Spending a Day on the Trail with the TRTA!

We Need Your Help!
Since the Tahoe Rim Trail Association began building the Tahoe Rim Trail in 1984, our volunteer program has grown at an incredible pace. The Tahoe Rim Trail was built by over 10,000 volunteers donating over 200,000 hours of time. In 2004 out volunteers gave over 4,500 hours maintaining the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Remember, for any of our work parties no experience is necessary, just a desire to work with some great people, have some fun playing in the dirt and to help contribute to something that benefits all of us.

Please Be Prepared!
We provide you with tools, hard hats and plenty of work to do, but if you want to help us out you need to be prepared. This means being properly dressed. The right clothes are necessary for your safety and we emphasize safety. When you arrive for a work party please be wearing:

• A sturdy pair of boots. Standard hiking boots are fine. Tennis shoes are not!
• A long pair of pants. No shorts!
• A long-sleeved shirt.
• Work gloves.

We can not allow anyone who is not properly dressed to work. Proper clothing is necessary for your safety. Please also bring your own lunch, water and snacks, but don't be surprised if goodies are being passed around throughout the day.

Please Be On Time
All our work parties start at 9:00 a.m. and it's crucial that you be at the trail-head and ready to go by that time. Your crew leader will start off with a tool and safety lecture and an explanation of what you will be doing on the trail that day. Everyone must be present for the safety lecture if they are to be allowed to work that day. It doesn't matter how many times you've heard it you must be present. When you sign up with us we'll send you information with directions to the trail-head and an estimated travel so you won't be late. We like to be back at the trailhead around 3:00 P.M.

Hand Tools for Trail Work

PULASKI
The Pulaski is a wonderfully versatile tool. It was originally designed by a forest fire-fighter named Ed Pulaski. At the time, forest fire fighters typically carried two tools, a grub hoe and an axe. Pulaski was tired of having both hands occuppied by these two tools as he hiked to fight wildfires, so he combined the two tools into one. The Puklaski has an adze for grubbing on one side and an axe blade on the other. Pulaskis are great for building and re-treading trails. You can dig and move dirt with the adze, and when you encounter a root, clean the dirt and rock away and the flip the head over and chop it out.


SAFETY TIP: Make sure you bend your knees, stand with your legs appart and bend over when working with a Pulaski. It will not only save your back it will save your feet and shins. If you're standing straight up while chopping with a Pulaski, a missed swing could hit you in the foot or leg.

Usage: grubbing, chopping

Shovel
If you haven't done any trail maintenance before then the shovel may be one of the few tools you're already pretty familiar with. The Forest Service style shovels that we use are a little different however. They have a rounded point and the head is angled. This makes them great for scraping loose organic matter and dirt off the trail, but they're still good for digging. Our shovels also have sharpened edges so they're good for brushing. A quick hard swing with one of these shovels can remove a large swath of brush.

SAFETY TIP: Mind your back. When using a shovel bend your knees and rest the handle on one leg and use it has a lever to lift dirt. This will help prevent back strain.

Usage: scraping, digging

Grub Hoe
The type of hoes we use are called grub hoes. They're different from the hoe you mave used in your garden. They have a thicker and much heavier steel head and are great for digging in hard soil. We use them for re-building trail and clearing out drainage structures. They're also useful for prying out large rocks because the head and handles are very sturdy.

SAFETY TIP: Bend your knees and stand with your feet appart when swinging a grub hoe. There is never a reason to lift a grub hoe much higher than your waist. If you do, you're swinging it too hard. The head of the grub hoe is heavy so let it do the work.

Usage: grubbing, pounding

McCleod
The McLeod is one of our most versatile tools. Originally designed to be used by forest fire fighters, it has a long handle with a large flat metal head. One side of the head has a long sharp edge that's good for cutting back into hill-sides, chopping small roots and scraping. The other side has a row of 5 to 6 large teeth like a heavy-duty rake. Use this side to pull leaves, sticks and loose organic soil of the trail.

SAFETY TIP: When you set a McLeod aside to pick up another tool, make sure you place it off the trail and with the teeth facing downward. It would be very easy for someone to trip on a McLeod handle and land on the teeth.

Usage: raking, scraping, grubbing, tamping

Bow-Saw
Most everybody has had some experience with using a hand saw. The type of saw we use is called a bow saw. It has a D shaped metal frame with a thin strong blade held taught between the two ends. We use bow saws to clear limbs and small trees from the trail.

SAFETY TIP: When cutting a branch far away from the trunk of a tree, you'll want to hold the branch with one hand to steady the branch while you saw with the other hand. This is the hard way to do it and the saw may jump and cut your hand. It's better to cut a branch as close to the tree's trunk as possible. The final result is aestheticaly more pleasing and you don't have to steady the branch with your free hand so there's less chance of injury.

Usage: Trail clearing, construction

Loppers
Loppers are like big gardening shears with lots of leverage. We use them to cut small woody stemmed plants and small branches. You shouldn't try to use them to cut anything much larger than 3/4" in diameter. They can also be useful for cutting roots out of the trail.

SAFETY TIP: Don't try to cut branches that are too large. If you do you'll have to apply so much force that when the blades finally break through the branch the two handles will slam together smashing your knuckles. Believe us. We know this.

Usage: lopping

Brush Whip
The brush whip has a long wooden handle attached to a light weight metal head that has a sharp serrated edge. It's used for cutting brush and small plants. A quick sharp swing from a brush whip is sufficient to take out a foot wide swath of brush.

SAFETY TIP: Watch your ankles and your neighbor's ankles. It's easy to be walking along the trail brushing and not notice that you're getting close to someone else in the work party. Always take a good look around before you swing the brush whip. Make sure you're wearing a pair of gloves with a good grip or the brushwhip may fly out of your hand.

Usage: brushing

DrawKnife
The drawknife is a long, flat blade with two handles on either side. It's used to peel bark of off logs. Logs should always be peeled before being used for any construction project. The trick to using a drawknife is to start at just the right angle and draw it toward you while maintaining the angle. If you're good at it you can peel off pieces of bark than run the entire length of the log. If you're bad at it your log will look like it was attacked by a neurotic beaver.

Usage: construction

Basic Trail Maintenance

Building bridges, installing culverts and re-routing trails is a lot of fun and a lot of work, but before we tackle new construction projects there's a lot of things that need to be done each season to keep a trail in good shape. TRTA spends most of its time on the trails attending to annual maintenance tasks. First we need to do brushing and lopping to remove plants or tree limbs that are encroaching on the trailway. Next we have to rebuild the tread in places were it has been destroyed by slides, or washouts. We must also take a good look at existing drainage structures to make sure they're working. Ditches, draindips and culverts need to be cleared to make sure they are carrying water effectively. Finally if we take care of our puncheon, bridges and other wooden structures by removing soil and debris that allow moss and fungi to grow on them we can extend their lives. The following is TRTA's Annual Trail Maintenance Check List.

Annual Maintenance Check List

Brushing and lopping:

• Know your clearing/brushing limits. Brush to them or beyond.
• All cuttings go on the down-hill side as far out of the trailway as possible.
• Cut branches close to the trunk of the tree.
• Smear cut ends with dirt so they don't stand out.
• Don't leave stobs! Lop plants at their base.
• Open hillsides are the worst areas and need to be brushed at least once a year.
• Remove all Devil's Club - often found in wet areas.
• Saw out blowdown 8" or smaller in diameter from the trail.

Restore tread:

• Remove slough from trail.
• Return trail to its proper width.
• Remove organic matter/duff.
• Remove protruding roots and rocks.
• Restore outslope of trail.
• Remove berms from outside edge of trail.

Drainage:

• Clear drainage ditches of silt and debris - make them bigger, deeper and wider.
• Clear plugged culverts.
• Clear drain-dips.
• Clean/reset water-bars.
• Remove logs/debris from outside edge of trail if they're hindering run-off.
• Add drainage structures as needed such as drain-dips, waterbars and checkdams.

Miscellaneous:

• Clear puncheon, turnpikes, curb logs and bridges of dirt and plants.
• Drive down nails sticking up on puncheon or bridges.
• Block off social trails - especially switchback cuts.
• Remove trash near trailheads.

Work Safety Guide

1. START WITH "SAFETY FIRST"

• Think safety first in how you improve a site, how you work, and how you safeguard others.
• If it's not safe don't do it.

2. USE PROTECTIVE PERSONAL GEAR

• You must wear gloves, boots, long pants (jeans recommended) and a long-sleeved shirt. You will be provided with a hard hat.
• You should also have appropriate cold/wet weather gear. Wet or muddy gloves may cause a tool to slip and strike someone; have extras handy.
• Take a complete first aid kit and know how to use it.

3. USE CORRECT TOOLS IN GOOD CONDITION

• Incorrect tools can make the job take longer, result in injuries, damage the tools and create the wrong effect at the site.
• Dull tools can be very dangerous by bouncing or glancing of surfaces; they also cut more slowly and are therefore more tiring.
• Don't use power tools unless certified and with prior specific authorization from the land manager.

4. CARRY TOOLS SAFELY

• Always carry tools in your hands and down at your side, not over the shoulder.
• For long distances, strap unused tools to your pack.
• Use blade guards whenever possible.
• On slopes, carry the tool on the downslope side of your body.
• When carrying two tools, have the more dangerous tool downslope of you.
• Balance heavy weights, especially when repeating tasks such as carrying buckets of rock.

5. ELIMINATE AREA HAZARDS

• Be extra cautious on hazardous footing such as loose rock, branches, vines, slippery moss and clay surfaces.
• Before starting to work, remove obstacles and debris from your working space overhead, underfoot, and in tool swinging area.
• Place tools and materials safely aside where they don't present a hazard.
• Take a firm, balanced and comfortable stance before using a tool.

6. USE BODY MOTION WISELY

• Conserve motion and effort; use short chops, not long swings.
• Protect your back by bending at the knees with Pulaski and hoes, use your knee as an arm support whenever possible.
• Change tasks as needed to avoid repetitive motion syndrome.

7. PROTECT OTHERS

• Ensure others are always outside the combined length of your arm and tool.
• Make sure there is no one downhill who may be struck by materials from you or your co-workers.
• Watch for trail users who may try to walk around you without getting your attention.
• When someone comes by, stop work, notify your co-workers, and wait for the person to pass.
• When practical, use portable signage to warn trail users to watch for a work party in progress.

Trail Maintenance Dictionary

• Backslope - The excavated bank on the uphill side of a trail tread.
• Berm - The raised outside edge of a trail.
• Blowdown - A fallen tree across the trail.
• Borrow - Fill material taken from a site other than the trailway excavation. Good borrow pits can be found beneath root balls from fallen trees.
• Bucking - Sawing a fallen or horizontal log.
• Clearing limits - The distance to the either side of and above a trailway from which brush and limbs must be cleared.
• Culvert - A drainage structure that passes beneath a trail to allow the flow of water from the inside to the outside edge. Culverts may be metal, plastic or even concrete. Culverts can also be fashioned from wood or rock.
• Drain dip - A depression built into the trail to guide water off the tread.
• Duff - Ground cover consisting of organic matter such as needles, leaves, twigs, etc.
• Enhance - To make less sucky.
• Grade - Percent slope of trail measured as feet rise/100 feet run.
• Goobered-up - Not in its original state. Being cosmetically but not necessarily functionally compromised. For more information see Russell Thompson.
• Hinky - Slightly in-explicable or having partly un-fathomable characteristics. Not right.
• Huckle-y-buck - Get jiggy wid it.
• Inside edge - On a hillside trail this is the up-hill side of the trail.
• Inslope - The inside edge of the trail is lower than the outside edge.
• Mineral soil - Soil that has little or no organic matter.
• Outside edge - On a hillside trail this is the down-hill side of the trail.
• Outslope - The outside edge of a trail being lower than the inside edge to promote drainage.
• Settling basin - A deep rock lined pit placed in front of a culvert to allow silt to settle out before entering the culvert.
• Slough - Silt and organic debris that have slid down onto the trail.
• Snarky - Easily irritated. In somewhat irritated state. Catherine.
• Switchback - A sharp reversal in the direction of the trail, allowing the tread to maintain a reasonable grade as it climbs a steep hillside.
• Tread - The travel surface of the trail.
• Trail corridor - The full area of the trail including the tread and the zone on either side of the tread from which brush and limbs must be removed.
• Turnpike - A structure used to carry a trail across ground that is usually saturated with water. Logs or rocks embedded along the sides of the tread hold fill material in place to form an elevated travel surface.
• Water bar - A drainage structure composed of an outsloped segment of tread leading to a rock or log barrier embedded at an angle across the trail. Water across the slope will be diverted by the outslope or by the barrier.

References:
Lightly on the Land by the SCA. Mountaineer Books (1996)
Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook by USDA/USFS (1997)