At the beginning of June, 11 kids and two adults sponsored by Homer Alaska Youth for Envrionmental action, or HAYEA, loaded in to Mako's and Steve Fogg's water taxis for a trip to Halibut Cove. I was one of the 11 kids participating in Trail Day. Even though I have lived in Homer all my life and often go across the bay, I have never been to Halibut Cove. I had not really paid attention to Trail Day before, either.
It turns out that on both counts I had been missing out on some great opportunities. Halibut Cove is a beautiful camping spot with access to well maintained trails, and Trail Day weekend was a great chance to help improve trails while spending time among friends.
Before I went to work on the Coalition Loop trail, I thought I would not be much help working on the trails. I didn't know anything about trail maintenance, and I thought I would probably just end up clearing alders or weeds off the trail. Of course there was some of that to be done, but I also got to use a Polaski to move dirt and rebuild the trail in several places where there had been a washout.
Sound like boring, hard work? Well, it wasn't either of those for me. I was among friends and after no more than four hours of work we had made the trail passable, wider and less likely to wash out again. I felt great, knowing that I had helped make a fun hike possible for people, maybe even myself sometime in the future. It hadn't been as hard as I thought, partly because with trails work "many hands make light work."
I am not just trying to convince people to volunteer their time to improve our trails, though it is a worthwhile endeavor. While I was over there I was reminded of how lucky we are to live where we live. My friends and I had a fun-filled time camping in Halibut Cove. On our second night there we ignored our tents and slept on the dock under the night sky, which, because it was summer, never got fully dark. With the exception of a few unfortunate mosquitoes that got too close to me, it was a peaceful and relaxing way for everyone to spend a beautiful summer weekend.
As Alaskans, we should take advantage of the great trails we have and spend more time in the outdoors. We are extremely fortunate to have the Kachemak Bay State Park so close by. And not even just the park. There are some great hikes and wild places around Homer, some that we are familiar with and others that are less known. After the fun I had with Trail Day, I am going to get myself a trails map and explore the trails around Homer more thoroughly.
In many states, the government hires crews to build new trails. Around Homer, most of the trail work has been done by volunteers. Everyone involved in those efforts deserves a pat on the back. Our trails have come a long way. I know that a new trail was just put in near McNeil Canyon and there were loops added to the Homestead Trail. Great work, everybody. We need to keep this volunteer effort up, to maintain and build new trails.
The people of Homer also need to get out and enjoy our trails, here and across the bay, and not leave them solely to tourists. Everyone should share in the trails and wild places of the world, whether they are in the person's hometown or millions of miles away.
Taneeka Hansen is going into her junior year at Homer High School. She is active in HAYEA and an avid volleyball player. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors.
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