Summer Fun
By Rodney J. Auth
My dog, Snickerdoodle, hung his head out the window occasionally getting spooked by brush and branches scraping the side of the truck as the logging “roads” we travelled wound and narrowed and climbed. Eventually, we rounded one last bend and saw the trucks and excavators parked near an open meadow. The view behind those trucks was breathtaking—one of those stop the truck, take a second and drink in the beauty moments.
Eventually, I parked, got out of the truck, grabbed my cameras and followed Snickerdoodle up the fresh hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding trail the crew was building—guided by the sound of an excavator. I was there to interview and film the crew building the trail for an upcoming story.
Jonathan, the excavator operator, shut off the machine when he saw us, climbed down and began showing us what he was doing. He was using an excavator with a special bucket that rotated 360 degrees to shape and polish the trail. He was actually the second person in a chain of three. The first one, down the mountain somewhere was operating a Kubota backhoe, following a GPS track and orange flagging to rough in the trail. Up the mountain, a group of two were working to put the finishing touches on the trail, removing roots, raking out the dirt, and generally leaving it ready to ride.
© Can Stock Photo / nevarpp
When I finished filming and interviews, I followed Snickers back down the trail to the truck. As we walked, I marveled at the skill of the folks I had just spoken with and their passion for creating trails. As Jesse, the Kubota driver mentioned, “It’s really rewarding to build something folks will use and enjoy for years to come. I’ve worked on so many of these and they’re always popular, not because I’m awesome at what I do, but because these trails provide access to people to get away from their problems and into nature. It’s really special.”
Agreed.
The power of trails is well known. My hope for you is that you get to spend some time each week enjoying the trails you manage for your community. After all, it’s the perfect summertime activity. Right?
Till next month…
Rodney J. Auth
Publisher
