Back to the mountains: the Scorpion trail crew
By Envision Magazine on June 19, 2014
Story by Kyle Hentschel
Photos by Kathryn Boyd-Batstone
Multimedia by Kallyn Ehlers
Even as dirt flies in their faces and beads of sweat fall from their hard hats, it’s difficult to pull them away from their work for a lunch break. The average age of the Scorpions is 66, and nearly every Thursday this group of retirees can be found swinging tools in the forest for six to ten hours. The work ethic and dedication that has come to define the Scorpions also unites them under one common cause: preserving and restoring Oregon’s national forests through volunteer trail maintenance.
The Scorpions are part of a larger web of trail stewardship called the High Cascade Forest Volunteers (HCFV), a group founded in 2005 as a means to sustain, strengthen and disperse volunteer work throughout the national forests. They derive their name from one particular project during which there were scorpions on the trail.
“It gave us an identity and a symbol. People are proud to put a Scorpion sticker on their helmet,” says Ron Robinson, who started the group and continues to organize the Scorpions’ trail work.
The HCFV works closely with the United States Forest Service and groups like the Scorpions to connect volunteers to trail projects, which has become central to maintaining the forests. The U.S. Forest Service’s shrinking monetary allocations due to the fluctuating economy make the process of funding preservation and restoration increasingly difficult.
“At this point in time, we rely on the volunteers to get some of our basic work done because we no longer have the wherewithal to do that,” says Kent Wellner, the Recreation Staff Officer at the Willamette National Forest in the central Cascades of Oregon.“Right now, the volunteer groups are an essential part of providing a recreational experience for the public.”
Recognizing this dependency, the Scorpions follow through on their commitment to the public and to the national forests, even if this means driving for hours to reach the trailhead, trekking for miles with their heavy tools, and working through adverse weather conditions.
“We have really built a trust with the Forest Service because they know that when we take on a job, we finish the job,” says Robinson. He describes the work ethic of his group as “astonishing.”
Trail maintenance typically involves clearing of brush and boulders, sawing through fallen trees, and trail rerouting for greater ease of access to all visitors.
“It’s a world of digging, pushing, shoving, and sawing,” says Robinson. “We love what we do. If you don’t love it, you are not going to be out there. It’s physically demanding.”
Trails are avenues through which park visitors can explore new places or reach destinations. While trail maintenance promotes this positive recreational experience, it is also crucial to preserving the environment.
“When you clear a trail, you keep the impact on the trail and that’s very important for the natural environment in the surrounding area,” says Wellner. In wet, forested climates, rainwater often collects in the middle of the trail due to poor drainage and large trees can fall across the path. In these situations, people tend to find alternative routes around the obstacle, further damaging plants and terrain.
When volunteer groups are out on the trails, they also become the eyes and ears of the forest service and help to keep recreation areas clean.
“They are an appendage for us. They see things that we need to respond to, let us know what’s going on, clean campsites and trailheads, and bring trash back. That has a huge impact on the environment,” Wellner adds.
While the HCFV and the Scorpions have been recognized both regionally and nationally for their service, there is an evident intrinsic motivation that does not require a plaque or certificate.
“All of these men and women who go out love to be out there,” says Judy Mitchell, who retired from the Forest Service to become volunteer coordinator for the HCFV. “This is a payback for all the years that the forest looked great when they went out. They have a vested interest in making sure the forest stays that way.”
The shift from passive enjoyment to conscientious preservation seems to occur naturally for trail stewards as a means to give back. While each of the Scorpions hail from different backgrounds, they all return home tired, sore, and fulfilled knowing they have made a positive impact.
“The change I didn’t expect was the kind of conversion from a user to a steward. I’d never thought about trails as a cultural thing that had been made and preserved,” says Erik Mueller, a member of the Scorpions and one of the oldest in the group at age 73. “There is a caring responsibility that happens.”
This acquired loyalty to the forests does not dissipate with age, and even as physical limitations may interfere, there is always work to be done.
“As long as I can organize trail projects and get people to go, I will continue doing that until I just can’t do it anymore,” says Robinson, also 73, whose passion and commitment are central to his leadership role and one of the many reasons The Scorpions sustain an interest in volunteering every week.
“Growing old is a process with its own rewards but with its own limitations,” says Mueller. While both his and Robinson’s time swinging tools may be coming to an end, the relationships built over the years will continue.
“We have been together for quite a while now, some of us six or seven years, so you get to know each other. We all have our own lives and we don’t have a lot of interaction outside the trails, but we are all pretty darn good friends,” says Robinson. Participation every Thursday is a product of the strong network of companionship the Scorpions and Robinson have constructed over the years.
Trail maintenance is mutually beneficial for both the forest and the individual as involvement in such generative practices is essential to the livelihood of the volunteers. The work of the HCFV is dependent on this connection and encourages anyone to join them on the trails. As volunteer groups have begun to thin out, it becomes essential for people of all ages to take part in the preservation of the forests.
“It has turned out to be all my expectations and more. It got me back out into the world that I love, back into the mountains,” Robinson says, smiling.