The vanguard of this season’s Babel Tower restoration project reached the Tower site today. Lots of folks from the Gorge community, with great support from the US Forest Service and Wild South, have put in hundreds of hours to deal with this tricky section of trail.
Meet the problem. The lower quarter mile of Babel Tower Trail has been eroded by many thousands of visitors. Rainfall is trapped, digging the ditch deeper.
Meet the solution! Dedicated volunteer crews from the Gorge community!
Andrew taking a master class in trail drainage taught by seasoned veteran, Jon.
Nick, Allison, and Allegra on the brush team.
Julie clearing brush from the berm wall so drains can be installed.
Clearing a bit of brush …
… and rolling around in the dirt to clear rocks and roots …
… makes it possible to install the dips that will drain water from the trail and quell the erosion.
Buried alive in brush! It can be tricky to find space to work on a trail as busy as Babel Tower, where it’s common to be passed by a hundred hikers on a weekend.
Allison, Julie, and Allegra combine for thousands of hours of field experience. We were lucky to have them on the team today!
