Trail Maintenance - Causes, Problems, Possibilities
Trail maintenance is a multi-faceted puzzle.
There are many factors that affect their ability to be maintained, with some of them having a more widespread influence and others more localized.
It would be useful for continuity to separate these factors into two main groups.
Those due to natural causes, which influence and shape the local environment in question, and those due to anthropogenic causes, which determine the degree of concern by humans that has contributed to their creation.
The natural causes are determined primarily by the topography, the broader morphology of the land and the vegetation. Then, as a function of these, the degree of natural deterioration resulting from heavy rainfall, drought and extensive snow cover is also determined.
The vegetation of each area also sets the criteria for the choice of intervention for the stages of total restoration of a trail.
Depending on the species and density of vegetation, the degree of difficulty varies. Often we find hermetically sealed trails, where cutting and removal of branches, shrubs and debris are necessary to carry out the first step of restoration. Chipping (instead of horse shoes) or mechanical mowing (instead of sheep and goat grazing) in herbaceous vegetation, moving fallen logs, retaining walls, steps and other techniques that facilitate walkability come in a second time to complete the cycle of required work.
The particularities of each case, in addition to the type of work, determine the frequency of cleaning required, it is there that we see once again the impact of desolation in the villages on the paths and everything related to the cultural characteristics of a place.
Bearing in mind that the best way to maintain a path is to pass through it frequently, and since it is no longer used by conductors and herdsmen, promoting it to the touring public under certain conditions shows that it can become a viable practice.
Let`s not forget that there are many cases where a maintained path by hikers helped the locals remaining to move to their jobs, mainly shepherds, farmers and plumbers (for the maintenance of the water supply network), as well as forestry and fire department employees.
In path corridors with bushy or taller vegetation, care once a year may be sufficient or a good opening with a 5-year perspective. On the other hand, in areas with ferns, nettles, bramble and other weeds, care may be required three to five times a year. Regular monitoring for immediate intervention plays a role here, as does the degree of visitation.
The topography of the terrain through its geometry is fundamental to maintaining smooth and safe passage.
Steep slopes, large differences in altitude, any water run-off and small and large streams, combined with the prevailing environmental conditions, are decisive for the ability to maintain the paths.
From the time they cease to be used, the paths are covered by soil, stones, rocks, branches, leaves, fallen tree trunks and, occasionally, exposed parts of the paths retreat into stream beds through erosion.
Due to the lack of regular maintenance, bridges and dry stone walls are falling down, cutting off all communication for pedestrians.
It is no coincidence that since ancient times the main concern of societies, after the residential (houses, public buildings, fortifications, etc.), has been communication routes.
Many technological, architectural and a multitude of other disciplines developed through the need to create communication routes.
Culverts, bridges, supports, walls, trenches, tunnels, water management works and a whole host of other sectors were largely specialised through this need. The development of masonry remains the top priority to this day, as stone is the ultimate building material until the industrial revolution.
The man-made factors, on the other hand, have to do, in principle, with the change over time in the general conditions that have made it necessary to create and operate them and with the universal use of motoring and carriage roads.
Roads, which are not few in number, have buried in their bowels parts of paths as they were formed on them, while in general they have caused the complete abandonment of the old axes, which are now in a poor state of repair, with in some places, with landslides that make passage dangerous to the point of being prohibitive even to a maintenance crew.
On the margins we find some paths, either due to unauthorized interventions, or due to the recent settlement of property boundaries, with fences that compulsorily interrupt the passage.
The general and escalating ignorance of the local communities is, in conclusion, one of the most important parameters for the current image of our trails.
In this regard, an optimistic picture for the future is brought by groups across the country that have raised awareness and maintained to some extent, the dorers of forgotten trails. However, to see a trail in its original form and fully restored requires a holistic hands-on approach and this requires a commitment of time and focus. Who has that capability today?
We conclude that the sustainability of trails is a small equation with territorial and environmental variables, which without the regular diligence of some people are enough to put them into a process of `decomposition`, as is the case with most of this vast network that once served the needs of man and his evolution.
The potential for preserving and exploiting a small percentage of trails that can be brought back to life is not clear. There is intent by many, but we believe there is confusion as to the motivation, beyond institutional issues, for maintaining and marking a hiking trail. Someone should untangle this tangle so that the now hundreds of trail enthusiasts, operating through clubs, can clearly follow the steps and bring the trails of their hearts back to life under the best conditions. Objectively, trail maintenance and marking cannot and should not become a contractor`s business, because they are eaten by orphanhood when years pass without maintenance and responsible promotion, while the contractor continues onward and the local community has branded it as a deliverable and not a breath of fresh air for all!
Neither can the clubs without proper training, licensing from relevant agencies and means of maintenance, somewhere the happy medium lies.
An irrefutable fact, is that a big fuss started being made as soon as the government announced financial assistance for the maintenance and enhancement of trails. This manifests people`s desire to maintain trails, but does not ensure the positive development we would like to see, as there is no clear manual, apart from legislation which in our practical opinion needs improvement.
The causes of trail abandonment and the problems are what we obviously know. Our potential as an ever-growing community to respect and preserve them is now time to discover them!