The Cumberland Trail is built by a small, full time staff and groups of volunteers consisting of people like you and me.
Have you ever wondered what goes into making a hiking trail? There’s a lot of prep work and behind the scenes tasks that go into the creation of the Cumberland Trail. Did you know you can volunteer to help build the trail too? Keep reading to learn more about what goes into trail building and how you can help out.
The Cumberland Trail
The Cumberland Trail is part of the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail State Park. I know, that’s a lot. In short, the Cumberland Trail started in 1971 and became an official state park in 1998. The trail currently consists of 210 separated miles divided into segments and then sections. Once complete, the 300 continuous miles of the Cumberland Trail will be a part of a larger trail system called the Great Eastern Trail. This trail system is set to span from Florida all the way up to New York.
TennGreen Land Conservation buys most of the land from private owners who want to see natural habitats safeguarded and free for the public to enjoy. They are in turn able to sell it to the state for use of the Cumberland Trail more easily than if the state were to buy the land directly. Once land is ready to be added to the Cumberland Trail, the Cumberland Trail Conference comes in and completes the difficult tasks that lead up to a finished hiking trail.
What to Expect As a Volunteer
Who
You don’t have to be a highly-skilled craftsman to be a beneficial Cumberland Trail volunteer. They accept anyone willing to pick up a tool and go to work. It’s a full day of work though, so if you’re not used to manual labor, be aware. However, as a volunteer you are welcome to work at your own pace and take as many breaks as necessary. Don’t overwork yourself.
When
Typically one Friday and Saturday of every month is planned for anyone to volunteer to work. There isn’t a season for trail building. The Cumberland Trail is built all year long and in varying weather conditions. Of course, they won’t put anyone’s safety at risk. But, if the weather is still reasonable to work in, they will. It was snowing and sleeting on us on and off all morning. It didn’t hinder our labor though and I’d much prefer sleet than rain, and cold than hot. Check out the Cumberland Trail volunteer page for the next available volunteer dates.
Where
As a group, you’ll drive to the access point. From there you’ll be provided a safety vest for visibility and the tools that will be used. Then it’s hiking time. We hiked about one mile out to the work site. The distance and exact location will change as the trail build progresses so I’m not going to share any specific locations. I will, however, tell you that we were building near Spring City, TN, on the Piney River Segment. It is part of the newly purchased Piney River Bluffs.
How
Once you arrive to the work site, the staff will teach you what to do. Feel free to ask questions at anytime. They are very knowledgeable and take pride in their work so you’re in good hands.
Basically, you’ll be doing what they call “duff work”. This is the removal of the duff layer on the trail. There are three main parts to this process. The end goal is to be left with good, mineral soil to use as the foundational base of the trail. Note that every section of trail is different. We just so happened to be on a fairly flat and straight section so the work was simple. However, it’s possible that the processes are different further down the trail due to the changes in terrain.
Step 1: Rake off surface leaves and dirt. All the loose stuff on top. They use a fire rake for this process.
Some of the tools used for building the trail are pictured below from left to right: Fire Rake, Mattock, McLeod.
Step 2: Start removing the duff layer. This is the spongey, dark surface dirt that holds surface roots, water, compost, and small organisms. The duff layer is typically between 2-5 inches thick depending on the area of the trail. You’ll also need to chop out some roots and dig out some rocks. If the rock moves, it has to come out. All of this is done with the use of a mattock and loppers. Duff that is ready to be removed is pictured below.
Step 3: After the duff layer is removed, you’ll see the mineral soil beneath. This is the lighter brown, grainier and more compact dirt underneath. Once you’ve uncovered the mineral soil, you’ll take the McLeod and rake the loosened duff and roots out of the way. Mineral soil that is ready to become a finished trail is pictured below.
Be mindful of proper disposal. Duff and roots always go to the downhill side of the trail. Make sure it’s sloped enough to allow water to drain down properly. Rocks will always go to the uphill side of the trail so they can be utilized if needed later and are not buried beneath disposed duff on the downhill side.
This work may sound intimidating, but I promise it’s doable and you can take your time as you need. And as an added bonus, they provide food! They gave us breakfast and lunch. Both meals were hearty and filling, perfect fuel for a day of hard work.
What Else Goes Into Trail Building
As a Cumberland Trail volunteer, you will only do the less-technical work. But there’s still so much more that goes into building the Cumberland Trail. The trail crew will come back through and do the “finishing work.” They will stir up the top of the mineral soil with the McLeod tool and their shoes to make it level. The goal is to have a trail that’s three feet wide, level, and has a consistent 3-5% slope for proper drainage. Once they have the area level like they want it, they will take the flat side of the McLeod and tamp it down. They make sure the dirt is packed together nicely for a firm and stable trail. The finishing touch is to add some leaf cover. This helps with drainage and keeps water from seeping too quickly into the soil causing slick mud and uneven wear.
That’s the basics of a flat, straight, easy portion of the trail. But as you probably know, most trails are not like that 100% of the time. There’s twists and turns, uphills and downhills, rocks and creeks. All of these obstacles are carefully planned for and built around or through. For example, down the trail from where we worked was the rock staircase they had recently completed using hundreds of boulders around the area. This staircase descends the mountain in nearly 400 steps. And they did this all by hand with the help of some pry bars and mattocks. To learn more techniques and tools used in trail building visit this trail building page on the Cumberland Trail Conference website.
How to Help
You might be thinking, “Amanda, that’s great and all, but I’m not really into the whole manual labor thing.” To which I can respond, “that’s ok!” There’s other options for you to be able to help out. You don’t have to get sweaty and dirty to help build new Cumberland Trail. Online donations are accepted and greatly appreciated as well. Since the Cumberland Trail Conference is a non-profit organization, they rely on donations to accomplish their work. The money goes towards the tools needed to build the trail and pay the employees. It also is used to educate the surrounding communities about conserving and protecting the land, resources, and wildlife in the area. You can also become a member and support the completion of the Cumberland Trail. There’s additional perks to this option so be sure to check it out.
Next time you hike on the Cumberland Trail, pause to appreciate the hard work that went into building that sustainable trail. Park rangers are responsible for the maintenance like removing fallen trees blocking the trail. But the Cumberland Trail Conference puts in all the planning and hard work. They do the tedious tasks of building a self-sustaining trail that withstands the abuse of nature and hikers for years to come.
Additional Cumberland Trail Volunteer Perks
I’m adding this section nearly a year later to share my most recent experience with the Cumberland Trail Conference. Sub-section 1 of 3 is now complete for this new section as a whole. And to celebrate everyone’s hard work, they invited us all out to hike sub-section 1 as a preview. Note, this section is not open to the public yet. Overall, we don’t know when it will open because they’ll have to get the other sub-sections completed before they will open it. The section as a whole will be opened to the public as an addition to the Piney River Segment on the Cumberland Trail. At this point, there’s no estimated opening date.
We all met and rode together to the temporary trailhead for sub-section 1. It was a great group of people and we had fun exploring the new trail and all the hard work everyone put into it. They also fed us lunch! I cannot say it enough, they take care of you! And the food is always awesome. Even though you can’t hike it yet, I went ahead and took a video of this sneak peek of the new Cumberland Trail section for you to enjoy until it finally opens.
Closing Thoughts
Trail building is hard work, but very rewarding. It’s always great to be a part of something bigger than yourself. And, if you hike the Cumberland Trail a lot, like I do, it’s amazing to have the opportunity to help out in this way. The experience is fun and educational. And one day I’ll be able to hike this segment and say “I worked on that spot right there!” It feels like I have become a piece of the trail, allowing generations to enjoy the Cumberland Trail for years to come.
Get a visual perspective of what volunteering is like by watching the video. And let me know in the comments below if you’ve volunteered before or are planning to in the future. I highly recommend giving volunteer work a try. Until next time, enjoy exploring Chatt!
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