Yesterday I had the chance to ride with the guys from Rocky Mountain ATV. I first spoke with these guys when they approached the Forest Service this spring with an interest in the Adopt-A-Trail program. Since that first chat a few weeks ago, their group has cleared all trails of fallen trees in Payson canyon except for the few that our Forest Service crew took care of. In my 4 summers with the Forest Service, this is the most dedicated volunteer group I have worked with. These guys ride every Thursday and cover an incredible amount of trail. They have fashioned their bikes to hold pruners, shovels, picks and saws and are able to touch up trouble spots and move on in no time. The amount of time and money this work saves the Forest Service and our crew is enormous. At one point they were able to orient some lost hikers and offered their water and any other assistance they could. These guys represent my ultimate vision of what trails should be about. When trail users take ownership of their trails there is less vandalism, less irresponsible trail use, better signing, and more safety on the trail not to mention the money it saves in tax dollars. I have seen this happen with a number of trails such as the Bonneville Shoreline trail. When users take ownership in a trail, it improves greatly. Thanks to these guys for the work they do.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Rocky Mountain ATV & Co.
Yesterday I had the chance to ride with the guys from Rocky Mountain ATV. I first spoke with these guys when they approached the Forest Service this spring with an interest in the Adopt-A-Trail program. Since that first chat a few weeks ago, their group has cleared all trails of fallen trees in Payson canyon except for the few that our Forest Service crew took care of. In my 4 summers with the Forest Service, this is the most dedicated volunteer group I have worked with. These guys ride every Thursday and cover an incredible amount of trail. They have fashioned their bikes to hold pruners, shovels, picks and saws and are able to touch up trouble spots and move on in no time. The amount of time and money this work saves the Forest Service and our crew is enormous. At one point they were able to orient some lost hikers and offered their water and any other assistance they could. These guys represent my ultimate vision of what trails should be about. When trail users take ownership of their trails there is less vandalism, less irresponsible trail use, better signing, and more safety on the trail not to mention the money it saves in tax dollars. I have seen this happen with a number of trails such as the Bonneville Shoreline trail. When users take ownership in a trail, it improves greatly. Thanks to these guys for the work they do.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
That is awesome! I know I appreciate clean trails that are clearly marked. My 10 1/2 yr old son just joined a Boy Scout Troop and we are helping him work on his hiking merit badge. We enjoyed our hike to Silver Lake today. I just wish people cared about the signs, There were plenty of signs prohibiting fires but we found many fire rings on our hike. We take the time to re-emphasize to the kids that WE follow the rules and WE practice Leave No Trace.
ReplyDelete