The tens of thousands of visitors that tread the White Dot Trail up Mt. Monadnock each year probably don’t give much thought to the carefully placed log steps or the rocks that give them a boost to a particularly high ledge. And they probably don’t give much thought to the men and women that dedicate their time and sweat to making sure the trails remain a comfortable climb.
But during the state Forest Society-sponsored Monadnock Trails week, when dozens of volunteers were scattered about the mountain, building bridges over bogs and muddy patches, fixing deteriorating steps and adding new ones, and digging drainage ditches, many hikers paused in their trek to offer thanks.
“I call it the interstate,” joked Lew Shelley of Walpole, who was leading a crew putting in new log steps in the first stretch of the White Dot Trail on Tuesday. “Eighty thousand people a year use this trail. Over time, it’s seen some severe erosion, and we need to slow it down.”
Erosion, he said, is one of the main problems that trail crews face on well-used trails like Monadnock – wearing down the trail, exposing rocks and roots, creating wet spots and mud bogs and resulting in soil compaction, trail widening, trail incision, and resultant soil loss.
That’s why the crews spend some of their time digging ditches, stacking soil up against logs where the water has worn it away, and generally directing water away from the hiking trail.
“Drainage, drainage, drainage,” said Bob Humphrey of Warner, who had been working that morning on digging ditches to divert water from the trail.
“As we say,” said Shelley, “get the water off the trail and the trail out of the water.”
It’s a monumental amount of work, the crew admits.
“We could have a crew here all summer, every summer,” said Steve Junkin of Wolfeboro.
“There is a lifetime of work that needs to be done,” said Shelley. “But it’s a matter of funding and time. Volunteers play such a big role, but volunteers need training. Which is why the trails week is so great. It pulls together a variety of skills to work together.”
The weekend – which actually ran from Friday through Tuesday – allowed volunteers to put in as much time as they were willing to build bog bridging, stone staircases, cleaning and constructing new waterbars and clearing nature trails.
Many of the volunteers that turn out are affiliated with the state forest society – members or employees who know that these efforts not only make hiking easier but help to direct water and ensure the long life of the trail.
“You get an appreciation for the fact that despite a full weekend of volunteers working hard, only a tiny portion gets done,” said Dave Heuss of East Concord.
But as the saying goes, many hands make light work. If everyone that enjoyed the trails in the area spent a day working to maintain them, trailwork would be a much easier task. The work crew on the White Dot trail encouraged those that want to help to join the state forest society, where the yearly dues go towards funding efforts like trail conservation. And those who want to put int their effort as well as their funds, check local trail maintanence groups and the forest society for trail maintanence weekends to volunteer.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertrancript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.