Trail maintenance is vital

Trail-building is equal parts art and science — and sometimes there’s a bit of luck involved too.

But trail maintenance, on the other hand, is a much simpler undertaking. Most of Stowe’s trails are maintained by volunteers, with all but a few of the most technical projects being handled by everyday trail users.

Being part of the maintenance effort is not only simple, but it requires very little time on your part. Here’s a quick list of ways you can get involved with helping to maintain the trails:

• Before spring has sprung — That time of year when the mountain has closed but the trails are still too wet to ride can be tough, but it’s also an especially important time of year in terms of trail maintenance. Simply walking your favorite trail in the spring with a rake and saw is a great way to get ready for the season ahead.

• Attend a trail workday. Organized trail workdays are a great opportunity to meet some new folks and learn some basic trail-building skills. The Stowe Mountain Bike Club supplies tools at the organized trail workdays and crew leaders can lead small groups in tackling projects that range from bridge-building to rock armoring and new trail construction. The amount of work that can be accomplished by a small motivated crew never ceases to amaze.

• Bring your snippers! Here in the Maple Jungle, the greenery encroaches on the trails at a pretty alarming rate once the temperatures start to migrate upward. Stash a small set of snippers or pruners in your pack on your next ride or trail walk and trim back some of the leaves and branches that inevitably creep into our line of sight on the trails.

• Just say no to trail braiding. Trail braiding is a phenomenon whereby an alternate line or lines develop in the trail, generally around an obstacle. These ride-arounds can lead to widened trail corridors and erosion. So if you see it happening, you can grab some sticks, logs, etc., and cover up the new line to encourage people to stay on the main trail and help preserve the line as it was originally intended to be ridden.

• Blowdowns. Living in the shadow of Vermont’s tallest peak means we’re subject to some pretty severe weather patterns and they inevitably lead to branches and debris on the trail. Clearing smaller stuff is pretty easy and takes only a minute. If you encounter a big tree or branch that warrants a chainsaw and/or multiple people to move it, get in touch with the folks at the Stowe Mountain Bike Club via the website or Facebook page.

• Drain the swamp! Precipitation management is a never-ending battle here in these parts. Thanks to the hard work and planning of some seasoned trail-building veterans, Stowe’s trails are becoming more and more resistant to moisture and precipitation. But there are still some outliers and places where water wants to pool. When you see those places, it’s easy to clear any nearby culverts or diversions that may have been clogged with leaves. That will ensure the water has a place to divert and means the trails recover faster after it rains, snows, sleets, hails....

• Set up a trail workday with your co-workers. Many employers offer paid community-service days. It’s a great way to escape the office for a few hours and go play in the woods — um, that is, it’s a great team-building exercise. Contact the Stowe Mountain Bike Club/Stowe Trails Partnership for more info.

So don’t be afraid to lend a hand in the trail maintenance crusade. Every bit helps. See you on the trails.