The Quarry Trail loop reopened this weekend, roughly a month ahead of the schedule posted at the trailhead, thanks to two Saturdays of volunteer labor that organizers described as equal parts sweat and stubbornness. The winter’s ice storms had dropped a dozen mature trees across the switchbacks and buried the lower boardwalk under a slide of mud.
How it came together
Word went out through a handwritten flyer at the feed store and a single post on the valley’s community board. What arrived was more than anyone planned for: retirees with pruning saws, a high school cross-country team looking for service hours, and a farmer who simply showed up with a tractor and a chain.
- Cleared twelve downed trees from the upper switchbacks
- Rebuilt about forty feet of collapsed boardwalk with donated lumber
- Re-cut the drainage bars that had silted over on the steep section
Organizers were careful to note what still needs doing. The overlook railing remains roped off pending a proper repair, and the spur down to the water is closed until the bank stabilizes. They are asking hikers to stay on the marked loop and to report new blowdowns rather than clearing them alone.
The trail is open dawn to dusk. If you walked it this weekend and did not thank the people with the wheelbarrows, there is still time.
Related: Community news · Environment & Land
Further reading: About recreational trails
