Then we worked with double blade axes and mattocks and shovels rakes and other tools. It was all done by hand,” says Dundas. The Boy Scouts started out ensuring there was at least an 18” wide path. This evolved into preparing the tread surface, and the trails got a bit wider. Charlie reminisces, “Then we start-
ed reading the Forest Service Manual and learned about water bars and about side hill construction. And so we began to incorporate those kinds of techniques into our trail.”
As their experience and knowl-
edge grew, so did the interest from local folks. Charlie and his “brothers” got a reputation for doing quality trail work, and they started working on projects in other areas. Eventually, Charlie realized that there was a busi- ness potential here, so he started his own trail building company. They’ve been at it for 30 years.
What is the best innovation you’ve seen in trail building?
Charlie’s instant response to this question is that the most important innovation in trail building in his time sized dozers, mini excavators, and var- ious walk-behind and ride-on skid steers).
Charlie says, “The trails that were built by the CCC, things that were done by the WPA in this country, it just couldn’t be done today because you could not get the huge number of peo- ple to do the work. So, we had to turn to mechanization.”
Charlie goes on to say, “The fact is that history has changed and we no longer have great empires with masses of people to build amazing things. But given the time, equipment, and man- power, you can still do tremendous work. And given enough time and money, you can build trails anywhere, I’m proof of that.” “Today, they want trails wide enough to be able to run equipment over the trails to do the maintenance, because they don’t have large numbers of people. They have two or three guys to throw the chain saws and tools in
the back of a UTV to go out and do the work. You can’t build those size trails by hand.” So mechanized construction became the norm for Tri-State Company.
What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into trail building today?
If you know anything about Charlie, you know, he is NEVER short
of advice. Charlie says, “So my advice to
of all, you don’t just enter this business from scratch. There is no apprentice- ship program or anything. You have to gain some experience through on the job training. Work with an existing trail building company, or a youth corps, or a Forest Service crew. If you can’t do that, then you need to sit down and
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