Last Saturday, 14 MSTA trail volunteers were joined by two Trail Labs employees (Alyssa and Vinnie) and three USFS employees (Ryan, Haley, and Joe) to further polish the Heart Lake Trail. The first two photos show Alyssa, Vinnie, Ryan, Haley, and Joe digging in some large rocks to armor a gully to prevent further erosion. This was hard and dirty work, and we thank them for this effort (we need young backs and biceps for this stuff).
The rest of us hiked up to the top of the trail before it drops down to Heart Lake; at that spot, we dug in the rest of the trail and moved logs and rocks into the old trail to obliterate it. One photo shows a new trail worker (Jennifer) hauling a huge log with one of our regulars (John K.). The final photo shows the “alpine work group” at a beautiful vista spot. On the way back down, we tried to block off any side trails that could confuse hikers as to the real route.
There’s a bit more buff-up work to do up there, but the bulk of it is now done! Thanks to everyone who participated (special nod to USFS and Trail Labs). If you use the new trail, be aware that your GPS-based apps may take you off the actual trail until all maps are updated. Please follow the pink ribbons and avoid the many side trails.
