Dig it: A backpacking trail in Montgomery County
Monday, April 16, 2007 Categories: Outdoors
After a rainy week and an overnight threat of snow flurries, I thought my first day as a volunteer trailbuilder for Five Rivers MetroParks on Sunday would be a bust. But a dozen people showed up, and Brent Anslinger of the metroparks' Five Rivers Outdoors handed out the tools. We spent four hours keeping warm by digging dirt and chopping roots to grade a section of the future Twin Valley Backpack Trail in Germantown MetroPark.
What's it all about? The county park district is creating a recreational backpacking trail in southwestern Ohio's Montgomery County. A new stretch of trail will connect two existing loop trails in Germantown and Twin Creek MetroPark. When finished, the backpacking trail will include over 22 miles of hiking with group and backcountry camping.
I've hiked backpacking trails for more than 30 years, but just a few hours of work on Sunday taught me a lot about what goes into the construction of a durable trail that preserves nature by resisting erosion. Want to learn more? Volunteer! Here's the link.
Update 12/23/09: I recently hiked the Twin Valley Trail. I traced the route as closely as I could on Google Maps.
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