Back Country Land Trust Program and Outreach Director Jon Green looked down the line of volunteers stretched along a Wright’s field trail on Sunday morning.
“This is the single largest volunteer crowd I’ve ever seen out here,” Green said.
Green explained that the project of the morning was to transform the worn pathway descending downhill and then back up to a tree-filled crest into a legitimate trail.
“There was old road grade that had been plowed in, then years of abuse with dirt-bikes and hikers. I went poking around and even found some old asphalt leading that probably dates back decades. There was an old house back there that burnt down in the 1970s and I suspect the old road ran toward their property,” Green said.
To revitalize the trailway, Green had volunteers loosen the lumpy damage caused by irregular wear and tear on the approximately five foot-wide trail, then tamp the clumpy earth back down into a walkable section. They also created a drainage path for running water to flow beside the trail to prevent future erosion.
Mountain biker and SDMBA Trails Coordinator Ben Stone said the morning was a success and the grouping of the different organizations was a good combination.
“This was really a great coordinated effort to improve the stewardship of Wright’s field with Back Country Land Trust, San Diego Mountain Biking Association, REI and local trail users,” Stone said.