Rocks and Trails

The Greenway Leadership Corps (GLC) tried rock climbing for the first time with the help of Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). After meeting in Denver, we all piled in a van and drove up to Eldorado Canyon State Park. When we arrived, CPW already had ropes set up for us, and we quickly got outfitted with climbing shoes, harnesses, and helmets. Our guides explained how our harnesses worked, and everyone got to practice tying double figure-eight knots. Then it was time to climb on! CPW had put up three different routes for us to try, all with varying difficulty. Everyone was able to hop on all of the climbs they wanted to try - and just in time because soon rain clouds rolled in and we had to wrap up our time on the rock.

We returned our climbing gear, and ran for shelter to eat our lunch. The rain quickly cleared, and we joined back with our friends from WRV and CPW for the second part of our day: trail building! We began with a project that involved shovels, wheelbarrows, and dirt tampers. We transferred dirt down trail in order to even out the trail surface. This made this popular section of the trail safer and more accessible for visitors.

​After transferring the truckload of dirt, we switched gears - and tools - and travelled further along Boulder Creek for our next project. With shears, we carefully cut willows along the creek bank so we could replant them further downstream. To prep the cut willows, we removed any leaves so that when the newly planted willows began to regrow, they could focus all of their energy on growing roots, instead of maintaining their leaves. We carried the cut willows in water to a location further along the trail, and replanted the willow stalks right in the water, on the edge of the creek. To make holes for the willow stalks, we pounded stakes into the ground, and then simply placed the stalks in the hole. Once the willows take root, they will help with erosion along the banks.
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​Thank you so much to WRV and CPW for helping so much with our day in Eldo - we had an amazing time and hope to come back soon!