Digging the Dirt on Stewart Mountain
With volunteers building a new trail--October 26, 2023
Too many years have passed since I last volunteered for trail work with the Washington Trails Association (WTA). But today was the day to get my backside out there again, dig some dirt, swing a grub hoe, manhandle some rocks, share a couple bad jokes, and the like. We were building a new section of trail on Stewart Mountain, about 1.5 miles up from the existing trailhead on Y Road. Great fun, but ask me again how I feel tomorrow.
While all my mountain hiking this year has my legs and lungs in decent shape, I’m still a wimp from the about navel northwards. It felt good to work the arms and shoulders for a change. And to get dirty, be in that space and smell the woods.
The trail section where we did our flailing on this crisp and sunny fall day is part of the vision for a 15-mile (give or take) trail system on state land running high along Stewart Mountain, eventually to connect with the Chanterelle Trail at Lake Whatcom Park. The project will take years to complete. Some is (or will be) built with machines, some by volunteers, or as we were doing today, by tidying up several hundred feet of trail that was recently roughed out by a small excavator.
To check out the trails, look for the trailhead east of Bellingham on the east side of Y Road, about 3.5 miles south of Mount Baker Highway. Walk right a little to follow a road toward the hillside where various trails and logging roads make their way up the mountain. While you’re getting acquainted with the area, it’s best to keep track of your location using a GPS app on your smartphone (AllTrails, Gaia, OnX, etc.). Good views await the higher you go.
To volunteer yourself, just check out the website (wta.org) for opportunities to dig in. WTA has led countless work parties in our corner of the state over many years, with hundreds of volunteers laboring thousands of hours building, improving and maintaining trails. Note that work parties can fill up, so register early if you’re interested in participating. Even parents with kids ten or older can help out. No experience necessary and you don’t need to be an athlete or pay any fees to join the cause.
I hope to get out there again soon to perhaps rediscover my pecs and my sixpack, once I remember where I put them.
Nice work if you can do it this well. I may want to join in after about nine months when I may return to health.