Even as every day seems hotter than the one before, 15 members of the Honors College Assembly endured the heat Saturday to cut out a new hiking and biking trail at Lake Lurleen State Park.
The West Alabama Mountain Biking Association, Tuscaloosa’s chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, works directly with Lake Lurleen State Park and Munny Sokol Park to create and maintain bike trails. Adult volunteers from WAMBA led five teams of three students into the forest to propel the development of a new four-mile trail within the Lake Lurleen area.
“We wanted to create a new trail that was more family-friendly,” said WAMBA trail work coordinator Joe Fuller. “The other trails within the area have steep inclines, and we wanted to make one that was more accessible for young kids on their bikes.”
The trail planning period stretched over several months. The WAMBA committee utilized an inclinometer, topographical maps and a handheld GPS to design a path within the park that averaged a five-inch incline at a steady 320 feet.
The committee then marked the area with flags and cut the path out of the forest. Volunteers were consequently needed to follow behind the machine-cut path with hand tools to clear the excess brush, leaving a clean and accessible trail.
“Everyone was ready to get out here in the fresh air and volunteer,” said Emily Broman, director of civic engagement for HCA. “We were really able to see the progress of our work as we made our way down the trail. It’s just one of those projects where the number of volunteers really affects the work that you can accomplish.”
The students finished clearing one mile of the trail Saturday, which was considered a success to all involved.
“This experience really makes you so much more appreciative of what it takes to create these trails,” freshman volunteer Taylor Pauken said.
This day of service was the second at Lake Lurleen State Park this semester and the third at that location this year, and the HCA plans to continue their partnership with WAMBA this fall.
“The receptiveness of WAMBA is incredible,” Broman said. “First, they teach you what you need to know, and then, they allow you to come out and participate. They know what needs to be done, and we just provide the students. They are very generous.”
