national trails day

A little-known fact: Today is National Trails Day. While I usually opt to ignore the numerous "National _____ Day" events that happen nearly every day around the country, I like this one, because, of course, I like to be outside and hike. It also offers an annual opportunity to volunteer in the area.

The past couple years, I have been a part of the REI trail day project cutting out brush for new trails, or collecting litter. Today, I went down to the park at Lake Padden, and followed the crowd of green t-shirts to "re-develop" short cut trails that people have created over time. We broke up the ground, and spread branches and wood over the areas to make them less negotiable for trail-cheaters.

After that we went after Smelly Bob. No, this wasn't a member of our group; it's a non-native species of plant that is quite invasive. Although, pretty; especially with its' purple flowers, it chemically kills other native plants and is difficult to eradicate. An hour of "weeding" out Smelly Bobs, we finished up our project and left with a new water bottle, fancy green t-shirt, and a pair of hiking socks.

The weather was gorgeous for the morning activity, but now I'm ready for a nap before heading off to work (more on Starbucks later).