How can we show up for the trails and lands that mean so much to us? We’re living in a moment when our public lands are facing continued pressure. From federal budget cuts to changing environmental protections and the effects of a years-long drought on trails, local wildlife and ecosystems. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of these challenges, especially when the places we love are increasingly vulnerable.
Loving our trails can look like respecting a closed trail, even when we’re eager to explore. It can look like picking up a tool and repairing tread on established trails. Sometimes it means choosing what’s best for the land, even when it’s less convenient for us. It can mean slowing down to let another trail user pass, sharing a favorite route with someone experiencing it for the first time, or simply taking the time to notice the wildflowers, wildlife, and changing landscape around us. For our team at the VVMTA, we pour endless love into our trails in different ways, and August was no different. Here’s a look back to last month with what we accomplished…
Trail and Stewardship Crew
The Trail and Stewardship Crew (TSC) does the bulk of the heavy lifting pouring love into our trails. This month, their main project was rebuilding a series of bridges on the Grouse Lake Trail in Minturn. The work was hard and slow going, one crew member noted that it “took us two hours to move 50 feet”, and in total the project took just under 1000 hours of labor to complete. But the result was something spectacular–3 new bridges were built of considerable lengths (32 feet, 27 feet and 20 feet respectively), 14 downed trees were cleared, countless rocks were moved, and 15 feet of trail was decommissioned while 20 feet of new trail was built.
Adopt A Trail
Adopt A Trail (AAT) was busy this month, too, with over 800 volunteer hours between 20 teams, spent loving on our trails all up and down the Vail Valley. Over 7 miles of trail were covered, 83 drainages were created or cleared, 27 trees were removed, over 2,500 feet of tread was repaired or constructed, and over 6,200 feet of corridor were cleared. One AAT leader, Jessie, said ‘Adopt A Trail is my passion project, so thank you all for coming out with me today to help!” A younger participant, while working on a trail in Gypsum, said “Thank you (Shawna and VVMTA) for making our dreams a reality”. When we show up for what we love and what we are passionate about, the sky is the limit!
Congratulations to our August Team of the Month, All Points North! Led by Adopt A Trail Team Leader Jessie Rethman, All Points North has been a dedicated partner on Everkrisp and has already completed three separate trail work events this summer. Their crew has tackled everything from tread and drainage improvements on both sides of Everkrisp to building a rock bench at one of the trail’s best viewpoints. Across their three events, the team has contributed 48 volunteer hours to caring for Everkrisp and helping keep this popular trail in great shape. A huge thank you to Jessie for continuing to organize and lead the team, and to everyone at All Points North for showing up for our trails!
Congratulations to our August Volunteer of the Month, Brent Drever! Brent has quickly become an incredibly dedicated member of VVMTA’s volunteer community. He joined the Adopt A Trail program as a Team Leader for The Club in 2025 and has continued to step up for trail projects throughout Eagle. He’s also a regular member of the Town of Eagle’s D.I.R.T. Crew, lending his time and trail skills wherever they’re needed. His work on Abram’s has been especially impactful. In his first year as an Adopt A Trail Team Leader, The Club’s work on Abram’s earned VVMTA’s 2025 Project of the Year, and Brent has continued to stay involved in improving the trail ever since. Whether he’s leading his own Adopt A Trail team or showing up with the D.I.R.T. Crew, Brent brings enthusiasm, leadership, and a genuine dedication to taking care of our local trails. Thanks for all you do, Brent!
Ladies Trail Crew
Ladies Trail Crew (LTC) is rooted in love. A love for our trails, for giving back, and for the connection and community we build along the way. 26 women joined forces to tackle a reroute of a section of trail on the Arrowhead Mountain Trail. LTC was able to lay the grounds for a gentler climbing trail to access some of the amazing trails in this area. 300 feet of new trail was constructed, 1 drainage was cleared and 4 trees were removed.
As Hailee Rustad, founder and leader of The LTC notes, “this was the perfect evening to spend in a beautiful aspen grove, starting from grass and creating tread, trying new things, and socializing with new people! This was a serious win!”
Trail Ambassadors
The Trail Ambassadors (TAs) encountered more than 1,200 trail users recreating and enjoying the Vail Valley’s trails. Along the way, they’ve had conversations about everything from fire restrictions, camping advice like how to use the bathroom responsibly in the outdoors, and even giving trail users directions when they might be going the wrong way. These small conversations help all of us become more thoughtful stewards of the places we love, and they help to connect all of us to the mission that the VVMTA promotes. Our Ambassador, Alex, wrote, “We met a pair of backpackers that Melanie had met on the same trail the last time she went to Beaver Lake. It was cool to talk to them, and they remembered us, and the moose-centric conversation Mel had previously. I think the VVMTA visibility and friendliness connect to our community goals.” Moments like this are a reminder that loving our trails is as simple as a conversation, a shared trail tip, or simply being a friendly and familiar face out on the trail.
Soul Dirt
Soul Dirt provides free hikes and mountain bike rides on, creating opportunities for people who may not otherwise have the same access to outdoor recreation. By welcoming more people onto our trails, we get to share the love, joy, and connection that come from spending time outside—and hopefully inspire a love for these places that lasts a lifetime. This month, we partnered with RECONNECTED Mountain Pride, Mountain Recreation, Campeones del Sistema and Exploremos. Between these programs, over 60 miles of trails in the Vail Valley were explored by two wheels, and around 4 miles by two feet. One participant from our hike with Campeones del Sistema said “I feel like I can be my most real self when I am outside. Loud, quiet, silly, serious, empowered, I can just be me”. Trails mean freedom. Freedom to explore. Freedom to have fun. Freedom to be yourself.
Why We Love Trails
Trails connect us to the landscape, but they also connect us to one another. They give us space to challenge ourselves, clear our heads, spend time with friends, introduce someone to a new outdoor experience, and feel a little more at home in the place we live. When we love our trails, we show up in body, mind and spirit to not just enjoy these places, but to better them and in turn, ourselves. And hopefully, if we get this equation right, we can leave them better than we found them. Love your trails. Advocate for them. Care for them. Share them. And help make sure they’re here for the next person, too.
