‘Happy Trails to you…’
By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
Thus begins Roy Rogers’ theme song. The trail around Lake Arrowhead is definitely happier these days, thanks to the efforts of Arrowhead Lake Association members who volunteered to accomplish a number of projects in an effort dubbed Happy Trails.
Two summers ago, ALA member Michelle DiSimone was walking on the trail by North Bay and saw a lot of work that needed to be done to improve it. She remembered that, growing up in Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency would hold twice-yearly trail days.
“I sent an email to the ALA board,” DiSimone said, “asking what if we organized a volunteer day, modeled after the COSCA one. The board loved the idea.”
That following winter, of course, the trail suffered further damage due to Snowmageddon.
Roberta Rindenow finishes filling in the hole that had eroded in the trail. First a piece of cloth was stapled in place and then gravel put down.
Last summer, the first Happy Trails day took place; the second one happened on June 29. About 50 volunteers gathered at four staging areas around the lake and tackled 15 projects, ranging from filling in holes and covering up exposed roots to rebuilding staircases.
Often, DiSimone said, members will call the maintenance department, alerting them to an issue they have spotted on the trail. They keep track of these issues. Some are too big for volunteers to take on; they go on the master plan for a bigger fix.
Both DiSimone and Forester David Kelly walked the lake several times, taking photos of work that needed to be done. At each project area, they posted a flyer with a photo of the problem area and notes on what should be done. Maintenance personnel dropped off the needed supplies prior to that Saturday morning.
Eleven ALA members reported to the Burnt Mill staging area where there were two projects. The first required carting soil up a hill to cover exposed roots and rocks. As one volunteer shoveled dirt onto the affected area, another stamped it down.
The second project was further down the path, which had eroded so the lake was visible through a hole in the path and under a beam that bordered the edge of the trail. Those volunteers first stapled a piece of cloth in place and then put gravel on top of it. They then filled in the hole with dirt. Meanwhile, one volunteer stood in the lake, building up the rock wall beneath the beam.
Once this work was completed, the volunteers looked for other spots in need of some TLC.
Standing in the lake, Valerie Doyle rebuilt the rock wall that had collapsed, leaving a dangerous hole in the trail.
At a second staging area, volunteers replaced several stairs that had rotted. At a third, they removed an unnecessary staircase and added steps to another.
At the fourth area, near Tavern Bay, there were a lot of erosion issues; volunteers covered exposed roots there, making the trail smooth. They did a lot of weed whacking, removing 17 bags of vegetation.
“The maintenance guys did a fabulous job getting the sites ready,” Kelly said. DiSimone agreed, adding they made sure each site had the necessary tools. And there were maintenance personnel at each site, explaining what needed to be done.
“I walk the trail almost every day,” DiSimone said, “and notice things that need to be done.
“I’m glad ALA is on board with this idea. Over the years, I hope it will become more and more of an ALA tradition.”
She encourages members who notice an issue on the trail to take a photo and send it to members@ala-ca.org so the maintenance crew can put it on their list.
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