Trail mix: Friends, dogs, and sugar ease young volunteers’ cleanup effort
A group of middle schoolers gathered at the Reformatory Branch Trail on November 15 to participate in its annual cleanup day.
Bundled in a hoodie and beanie, Chris Murphy took up a rake on the morning of November 15 to give back to a part of the community he regularly enjoys.
“I’ve ridden through here, I don’t know, hundreds of times,” he said. “I figured someone’s keeping the trails clean, so maybe it’s my turn.”
Murphy was one of a few dozen volunteers huddled up at the entrance to the Reformatory Branch Trail on Lowell Road at 9 a.m. He didn’t bring his own rake, but organizer and trail steward Michael Currie brought a few extras.
“A lot of times when you enjoy a trail or are out in nature and you’re just enjoying it, you may not know that there’s a lot of volunteer effort behind it,” Currie said.
He explained that the cleanup day has become an annual tradition predating his time as trail steward, with some years seeing better turnout than others.
“I think the first year I did it, I think I literally raked a half-mile trail by myself,” he said. “We might see it in past years, it’s been mainly hardcore trail people, and we’ve been trying to get more community people involved.”
This year, Currie was pleased to have a small group of middle schoolers out and ready to rake. After a brief history lesson to get everyone started, the work began.
Vivian Ring, one of those middle schoolers, was there because she said it was the right thing to do.
“There’s a lot of trees and leaves around, and we want to keep the trails clean and safe for everyone,” she said.
She was there with some friends, slowly making their way up the Reformatory Branch Trail, clearing the path by pulling leaves and debris to the side, just as Currie had demonstrated for everyone before the cleanup started.
A couple of other volunteers carried bags to collect any trash they found along the way. They were one of three groups clearing the trail that day.
Familiar territory
Tessa Barnett, also a middle schooler, said she was there because this is the trail she walks with her friends and their dog Moxie.
“Every time I walk Moxie with them,” she said, “I don’t like when it’s dirty and mucky, with leaves everywhere, and this is a trail we walk.”
Bicyclists and joggers would pass by as volunteers worked, eliciting “good morning” wishes and even a couple of thank-yous. Asked what would keep them going throughout their work that morning, some student volunteers said “sugar” or “friends.” A popular answer: the dogs that they got to see walking by.
For student Grace Drazen, pitching in embodies the spirit of the holiday right around the corner.
“We want to help because we live here,” she said, “and so we thought this could be our way to give thanks because it’s almost Thanksgiving, right?”
