Trail work during a pandemic

Please note that some of the protocols referenced in this post have changed since the recent update to PCTA’s Covid-19 Trail Maintenance Protocols. For the latest, check our website.

By Tim Morris

2020 was a year like no other, and 2021 started the way 2020 went out. As a result, very few sections of the trail received maintenance due to Covid-19 restrictions. For reference, in 2019 PCT volunteers maintained more than 1,500 miles of the trail. In 2020, 500 miles were maintained.

Volunteer trail work was sporadic last year due to a unique convergence of a global pandemic, extreme fire conditions and strict local health guidelines. Photo by Tim Morris.

In Southern California, the PCTA’s Trail Gorillas: Cajon Pass Chapter was one of the few community-based volunteer groups able to do scouting and basic trail maintenance. Our chapter covers a 76-mile section of trail on the San Bernardino National Forest: Front Country Ranger District. It includes places like Deep Creek, Silverwood Lake and the climb north out of Cajon Pass. Our work was sporadic due to a unique convergence of a global pandemic, extreme fire conditions and strict local health guidelines. In early March, we were able to get back out again and do trail work after the most recent hiatus.

The pandemic drastically changed how we operate and required a great deal of adjustment in how we approach trail work. Before any project or scouting, we do an online protocol discussion with PCTA’s Southern California regional representative Anitra Kass. The procedures cover all the CDC guidelines, the Forest Service and PCTA’s Covid-19 Trail Maintenance Protocols and California state guidelines. After completing this we sign electronic paperwork to acknowledge we have read and understand them.

Then we hit the trail with many new safety procedures in place. Among them are:

  • Driving to the trail in separate vehicles (unless from the same household); no carpooling
  • No more than three households per project, based on local county guidelines
  • A hand washing station at the trailhead
  • Wearing masks within 10 feet of others
  • Hand sanitizer available at the work site
  • Keeping at least 10 feet of distance between us
  • Sanitizing tools before and after the project
  • No sharing of tools
  • No sharing of food or beverages
  • Posting a sign advising trail users that a volunteer trail crew is working ahead so they are aware and can take the proper precautions.

The pandemic drastically changed how we operate and required a great deal of adjustment in how we approach trail work. Photo of a field handwashing station provided by Tim Morris.

All of this has required adjustments, flexibility and getting used to. It takes time away from the actual trail work but has been necessary. We’re grateful to be able to do some much-needed trail maintenance because the trail is in bad shape, especially due to this once in a lifetime confluence of circumstances. Thank you to the San Bernardino National Forest’s Front Country Ranger District for collaborating with us so we can get out and do the maintenance again.

Hopefully one day we can return to normal, but for now we have to adapt to this new reality.

We’re also hopeful that we’ll soon be able to host volunteer projects with more participants as we have in the past. With more helping hands tackling the much-needed work, we can bring this great trail back to the standard it deserves.

We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to host volunteer projects with more participants soon. With more helping hands tackling the much-needed work, we can bring this great trail back to the standard it deserves. Photo provided by Tim Morris.

If you’re interested in volunteering with the PCTA or joining a trail maintenance project this season, check out the online volunteer schedule for more details. If you’d like to support the PCTA’s Trail Gorillas: Cajon Pass Chapter in Southern California, contact me, Tim Morris, at [email protected].

Editor’s note: the PCTA would like to thank each of the volunteers, partners and supporters who made trail work safe and possible during the pandemic—including Tim! Thanks to this community’s diligence, there were no cases of Covid-19 reported in relation to PCTA’s volunteer programs in 2020. Thank you.