Glenwood Preserve Trailwork with Bell Helmets
June 29, 2018
Words by Maddie Ortenblad
Photos by Josh Sawyer
On Wednesday, June 27, we were lucky to have a crew of folks from Bell Helmets join us to continue building new trails in Glenwood Preserve. Around 1:00PM we hiked half-a-mile to a sunny, but luckily breezy, fork in the trail, where we divided and conquered. I was joined by Trail Crew Leader, Tom Eagleton. The two of us switched off clearing and hammering rock using the demo hammer and plow, which was very exciting seeing as I had no previous experience with power tools!
Chunk by chunk we broke apart layers of shale to carve the trail into the slope of the hill. While we focused on breaking up the rock, a crew worked below us on the lower fork to clear the falling debris. Further down the trail another group worked to clear rock from the hillside and lastly alongside us members from Bell’s graphics department used flathead shovels and rakes to solidify the incoming trail.
In the group working alongside us, was Sam Shaffer, a helmet engineer at Bell. Sam captured the feel of the day when he later explained to me, “My favorite thing about dig days is seeing all the work that gets done and all the smiles on people's faces. I always love comparing the final product with my mental 'before shot' and the satisfaction that comes from knowing everyone had a good time putting in work that will benefit all of us.”
It truly was a great day for before and after shots. When we ended work around 4:45 PM we had finished connecting the trail which had been previously divided by rockbed. Additionally, we cleared 10 feet of large rock piles from the lower trail fork and continued to cut more trail moving us closer to finishing up the Glenwood Preserve trail project. After hiking out of the park we ended the day with chips, salsa and cold beverages. Thanks to everyone who joined us! None of this would have been possible without the hard work done by our Trail Crew Leaders and our new and old friends at Bell Helmets!
We need your help to finish trailwork at the Glenwood Preserve! Learn more about this project and find out how to get involved by clicking here.
The opportunity to build these world-class trails would not be possible with our partner, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. Formed in 1978, the Land Trust’s mission is to protect, care for, and connect people to the extraordinary lands that make this area special. They see a future where the wild and working forests, the beaches and coastline, the globally unique biotic habitats and the County’s rich farming and ranching heritage – those things that define the extraordinary place we call Santa Cruz County—are preserved forever, are lovingly cared for by supportive communities and are cherished by all as an extraordinary gift that this generation has made to future generations.
Chunk by chunk we broke apart layers of shale to carve the trail into the slope of the hill. While we focused on breaking up the rock, a crew worked below us on the lower fork to clear the falling debris. Further down the trail another group worked to clear rock from the hillside and lastly alongside us members from Bell’s graphics department used flathead shovels and rakes to solidify the incoming trail.
In the group working alongside us, was Sam Shaffer, a helmet engineer at Bell. Sam captured the feel of the day when he later explained to me, “My favorite thing about dig days is seeing all the work that gets done and all the smiles on people's faces. I always love comparing the final product with my mental 'before shot' and the satisfaction that comes from knowing everyone had a good time putting in work that will benefit all of us.”
It truly was a great day for before and after shots. When we ended work around 4:45 PM we had finished connecting the trail which had been previously divided by rockbed. Additionally, we cleared 10 feet of large rock piles from the lower trail fork and continued to cut more trail moving us closer to finishing up the Glenwood Preserve trail project. After hiking out of the park we ended the day with chips, salsa and cold beverages. Thanks to everyone who joined us! None of this would have been possible without the hard work done by our Trail Crew Leaders and our new and old friends at Bell Helmets!
We need your help to finish trailwork at the Glenwood Preserve! Learn more about this project and find out how to get involved by clicking here.
The opportunity to build these world-class trails would not be possible with our partner, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. Formed in 1978, the Land Trust’s mission is to protect, care for, and connect people to the extraordinary lands that make this area special. They see a future where the wild and working forests, the beaches and coastline, the globally unique biotic habitats and the County’s rich farming and ranching heritage – those things that define the extraordinary place we call Santa Cruz County—are preserved forever, are lovingly cared for by supportive communities and are cherished by all as an extraordinary gift that this generation has made to future generations.
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