William “Bill” Wilson has championed Sonoma Overlook Trail’s more complex endeavors for over 12 years.  His engineering background and technical chops inform his immense contribution to our team. Enjoy this exchange between Bill and his wife, Overlook Steward Mary Nesbitt!

What sparked your personal interest in the Overlook Trail?
We discovered the trail in 2004 on one of many visits to northern California, looking for the right place to retire. Ten years later, settled in Sonoma and enjoying the Valley’s splendid natural beauty and network of trails, we heard from Joanna Kemper, then chair of the volunteer Overlook stewards, that a project was brewing in which we might be interested. And so the multi-year effort to thoroughly rehabilitate the Overlook Trail began.

What’s your background?
My working life was mostly in the heavy truck and trailer industry in the U.S. and Canada. Trucks and trails–quite different animals. But as an engineering manager, I was often involved in project management and those skills are transferrable.

What have you learned from the Overlook rehabilitation?
Some engineers have a saying: ”When in doubt, make it stout, out of things you know about.” It was the second element that proved the greater challenge. I‘ve really enjoyed learning from trail designers, geologists and others about the variety of soils and rock in these hills and how best to work with them to create a more durable trail for future generations to enjoy.

Bill managing a specialized crew

What’s the best part of being an Overlook steward?
I derive a lot of pleasure from working a project with other like-minded people–the common purpose of defining it, planning it, raising funds for it, and then watching and helping a group of young people (a specialized trail crew) struggle, learn and overcome the challenges of trail rebuilding. It’s wonderful to see and feel their pride in accomplishment.

What’s next with the trail?
The Stewards have one last major undertaking before them: replacing the old wooden steps about 100 yards in from the kiosk. In trail design, it is known as a “control point”; it’s the only way through, and confined by Norrbom Road on one side and a “vernal swale” on the other. The railway ties are rotten in places and cracked and bowed in others. We will replace them with stone once the design is finalized, hopefully with work starting in 2027.