Over 715 volunteers lent more than 2,000 hours of their time to loving the trails this summer. Despite decreasing our Adopt A Trail teams from 80 last year to just 60 this season, we saw an increase in our total volunteer hours as well as almost doubling the feet of tread repaired and restored. From the exceptional efforts of the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District on Gore Creek to OCG Design collaborating with our Trail Conservation Crew on Mike’s Night Out, we have seen an unprecedented amount of volunteer work that goes beyond expectation. This season, teams showed up, worked with various land managers on more technical projects, and enjoyed the fruits of their labor by riding, running, hiking, and horseback riding on the trails that they maintained.
Under the tutelage of Emily Carney, our wonderful Volunteer Crew Leader this season, we were able to dedicate more time to connect and support teams, and create intentional projects that allowed new and veteran trail builders alike to make significant improvements to their adopted trails. Teams battled the “moon dust” on Haymaker, the unpredictability of Colorado thunderstorms, and a few chance encounters with wildlife.
Changes in expectations and improvements were implemented to ensure a better volunteer experience with updated rewards and recognition. Our AAT teams rose to the occasion, asking us how they could support bigger projects and sharing their excitement for the opportunity to adopt new trails this summer.
For many of our volunteers and local trail users, to live in the Vail Valley means a love of the outdoors. Recreation manifests itself in many different ways but loving our trails is a common value.
Most Volunteers
Vail Club 50
Most Volunteer Hours
BG Buildingworks
Best Post Party Team
Ladies Trail Crew
Trail Project of the Year
OCG Design Management
Most Trail Work Days
Walking Mountains
AAT Team of the Year
Partners Environmental & Rutsu
Thank you, Volunteers.
The connection we share to our trails is palpable; we are stewards of a landscape that we believe in maintaining and preserving, a landscape where we play, escape, and can step away from our day to day routines. It is our love of these trails that continues to motivate us to improve and maintain them, an appreciation and respect in the understanding that trails are for everyone to enjoy.
Visitors and locals alike brought their curiosity and gratitude for the work that was being done during each Adopt A Trail event. An echo of “thank you” was shared and continues to encourage us to do what we can to create an enjoyable experience for all trail users.
Thank you for an incredible summer. Thank you for adapting and changing, and your willingness to be taught new skills and to share your experiences with others.
Our volunteers are what makes Adopt A Trail a fundamental part of VVMTA.
To our Adopt A Trails teams, thank you for loving your trails.
Molly DeLallo, Trail Stewardship Coordinator
Molly Wants You To Support our Adopt A Trail Volunteers:
Donate now to support our volunteers with:
- Swag: We want to give our volunteers some swag that they can wear on the trails and showcase their volunteerism throughout our community!
- Tools: Sharper tools, newer tools, and enough tools are needed to support our growing number of teams and volunteers!
- Food & Drink: Social hour after a hard but fun trail work project is (in our opinion) the best way to celebrate a great trail project with your friends and colleagues.
- Training: Our volunteers constantly yearn for more knowledge, training, and growing their trail work skills!
