Rebuilding Trail at Saguaro NP

I've seen some worn trails but never one like this before.

You might think I was still at Grand Canyon but look closely.  This is the Garwood Trail at Saguaro National Park East near Tucson.  Heavy equestrian use has turned the trail into a trench.

This SCA ASB crew -- all volunteers from Vermont Academy -- has been working for the past week and a half to restore the hazardous trail.  In some cases they've re-routed it, and revegged and refilled old sections to discourage continued use.

Where do they get the plants they stick in the ground?  From anywhere nearby, usually from right along the trail where they may pose a hazard.  It took four students to transplant this thorny ocotillo.

By the time they were done, the team from V.A. had performed their camouflage and removed any trace of the old route.

Great work, everybody.  Next post, we'll spend the whole day with this hard working team!