On a late September Saturday morning, a bright, unobstructed sun rose over a forest ripe with Autumn, the passing of months churning greens over to yellows, oranges, and reds.  A crew of women dressed in their finest work clothes congregated in the Fowler's Crossing Rail Trail parking lot and sipped from steaming cups of coffee donated by Capisce (the owner of Capisce, Maria, among the crew). You couldn't ask for a better start to the Women's Volunteer Trail Day, a collaboration between BETA and Women of the Adirondacks (WOTA). 

People wrote down their names, signed the necessary risk waivers, and snagged stickers as Kyra explained where we were headed for the day.  We each loaded up on buckets and tools before walking into the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest via Oseetah View Loop.  Past the hitching post, past the split for Ballyhoo, and transitioning from a cool, shaded evergreen forest to a stand of golden-cloaked deciduous trees, we came to the worksite: a series of new switchbacks cut across a steep section of the trail in various states of completion.

The BETA trail crew worked on the switchbacks further up the hill on the other side of the original trail in the days prior to our volunteer day.  Kyra, BETA's Trail Crew Leader and a Board Member of WOTA, used those sections of finished fresh tread to show us what we were aiming to build, a useful frame of reference for a group of folks with trail work experience ranging from "former professional trail builder" to "first timer." 

Kyra showed us how and when to use each tool, noting that the right tool and the right technique is much more powerful than brute force. "We call it digging trail, but it's really a lot more like scraping," she said, wielding a hoe to remove leaf litter and duff (a layer of small roots and partially-decomposed leaves under leaf litter).  Before divvying up the work for the day, Kyra reiterated that she was there to answer questions and help us when we needed it.  She said, "One of the really exciting things about trail work is that is can involve a lot of teamwork."  Right before we dispersed, Kyra let us in on one final surprise, "We'll have a muffin break later," and then, as a bit to an aside and a bit quieter, she continued, "...and they're gluten free." to which Chris exclaimed, "Oh!  Come on!" in the most 'you shouldn't have!' way I've ever heard.  A sense of community can be so strongly fostered by being remembered, being thought of.  With the energizing promise of a future snack break we could all enjoy together, we got to work.

People worked alone or in small groups along the stretch of new trail we hoped to finish that day.  Rachel, Steph, Toni, Krissy, Maddy, Chris, Maria, and Jess struck out with rakes while Louise and Jackie worked together to roll huge logs out of the trail.  Rakes scratched at the earth all around us, a raspy chorus broken by bouts of laughter and greetings of "howdy neighbor!" here and there.  Eventually, rakes switched out for hoes and cutter mattocks to to remove duff and get at bigger roots. Louise enthusiastically cut out lever-stumps one by one as other volunteers exposed and graded mineral soil.  The rough scraping chorus of leaf raking was punctuated further by bassy thunk-thunk-thunks.  

Small orange and brown American toads hopped among the crunchy leaf litter.  Every now and then we unearthed a striped salamander hidden in decomposing logs.  Maddy, originally from Arizona, even saw her first salamander ever.

Our day concluded after a couple hours of sun-dappled work with conversation, admiration for the beautiful fall weather, and mild disgust at finding a dead bug or two at the bottom of Karen's half-full kombucha bottle.  The trail section we had worked on was rideable but not quite "finished" when we called it a day -- Dusty and Kyra returned to fine-tune the tread at a later date before it was considered done. 

Thank you again to every person who generously donated their time, energy, and body to give back to the trails and community we love.  Could not have asked for a better crew.  Hope you get the chance to enjoy the trail with your dog, your daughter, on your own, or with each other.  Until next time...cheers!

Be safe.  Be seen.  Wear blaze orange (and your little dog, too!)

BETA encourages mountain bikers and other trail users to be courteous and respectful of all hunters you meet in the woods or in the parking lot this hunting season (modern rifle season is Oct 26th through Dec 8th). Remember that hunting is a traditional and popular activity on public and private lands in the Adirondacks. Hunting license revenue supports fish and wildlife conservation with millions of dollars annually. Many of our fellow mountain bikers and skiers are hunting this time of year, too.

Wear that blaze orange, friends – dress your pup in orange, too. Consider avoiding riding at dawn or dusk which is prime hunting time, especially during deer season. Above all, use common sense and respect other users and the Forest Preserve lands we share.

PS -- Thanks, Jamie, for a wicked picture showcasing how fun wearing blaze orange can be. We might not have QUITE as much snow as this picture just yet...but it's coming. Be safe, be seen, ride another day. Have an awesome time out there, folks!