by Ed Lawrence, Trail Care Chair
The 2014 Trail Care season ended in November with a return to the Brooks Run Fire Tower Cabin as a base camp for work on the Bucktail Path in Elk State Forest. The old stone fireplace therein crackled throughout the weekend, casting shadows and warmth after sunset, when the temperature dropped, and in the morning, as encouragement to get out of the sleeping bag.
Our friends at Forestry directed the crew to 3 areas along the trail that were in various degrees of overgrowth. The most egregious of these sites was between Hunts Run and Whitehead Roads, where the encroachment of laurel had put a chokehold on sections of the trail.
It is in situations like this when the volunteers, experience, dedication, and tools that the KTA brings to the state’s hiking trail systems truly shine. By deploying 4 people with power brush cutters—seconded by a crew wielding loppers—a vanishing trail corridor can be reestablished by the end of a day of solid work. When the crew walks out, it leaves behind a section of trail newly accessible to all who decide to lace up their boots.
Eight volunteers joined the Bucktail Trail Crew and were led by Rick Hiemenz. After 96 work hours, everyone completed all the task areas that Forestry had on its wish list. The KTA will return to the Bucktail Path in 2015.