Trail Riders and Land Agencies Both Win
When They Cooperate
By Larry Wheat
Two wonderful trail projects are being developed as
you read this. Each project is at a
different stage of development, but both are the result of supportive
cooperation between volunteers and the responsible government land manager
agency. Neither project would exist
without this cooperation. Both projects
were initiated by volunteer suggestions and supporting action. The Dry Creek Trail System is the larger of
the two projects. It will provide 25
miles of shared trails to be enjoyed by equestrians, mountain bicyclists, and
hikers. The Garland Mountain Horse &
Hike Trails will provide 12 miles of trails shared by equestrians and
hikers. Both trail systems will provide
multiple loops so users may travel short or long distances as they desire.
Dry Creek Trail System
The Dry Creek Trail System is located in northwest
The potential user benefits of the Dry Creek Trail
System are huge. The system itself offers
the large parking lot and toilets, 25 miles of trail designed into several
linked loops, stream water for equines, and lovely scenery. All of this is enhanced because the regional
Pinhoti Trail goes through the area and is connected to the Dry Creek trails. The Pinhoti Trail offers 32 miles of
end-to-end trail on National Forest land from the Dry Creek area all the way to
just west of
The
25 miles of trail at Dry Creek have been designed and flagged with ribbon by
volunteers, then walked and evaluated by various US Forest Service
personnel. Currently the trails are
being marked with paint blazes and more accurate Global Positioning System (GPS)
data are being obtained for the federal information system. A federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP)
grant has been approved for use by the Forest Service towards constructing some
of the trails.
Completion
of a few administrative and on-site actions is required before Dry Creek trail
construction actually begins. I am
unaware of any USFS schedule for start of construction, but my personal estimate
is that construction will begin by May 2009.
Garland Mountain Horse & Hike Trails
The
Garland Mountain Horse & Hike Trails (GMHHT) system is located in the
northwest corner of
Brush removal began a year ago on trails to be
developed in the first phase of construction.
Actual trail tread construction has also begun, using a combination of
machinery and manual labor. The plan is
to have the parking lot, toilets, bridge replacement, and about 5.5 miles of
trail completed and open to the public by early spring, 2009. This schedule assumes that the trail machine
will be available perhaps one day each week, and sufficient volunteer help is
forthcoming on regular trail workdays.
A generous donation by a CCSC member paid for several
hand tools necessary for trail work. Dr.
Ken Humber of Humberland Guest Ranch has donated use
of his mini-excavator and his skilled operator time. A welcome grant by the Georgia Endurance
Riders Association (GERA) is used to pay for some of the fuel used by the trail
equipment and other miscellaneous expenses associated with trail
construction. By the end of 2008,
volunteers had donated over 1,200 hours of their time to help provide the
In
summary, dedicated individual volunteers can make a difference. Both of these projects grew from volunteer
ideas that were then supported with cooperative actions. Both projects offer excellent opportunities
to benefit the public. Both projects
also require long-term volunteer commitments to maintain the trails in good
condition. I sincerely hope to see many
of you out on these trails, both as a user and as a volunteer.