Volunteers needed to fix Little Si trail
March 24, 2009
By Laura Geggel
The raw elements of Mother Nature and determined hikers slam Little Si every winter.
Snow falls on the mountain and hikers pack it down on their way to the top. The packed snow turns to ice, making the trail hazardous.
“People don’t want to hike on ice, so they hike next to the trail,” said Mike Stenger, trails program manager for Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust.
When people walk above the trail, they damage the vegetation and loosen the soil, causing it to erode and narrow the trail. People hiking on the trail’s downside collapse the edge and also cause erosion.
Constant rain and snow sweeping away soil wear on the trails, as well.
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is battling this erosion with a renovation project. People who volunteer with the trust will build rock structures, including turnpikes, steps and walls to prevent erosion on this popular hiking trail.
The four-week project began March 21 and continues March 28, April 4 and April 11. Each day lasts from 9 a.m. — 3 p.m. with the Little Si trailhead as a meeting place. To register, visit www.mtsgreenway.org, e-mail volunteer@mtsgreenway.org or call 206-812-0122.
Volunteers should bring a sack lunch and wear long pants, rain gear and hiking boots. The trust will provide them with gloves, hardhats, tools and training. All volunteers must be 14 or older. Minors should bring a form with a guardian’s signature or accompany their parent.
To find the trailhead, turn left at Interstate-90 exit 31, turn right on North Bend Way and turn left on Mount Si Road. Little Si is part of the Mount Si Natural Resource Conservation Area, an area managed by the Department of Natural Resources.
The trust’s Volunteer Program Coordinator Margaret Ullman encouraged both new and experienced volunteers to help with the project. Volunteers will work alongside the Washington Conservation Corps, which is an association of the Department of Natural Resources.
“This is a continuation of last year’s work on renovating the trail system on Little Si,” Ullman said. “For people who use the trails, it’s a great way to give back to the trail system.”
Volunteers will use nearby rocks to supply the renovation efforts.
“Some will be rocks one person can carry and some will be rocks three people will have to carry,” Ullman said.
Little Si may be adjacent to downtown North Bend, but hikers enjoy its rustic, outdoorsy feel.
“It gets to a really great viewpoint in a short distance of under 2.5 miles, but it’s also a rough and rugged trail. It covers a lot of very rocky terrain,” Stenger said. Even though you’re close in to home and the highway, you get a sense of the trail being a mountain trail experience.”
The next Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust project will take place June 6 for National Trails Day. People interested in organizing their own work parties should e-mail volunteer@mtsgreenway.org. Ullman said companies like Microsoft and Boeing frequently take part in mid-week work crews.
“I am so excited for this project. It is going to be a fun experience for people new to trail work and to veterans,” Ullman said. “It’s a good way to give back to the trail system and I’m sure that many hikers would be interested in giving back to its restoration.”
Comments
Got something to say?
