In 2021, Neil and Mark found themselves busy with several small projects that ran the gamut from volunteer training to construction project management. Covid kept the first half of the year quiet, but trail projects began to get more active in late summer and fall.

Circle Trail, Rico CO

In August and September, 2021, Neil traveled to Rico in southwest Colorado on a contract with the Rico Trails Alliance to train and lead volunteer crews in basic trail construction, design and maintenance. The training included building a reroute of the Circle Trail. The end result: a reroute of more than 1,000 feet (0.20 miles) including the southernmost section where the Circle Trail intersects the Colorado Trail.

Each summer since, Neil has continued to travel to help the Rico Trails Alliance, train and supervise at volunteer work events, including maintenance and reroutes that provide sustainable alternatives to the original alignment.

Camp Verde

In November 2021, Mark went up to Camp Verde to work with Matt Roberts of Flagline Trails, laying out loop trails in the Jackson Flats area. The Town of Camp Verde and surrounding land management agencies are developing a network of trails to complement existing trails in the area. The landscapes in and around Camp Verde provide the potential to become a destination for visitors and an attractive amenity for residents.

Amerind Museum

Nestled among stunning rock formations in the Dragoon Mountains of Southeast Arizona, the Amerind Museum property is an ideal trail location, with a nearly overwhelming panoply of visual treats. In December, Trails Inspired project lead Sirena Rana and Mark found routes threading between and among the boulders that is sure to amaze and inspire visitors from around the world.
Mark continues to provide project leadership at Amerind, and has recently scoped an additional future trail that orbits the area.

Arcadia National Recreation Trail

In mid-December, Mark provided project management services for the Coronado National Forest’s Safford Ranger District on a project to rehabilitate the Arcadia Trail, and build a reroute of the trail at Wet Creek. Working with the Fort Grant Wildfire Crew, he was deeply impressed with the work ethic, enthusiasm and “coachability” of the inmate crew. The work was about as hard as trail construction can get, and they adapted their firefighting skills to the more refined techniques needed to build trails, much of it on steep side slopes and requiring a lot of rock work, both for support and embankment protection.