Skagit Trail Builders

On Saturday, January 25th work on the Pump House Trail resumed. We enjoyed a break in the rain (for a day), so we had great working conditions. We had fun, our eleven (11) volunteers did some really good work.

Pictured above, Art explained what was planned for the session. The gallery shows us grubbing roots, contouring, transplanting ferns and moving rock. We had a wonderful lunch, provided by Leslie and Roger Estep.

After a cancellation, and a light turnout (this session), we need your help to get back on pace. We have two spots open for guest groups this month…

Please join us Saturday, February 8th.

In our first year volunteering on the Northern State Regional Trails Project our group put in one thousand one hundred and seventeen (1,117) volunteer hours.

Together two “Guest Groups” put in two hundred and thirty-nine (239) hours, which was twenty-one (21) percent of 2019’s total volunteer hours.

Cascade Job Corps students and faculty attended five (5) sessions in 2019, volunteering one hundred and sixty-nine (169) hours – making them our “Top Guest Group.”

Skagit Valley College’s Wildland Firefighting Class was our first group in 2019, attending two (2) sessions, and contributing seventy-one (71) volunteer hours. We go way back, they were our first group at Little Mountain – and are scheduled to be our first group this year.

Varsity in Volunteerism (VIV), or Youth United, is also on our schedule. While they were not involved last year, we have a history with them, that like SVC – goes back to Little Mountain. On that project we had lots of groups attending “at least” one session each year. We sincerely hope that more groups get involved this year!

For 2020 we’ve doubled the number of sessions, along with our goals for volunteer hours and involved groups. There are lots of ways to help; volunteer, form a group, donate, provide lunch(es), or sponsor a session.

Help us break 2,000 volunteer hours this year!

Skagit County Parks and Recreation hauled and spread eight (8) truck loads of crushed rock on the worst sections of the park’s service road. They bought more hand tools, serviced the power carrier, and provided the first of the trail signs we needed – so we’re all set. Thanks SCPR!

Highlighted is the Pump House Trail, which we expect to complete this Summer. Sections 1-3 have already been hand-finished, which is contouring the trail tread and applying ballast rock – as needed.

Sections 4 and 5 have been roughed-in, using a mini excavator. At the next volunteer session removing salmon berry roots will be the first task. After they are removed the final machine grading will be done – that will then make it possible for the final hand-finishing to be completed.

Rock walls will also be needed in a few areas; on sections 2, 3 and 5. The final trail capping is expected to begin in late Spring/Summer. With native plant restoration along the trail corridor, that’s planned for late Fall/early Winter.

Our next session is January 25th, with the Estep Family providing lunch. That’s starting the year off right!

There was so much rain that the tools and portable toilet could not be moved to the trailhead. We hate canceling a session, but it was unavoidable.

We’re sorry, we’ll try again on Saturday 1/25.

Cascades Job Corps students and staff.

Job Corps on 12/14/19 broke their own single session record by eight (8) hours. It was also their fifth “Guest Group” appearance this year, which we’ve never had before – so that’s another record.

With their help we broke our volunteer hours goal, with 1,117 hours – and their group of twelve (12) helped us match the session record of twenty-six (26) volunteers.  It was another great session, as the photos show.

We still need a guest group for the upcoming session, might your group be interested?

Cascades Job Corps students and staff.

The November 9th session was amazing!

Our “Guest Group” Cascades Job Corps (shown above), with their twelve (12) volunteers put in forty-three (43) hours, that helped set a ‘single session record’ of one hundred and twenty-seven (127) volunteer hours. Of note this is the fourth “Guest Group” appearance by Job Corps!

Photos show twenty-six (26) volunteers, that was almost twice our average for the year. Cascades Job Corps has really stepped up on the trails project. We hope that their example will inspire other groups to get involved.

Since we’re now operating as a nonprofit, in addition to volunteering, donations can be made, and sponsorships are available. Thanks!

Pictured is the next trail section being built.

Work on the Pump House Trail continues. Our “Guest Group” will be the Cascade Job Corps students, and the Estep family is again bringing lunch. It will be ham and bean soup, along with homemade mac and cheese.

We’re hand-finishing the machine roughed-in trail (above) and graveling the tread. Our goal is to break one thousand volunteer hours this year, and next year two thousand – as we double our number of volunteer sessions.

We also want to remind you that our nonprofit status has been restored. Please consider making a charitable donation. Thanks!

On Saturday, October 12th work on the Pump House Trail continued. Turnout was up, with twelve volunteers – on Sept. 14th we had just seven. Since this year’s goal is to break one thousand hours, in November and December sessions we must do even better.

Our 2020 goal is to break two thousand volunteer hours. To achieve this we will resume our old schedule of the two (2) sessions “most” months, on the second and fourth (2nd & 4th) Saturdays. Exceptions are Summer break and the holidays, shown on our session calendar.

Thank you Leslie and Roger Estep for a wonderful lunch! To see more photos please checkout our gallery.

Our next session is Saturday, Nov. 9th. Please join us!

On Saturday, September 14th work on the Pump House Trail resumed. Summer is behind us, the bridge is finished and we celebrated the bridge opening, so back to digging.

We had a light turnout at this session, but a great deal was accomplished. To see more photos checkout our gallery.

Our next session is Saturday, October 12th.