shawn, Kevin, Tate, and Aggie) going up the switchbacks to the Roaring River gorge where the temperature dropped and the trail grade became gentler. We crossed the river on a wood footbridge and arrived at the base of the trail project. The hardest part of the day was over. We were at about 9,300 ft. on the west side of Roaring River at the foot of the Ypsilon Lake Trail.

The first day was used to talk safety and gather materials. “Gathering materials” meant Rocky Mountain bowling...rolling boulders down a 45 degree slope toward a log barrier just uphill from the trail. Prying large rocks out of deep duff and powdery dirt, yelling “Rock!” and rolling them downhill was fun. We posted lookouts to warn us when hikers came along. We tore out the old rotten check logs, measured and calculated runs and rises in four sections starting from the bottom, designing for both hikers and horses. Two lunch breaks and a nap later, we were headed back down the trail to a supper of grilled chicken, green beans, salad and garlic bread. The day was colored by a lost hiker up the way from us.

Tuesday, we had a full crew of Trail Tamers, but the four park service crew members left us for search and rescue duty. We listened to helicopters overhead all day as they flew up and down the Roaring River. We built rock foundations for the downhill side of the trail, measured and placed treated 4x8 log risers. We secured the logs with large rocks locked into place with some gravity.

Wednesday, Shawn and his trail crew were back. With more hands, the work went faster despite some re-design setbacks. That afternoon, we heard on the rangers’ radio that the lost hiker was found, safe and sound.

Thursday, work went well with all hands on board, until a smashed finger pulled Jerome and Steve off the project in the afternoon. By Friday, we had completed all but 10 feet of trail, crushing rock into the pads and filling with saved dirt (No borrow pits!). The park crew and their families came for dinner of leftovers and brought brownies, ice cream, children and dogs. Dave Larsen, Trail Maintenance Supervisor for RMNP gave us a certificate of appreciation.

Saturday was a free day, with most of us letting Steve and John Shanks break the camp while we went up over the continental divide in the van, took pictures of marmots, ate lunch by a beautiful alpine lake, and hiked. That evening we all enjoyed a sumptuous Szechuan and Mandarin style dinner in Estes Park. We filled the van with $3.199 gasoline.

We left Sunday morning at 7:40 a.m. and arrived about 7:40 p.m. in Lubbock. Eager to get back to Austin, we left about 6 a.m. Monday, Labor Day, to arrive in Austin about 1:30 p.m.

8/2-6/05: Monument Hill/Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites

August 2-6, 2005
Monument Hill/Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites-LaGrange, TX - by Lynda DeGroot
A handful of Trail Tamers, some Friends of MH/KB, a few Texas Parks & Wildlife staff from Government Canyon in San Antonio, and a couple of Master Naturalists from the area came together during the first week of August to help the Trail Docs put in a new hiking trail connecting these small but scenic historic sites.

The tall and impressive monument, dedicated to a group of soldiers from the area that were captured and killed by Santa Anna in the 1800s, is situated on one of the highest hills overlooking the Colorado River in LaGrange, TX.

Next to it, in a deep ravine, are the ruins of a former brewery that was built by a German stonemason. Many features of the brewery are amazing, including the stonework itself, but I was intrigued by channels running under the stone floor, and square openings where the wall met the floor, which was part of a cooling system using cold spring water that flowed from several springs in the ravine. This is a beautiful place for a picnic or to spend some time hiking, exploring and learning some interesting history.

The weather was not as hot as it could have been (did I say the Trail Tamers NEVER work on trails in Texas during the summer?!?), and the trail was completed by Saturday afternoon. It’s a fine looking trail with rock steps, several switchbacks, and sections of cedar rail fence.

Park Ranger Dale Martin, who was out there with everyone else grubbing in the dirt, was really quite impressed with the work done by our small band of volunteers. He’s hoping to see more Trail Tamers during the first week of October when they anticipate finishing another new trail. (The weather ought to be perfect by then!) That project will run from Tuesday, October 4 through Saturday, October 8. As an added treat, he’ll show you the best places to eat in LaGrange and will even throw in some tidbits about the area’s fascinating history for free!

6/4/05: National Trails Day at Bright Leaf

June 4, 2005
National Trails Day at Bright Leaf State National Area - by Dave De Groot
As with the past several years, CTTT participated in a National Trails Day event. The NTD program was originated by the American Hiking Society and is held on the first Saturday in June each year.

This year’s Austin event at Bright Leaf State Natural Area was sponsored by CTTT, the Friends of Bright Leaf, and REI. The Friends of Bright Leaf organized interpretive hikes at the 216 acre future-park located near Mount Bonnell in Austin. CTTT members staffed demonstration stations and discussed trail maintenance with hikers as they passed by. REI provided some nice giveaways and everyone got goodies from Upper Crust Bakery and Whole Foods - YUM.

Left: Pat Dixon and Debbie Galloway discussing trail maintenance techniques with a hiker on National Trials Day

2/19-21/05: Bustamante Cave Trail, Mexico

February 19-21, 2005
Bustamante Cave Trail, Mexico - by Philip Russell

Bustamante is a charming little Mexican town, founded in the 1600s, just 90 miles south of Laredo. It's pinning its future on ecotourism. The centerpiece of its ecotourism is a magnificent cave on a steep mountain slope. To facilitate access to the cave, a seven-person CTTT crew worked on the trail to the cave over President's Day Weekend.

This was the fifth trip to Bustamante to survey and then re-route the trail up a steep, rocky slope. Working there is a challenge due to the steep slope, many rocks and little dirt, and the thorns on the desert plants. The crew replaced a steep scramble over bare rocks with two switchbacks. The two switchbacks connect to the much longer stretch of trail that had already been rerouted. The Trail Tamer effort was part of a much larger project to enhance the cave. This effort was coordinated by the Texas Speleological Society, which arranged a hike in a mountain canyon as well as a banquet for the 121 participants in the patio of the hotel where we stayed. As with most trail projects, there is still work to be done. These projects are an annual event, so if you like rocks and would enjoy a visit to a charming little town, come on down with us next year.

2/19-21/05: Davy Crockett National Forest, Texas

February 19-21, 2005
Davy Crockett National Forest, Texas - by George Boemerman
On Thursday 17 February, George Boemerman, David Justice, Steve Baker, and Rocky Nelson rendezvoused at Davy Crockett N.F. and planned the weekend schedule with Forest reps Merlinda Schory and Pearlie Greene. Yes, Pearlie's back from her tour of duty with the Army Reserves where she had an assignment readying personnel prior to deployment to Iraq, and she had been promoted to Master Sergeant!

Early Friday morning Ray Fore and Chuck Lundstedt arrived and off we went to saw bridge lumber and pre-position it for the weekend tasks. In the meantime, we were able to repair two bridges that had been damaged due to heavy rainfalls. On Friday evening Mitch Drummond, Terence Donovan, and Mary Zeitler arrived. We had set up our campsite at the overflow area to take advantage of the large covered pavilion in case of the forecasted rain. Fortunately, the weekend weather ended up perfect for working.

Early Saturday morning, Jim Pendergast and Randy Rogers arrived in time to start our major work projects. We split up into three crews to spread the work more efficiently. As usual, Ray Fore and Rocky Nelson provided the technical expertise. For those who are not familiar with it, the Davy Crockett work is quite different from our regular trail work. There are no rocks to manipulate, no water bars, just big heavy timbered trail bridges to repair. Three bridges were repaired that day. Saturday night, we had our usual Davy Crockett group feast. Rocky Nelson fried up a delicious turkey, Ray Fore made the coleslaw, and Pearlie boiled the cobs of corn. Mary Zeitler provided her sinful chocolate chip cookies and Merlinda forced her Mississippi Mud Pie on us. Rocky was overheard saying, "I can't believe I ate three pieces".



Sunday, after groaning over all the food we devoured, we headed out to the trails again. Merlinda took one crew and worked in the immediate area, while Pearlie took another crew up to the north end of the Forest (about 30 miles). Merlinda's crew, headed by Ray Fore, ran into some problems. They found the bridge decayed beyond repair and they proceeded with a complete rebuild.

Pearlie’s crew, headed by Rocky Nelson, was confronted with moving and repairing a bridge that had slipped off it base due to rains. The bridge was built on 12X12 railroad timbers and it was a good thing we brought along the tractor. There was some heavy timber cutting to do and the Forest's chain saw broke down. However Randy Rogers saved the day with his trusty chain saw. He never leaves home without it!

Sunday night, we were all exhausted, rightfully. We had completed major repairs on 7 bridges and had completely rebuilt another, and the rebuild involved a span over 40 feet. We provided Davy Crockett National Forest with 226 man-hours of heavy and technical work. Merlinda Schory stated that the Forest could not maintain the trail bridges at an acceptable level without the yearly volunteer work provided by the Central Texas Trail Tamers. Since Monday was a holiday for the Forest personnel, we packed up early and headed home.

2/5/05: Bamberger Ranch Preserve, Texas

February 5, 2005
Bamberger Ranch Preserve, Texas - by Lynda DeGroot

After hearing that our work day was predicted to see a 70% chance of rain, what was supposed to be a large group of 15 ended up being myself and 3 other fairly new Trail Tamers who dared the weather to keep us at home! Even though the sky was black over Austin and there was a magnificent double rainbow with the most intense colors I’ve ever seen arching way up in the sky over Hwy 290 west, as I approached the intersection of Hwy 281 the sky was blue with a few puffy clouds over the Bamberger Ranch Preserve. It turns out the rain stayed away from where we were until about 4pm...just as we finished our last project and were starting to look at another!

The four of us began our day by cleaning up the trail to J. David Bamberger’s chiroptorium or man-made bat cave. After removing lots of overgrown weeds and trimming back low-hanging limbs, we moved on to the Turkey Hollow trail which the Trail Tamers had built in 2004. We were given the task of putting in stepping stones and steps to reroute a section of trail that crossed the creek. It seems that a HUGE rock slab that had been placed across the creek to serve as a bridge had been broken in two by a flash flood in earlier months. While Mr. Bamberger & his employee, Steven Fulton, plus Trail Tamers C.R.Thomas and Steve Williams struggled to move pieces of the slab and other huge rocks for use as stepping-stones, we ladies (Tita Owre and me) were busy finding & moving our own large rocks that we carefully positioned as steps.

When the work was declared done by Mr. Bamberger, we moved on to a third project, but a light rain finally began to fall. So, instead, we headed to Hes’ Country Store where we were treated to some fine tamales, beans, chips & salsa along with a lot of praise from Mr. Bamberger for a job well done!

1/22/05: Blunn Creek Nature Preserve

January 22, 2005
Blunn Creek Nature Preserve - by Bill Kemp

On January 22, 2005 CTTT had a workday at the Blunn Creek Nature Preserve from 9 am to 4:15 pm. Those attending were Margaret Hill, Kirsti Harms, Charles Wortz, Mark Henneke, Roger Myers, Paul Johnson, Terence Donovan, George Mading, Betty Mading, Jerome Collins, Debbie Galloway and Bill Kemp. Rene' Barrera of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department directed our efforts. Our primary focus was building rock steps and check dams along a rather steep section of the trail from the lookout down to the creek. We also constructed a rock drainage structure at a lower section of the trail. We completed most of the work needed on the east side of Blunn Creek.

During our break, Rene' took us on a tour of the park, showing us a spring he has restored, fossils along the trails and large live oak and persimmon trees. We had barbeque for lunch, thanks to a grant from REI. We will return to Blunn Creek on February 26 to focus on trails on the west side of the creek.