Fifteen Volunteers Turned out for the Season’s First Project Days in the Big Ravine

Saturdays crew by the new steps.

Even though the first trail projects of the year started on Friday the 13th, a great crew of volunteers accomplished several priority projects before the start of the high-use period on the Big Ravine Trails in Bayfield.  We were excited to have six new volunteers join the fun!

On Friday, eight folks worked on the Pine Bluff and Hemlock Heights Trails. Mike Kinnee led the Pine Bluff crew, adding gravel to a section near the top of the trail where a combination of clay soils and seeping water from the backslope made it very slippery and difficult to traverse whenever it got wet.

They also built three log steps on a steep pitch adjacent to the gravel zone. Gravel was shuttled up the East Rim Trail to Pine Bluff using a gas-powered tracked power wagon on loan from Landmark Conservancy and Bayfield County. Neil Howk and Mike Kinnee took turns running this handy machine. Project leader Kinnee said, “We couldn’t have pulled this off without that machine. It sure beats push a wheelbarrow full of gravel up the hill!”

Neil & Kate dump the first load of gravel.

Three folks shifted from the Pine Bluff site to Hemlock Heights where they hauled rocks from the creek bed up the trail to rebuild steps and replace rocks at switchback locations where vandals had dislodged rocks and rolled them down the hill.

New volunteers Todd Larson and Doug Welty work on the School Trail.

Kate adds rock to stabilize the backslope on the School Trail.

​Bayfield Area Trails Committee Chair Kate Kitchell said “Not only is it frustrating that someone would damage the trail, but more importantly, rolling large rocks down the hill can be a serious safety issue if there are people down below. We hope that folks using the trails will help to stop vandalism like this if they encounter it.”

Master step builders Pete and Ian.

On Saturday, ten volunteers pitched in to rebuild rock steps and steppingstones at the second creek crossing of the Gil Larsen Trail. They also added three new timber steps near the crossing. In addition, at the bottom of the School Trail, rock armoring in the trail tread was restored and the backslope stabilized. Mary Larson braved the School Trail slope to pull invasive Forget-me-Nots.

“We moved a lot of rocks during these projects. It’s good that the creek has an ample supply,” chuckled Gene Lemmenes, one of our stalwart volunteers, known for his propensity to mess around with rocks in the creek. 

Newcomer Pete Havlik from the City of Bayfield Parks and Recreation Committee joined the crew on both days, sharing the following thoughts “Connecting with neighbors I've never met while maintaining trails that keep us all connected (to each other and our surroundings) was pleasant and fun. I'm looking forward to participating more often and discovering new trails and friendships.”

Make a note: Bayfield Area Trails is leading trail projects on Friday and Saturday mornings from 9 am to noon during the 2nd & 4th weeks of each month from June through October. Email reminders will come out the week prior. Upcoming projects will include:

• June 27th & 28th: Brownstone Trail - see details at this link
• July 11th & 12th: Big Ravine Headwaters – see details at this link

Thank you volunteers!

Friday
Pete Havlik
Neil Howk
John Ipsen
Genevieve Johnson
Mike Kinnee
Kate Kitchell
Gerry Miller
Ian Schackleford
​

Saturday
Pete Havlik
Genevieve Johnson
Mike Kinnee
Kate Kitchell
Mary Larson
Todd Larson
Gene Lemmenes
Doug Welty
Steve Vircsik
Matt Carrier
​