go hike a mountain

On Saturday, June 7th Jess and I volunteered with REI for National Trails Day. The event was scheduled for a meeting time of 9 am in West Greenwich, R.I. at a local bank. So after the traditional morning stops, bagels and Chippi, we were on our way. When we got there, there were only 2 cars but the lot quickly filled up. In fact a bank employee came out and asked us to move down the road to the Dunkin Donuts lot. We quickly convoyed down the road, had a short introduction with the folks from the Appalachian Mountain Club and the REI organizer, got our volunteer shirts and headed out.
We drove for about another fifteen minutes before coming to the a trailhead, at Breakheart Trail. Everyone (about 35 of us) piled out of our cars and filled the trail awaiting instructions. Now I had never volunteered for anything, let alone trail maintenance, so I didn’t know what to expect. A couple of older gentlemen stood over a collection of tools and wood. They began to tell us that we would be carrying this stuff 1/2 a mile and building a bridge. Some of us would be building a bridge, others would either go clip back branches in the trail or clean up the brook. It didn’t take Jess two seconds to grab big rubber boots and agree to get wet.
Once the gang reached the Phelps Brook, everyone broke into groups. You had people destroying the old bridge, people starting the new bridge, some took of in either direction to cut back trees and then you had the “river rats”. Jessica, two other girls, and an A.M.C. organizer went to work in the water way. When I say went to work, I mean it. They started clearing branches,and soon they were shoveling up the sediment and gravel. They had decided to obtain a healthier flow that this needed to be done. The difference they made in the current was remarkable. They didn’t stop all morning.
While all that was going on the bridge was being replaced. The old one cut up and the new one set and leveled, and set and leveled and leveled and set.(You get the point). For a structure that was replacing two fallen trees across the brook they weren’t taken any short cuts. After a few hours the brook was clear so Jess helped nail a few nails while I took pictures (you read correct, Jess is actually on the other side of the camera for once). The whole project took about two hours.
Once everything was picked up, we all headed back to the trailhead for lunch. REI supplied sandwich fixings, soda, chips, fruit, and those devilish Shaws brand cookies. Everyone ate and ate some more then slowly got into their cars and called it a day. Now anyone that knows us, knows we can’t go through Rhode Island without going to REI so that’s where we headed.
Over all it was really interesting and fun. We will definitely participate in future REI sponsored events.