Photo By Maj. Stephen Von Jett | A volunteer representing D Co., 3rd Military Information Support Battalion, 4th...... read more read more
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Volunteers representing D Co., 3rd Military Information Support Battalion, 4th Military Information Support Group, descended into the shaded depths of the lush forest along Cape Fear River Trail, March 30, 2016, to create a new bicycle trail.
On a bright and clear spring day they toted rakes, shovels, hoes and axes of all varieties to carve a path through the forest floor for cyclists to test their mettle.
Jacob Brown, a park ranger for the city of Fayetteville, led the excursion and guided the work to ensure the trail followed the county’s plan.
The new mountain bike trail will open at two-and-a-half miles long but will eventually be expanded to eight miles.
“Today we got a few hundred yards put in, which for one morning is quite a bit of work,” Brown said.
The project is estimated to take two years but that is where volunteer groups come in, helping to cut the timeline.
“We work with a partnership of the maintenance department and volunteer groups. I try and get as many volunteer groups as I can out and knock out bigger portions,” Brown said discussing the logistics that go into this sort of project. “The volunteer groups are essential to getting something like this done in a timely manner.”
Chief Warrant Officer William Holden of D Co. organized the event as part of the company’s monthly community outreach program. Holden chose the trail because he wanted to share it with his unit.
“This is a location here in Fayetteville that I really love and a lot of Soldiers aren’t aware of it,” Holden said.
Holden shared that being a part of any community requires some personal effort, but added that military units can and should volunteer to make Soldiers feel connected to the community in which they live.
“It’s little events like this that make me a proud member of the 4th Group,” Holden said.
The volunteers seemed proud as well. Several who knew their way around a brush axe took the opportunity to provide tips and words of caution to the less experienced. Others broke ground shaping banked turns or clearing deadfall along the twists and turns of the trail.
Family members were welcome to attend and also lent a hand. Brown made sure he was available to answer question about both the trail and the nature surrounding it. Numerous times volunteers would crowd around to learn about a seldom seen insect or a plant, which would have passed unremarked to the untrained eye.
At the end of the day hands were blistered, dirty faces showed streaks of sweat, and smiles abounded throughout the group.
Groups interested in volunteering to further the trail should contact Brown at the J. Bayard Clark Park & Nature Center at 631 Sherman Drive or call 910-433-1579.
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2016 13:02 |
| Story ID: | 194317 |
| Location: | FAYETTEVILLE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 127 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 3rd MISB volunteers cut new bike path along Cape Fear River Trail, by MAJ Stephen Von Jett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT