“To get dirt under your nails, you have to touch the world”
It was a cool and misty morning when our group of 10 met up at the Snoqualmie Lake trailhead to join a larger crew for some trailwork with the Washington Trails Association - perfect weather for working outdoors. After reading Dirt Work, Christine Byl's memoir about her 16 years working in trail maintenance, I could think of nothing better than hitting the trail for some dirt work of our own. I was beyond excited that so many other women from Alpine Trails Book Club agreed, and chose to spend a Saturday volunteering for hard work in the woods. Several in our group were even out for their first time!
After some quick introductions, we headed up the trail to our work site for the day. Our main projects for the day were cutting back and digging out brush (mostly salmonberries), popping rocks out of the trail, and repairing drainage to help keep the trail mud free. Many of the salmonberries were loaded with ripe berries, so obviously some snacking was necessary. It would've been a horrible thing to waste such delicious berries!
While we were spread out as a group, we worked together in clusters, and between good conversation and delicious snacks, the day flew by. After a morning of brushing, I spent the hours following lunch clearing out blocked drainage - a satisfying way to end a day of trail work. As we hiked back to the trailhead, the clouds that had threatened rain all morning finally burst, and a light drizzle turned into a heavy downpour as we reached the trailhead. Even rain couldn't dampen our spirits, and we lingered at our cars, but eventually it was time to head home.
Me doing some rock popping! 📷: Ingunn
