Teens and adult volunteers worked together.

You might think that the life of a volunteer trail steward is all glitz and glamor, and no one would fault you for thinking so. But no…it’s actually a life of picking up trash, reminding hikers of the rules, kicking loose rocks and branches off the trail, reporting trees down, and of course maintaining the property in as fine a condition as we possibly can.

It was this last responsibility that brought out a crew of 10 stewards and Sonoma Valley Teen Services members this past Saturday to reseed and cover with straw and jute webbing a shortcut (also called “rogue”) trail. This trail is very steep and prone to erosion, as well as being a hazard for hikers who walk down it in sometimes very slippery conditions. After letting it go for a while we decided that we needed to close it off for both hiker safety as well as to better protect the condition of the property.

Under the direction of Steward Fred Allebach, stewards and teen volunteers hauled seed, straw, rolls of burlap webbing, and other materials to the Upper Meadow Loop. They scraped the soil to prepare it for the seed, laid down the seed, covered it with straw, then webbing, then more straw.  Thankfully the rain held off until the next day. The soaking should give the seed a good start toward germinating.

We are very grateful to have a partner like Sonoma Valley Teen Services with which to work with on this project, as well as the individual teens who participated. If you would like to support the work of Sonoma Valley Teen Services, see their support page.

If you would like to support the work of the Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards, donations are tax deductible and can be sent to “Sonoma Overlook Trail Fund,” c/o Linda Felt, 18782 Deer Park Drive, Sonoma CA  95476.

Steward John Donnelly tacking down the webbing, with the town of Sonoma below.

Stewards Rich Gibson, Lynn Clary, and Fred Allebach after a good day’s work.