Quarrymen at work

Trail work on the Perry Hill network in Waterbury this past weekend.

Tools of the trail-building trade.

Waterbury is in a very central location and this trail network is very well known -- perhaps too well known for the good of the trails -- and people come from near and (especially) far to ride the trails.

Choosing work assignments at about 9:30 am, after a good stiff hike up Perry Hill.

Getting ready to hike out at about 1 pm after re-routing trail to avoid a low spot.

Want gravel?:  Collect lots of big rocks and smash them with a sledgehammer.

My contribution to this effort was mostly collecting rocks to be smashed to provide a durable trail surface in wet spots.  I've done this task before and I can say that it is a shattering full body workout like no other.  I was very tired, sore and dirty at the end of this work day.

The trails have taken a beating this spring with a lot of heavy usage in sub-optimal (record amounts of rain) conditions but volunteer crews have spent many hours cleaning things up.  I took the opportunity to ride today and the effort is making a difference and many eroded low spots have been hardened and new drainages have been constructed.

The weather finally seems to be trending towards a dryer pattern and the forecast looks promising for the upcoming Vermont Mountain Bike Festival -- which is fortunate, as this event would be cancelled if  rain was in the cards.