This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the
PEP curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in
earthworks.
For this BB, you will be performing trail maintenance for at least two hundred feet of trail.
This maintenance might include doing some of the following:
- adding sand (make the trail barefoot friendly, and generally more stable)
- removing rocks, leaves, pinecones,
trees, branches, etc.
- altering how steep the trail is
- making the trail wider (at least 18 inches wide)
- repair potholes and muddy spots
- any sign of
water damage needs a shift in trail design
- remove branches that might require people on the trail to duck
- adding seeds on the sides of the trail to improve stability of the trail, provide food and/or medicine, and make it more beautiful
An example of trail maintenance might be what this guy did to care for an old switchback trail. He cleared away a lot of leaves on the trail, and he took down a fallen tree.
Another example of what trail maintenance could be is this
video, where a trail has leaves and muck scooped out of and gets recompacted in a few spots.
A broader overview of trail maintenance is discussed in this US Forest Service video:
To get certified for this BB, post one video about two minutes long showing
- the trail before the maintenance with a walking measuring wheel - highlighting the issues
- the same trail highlighting the improvements
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