Written by Dan Werle, Hagg Lake LST
“Small, but mighty!”
NWTA has hundreds of volunteers, but sometimes it’s a small but mighty group that dedicates themselves to technical trail work projects. Iit was most applicable for the NWTA Hagg Lake Work Party on Saturday, December 7th, 2024. This was a make-up work day, in place of the event postponed from November 23rd. While other area trail crews were busy working at Klootchy Creek, Sandy Ridge, and Rocky Point; five committed volunteers made their way to Gaston in an effort to continue constructing a re-route on an area of the Hagg Lake loop trail that washed out earlier this spring.
Overcast skies and misty, cool conditions welcomed us to the day. Our crew leads, Addison Wardwell and Bob Carey, were instrumental in helping with the design and construction of a new trail between section 32 (Cedar Grove) and 33 (Woodpecker) along a steeply-pitched hill, as well as the creation of a beautiful new rock turnpike that will help improve the drainage and aesthetics of the trail. By day’s end, Addison, Bob, Justin, Mark, Dan, and Park Ranger Sean Little were able to make a first-pass full-bench over greater than half of the planned re-route, and finished the aforementioned turnpike — a new crown jewel in the trail loop!
Special thanks go out to the Washington County Parks staff who helped clear trees, debark logs, remove vegetation, and purchase, supply, and move materials for the project. Additional high-fives go out to the residents of the nearby juvenile detention center who were instrumental in moving materials and clearing thick, sticky, mucky organic material from the north end of the trail section.
Our next work party is scheduled on December 21st, 2024 from 9 AM – 3 PM. We’re planning to carry the momentum forward with our bench work, potentially creating and installing a wooden crib wall along the new trail, and constructing a switchback and supporting retaining wall on the south end of the trail section.
