Boots crunched across gravel and fallen leaves as Monadnock Trails Week staff and volunteers picked up cups of coffee and fresh Dunkin’ donuts on Thursday at Monadnock State Park Headquarters in Jaffrey. Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Dylan Summers, a stewardship project manager for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, gathered the crew members around him to welcome them to the 19th annual Monadnock Trails Week.
“There’s a lot of miles on this mountain, so we’re really thankful to have all of your help today — and for folks who are staying throughout the rest of the next five days — in taking on some of those really important things that need to happen to keep the trails in good condition and keep them open to happen,” Summers said.
Once Summers and Laurel Swope-Brush, the Forest Society’s land steward and volunteer program coordinator, connected volunteers with their project leaders, crews split off into their respective groups to make their way to the project sites. After participants grabbed the provided personal protective equipment — gloves, hard hats and safety goggles — Summers led his team to Gap Mountain Trail South.
At the trailhead Summers’ explained the project his team was about to take on. Erosion has taken a toll on a set of existing wooden check steps, and Summers’ crew rerouted a steep section of slope that will eventually connect to a larger reroute of the trail itself.
“I thought, ‘This is a great opportunity.’ Rather than let [the steps] rot and either replace them, which is a lot of work, or let the erosion happen, we can move the trail before the erosion becomes a problem,” Summers said. “It’s one of the first times we’re being proactive about solving trail issues rather than being reactive.”
Summers quickly showed the team how it should carry its hand saws, loppers and other tools up the mountain. Then the hike began.
While some individuals were volunteering their time, Eric Feldbaum, an administrator for the Bureau of Community Recreation within New Hampshire State Parks, joked he was getting paid to stretch his legs and take a break from sitting behind a computer screen.
“One of the great things about our hiking trails is they’re free and accessible for everybody,” Feldbaum said. “But, unfortunately, those trails don’t maintain themselves. They take strong volunteers. So having a base of folks who are willing to offer their time, their love, their passion for trail maintenance and trail building for the good of the order is really important.”
After roughly half an hour, the crew members arrived at their worksite. They drank water, ate snacks and took a moment to cool down as Summers outlined the reroute section and described their tasks for the day.
Unlike some individuals who only had to travel a short distance to participate, Barron Allison made the journey from North Carolina to take part in trails week. Allison is a Monadnock Trails Week crew leader for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Allison said he has cared about the planet for as long as he can remember.
“I don’t think a lot of folks, especially, like, the younger generations, understand the importance of conservation or what all is involved in environmental conservation. People think we’re talking about saving the oceans or cleaning up trash, but folks don’t also understand that there’s a lot that goes into the trail work,” Allison said.
“And that they should just try and get out of their house because every state has some connection to a trail team or work like we’re doing here. We’re in such a digital age nowadays that it’s nice to just leave your devices out and just go out and explore, embrace the nature for at least 10 minutes a day.”
Since the Forest Society began conserving and protecting land on Mount Monadnock in 1915, Summers said the organization has acquired more than 4,500 acres on the mountain, which the society then leases to the state of New Hampshire to form Monadnock State Park.
Despite almost all land-based sports relying on trails, Summers said a common misconception is that trails “just appear.” He emphasized that trails are an intentional part of outdoor infrastructure and must be built and maintained over time. For Feldbaum, who echoed Summers’ sentiment, having a strong network of volunteers is essential for this maintenance.
“Trails don’t just build themselves,” Feldbaum said. “There’s a cohort of people state-wide that are here to maintain and build these trails, and that when people just walk up and down them they’re not recognizing the efforts that go into building even, say, two feet of trail or a water bar. And so that’s really important to recognize those volunteers, whether they be individuals or whether they be groups and organizations that come here to help.”