In celebration of this, my family and I (even the 16-month-old) along with more than 50 other volunteers joined staff from REI Sandy, the U.S. Forest Service, Sandy City Parks Department, and the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation for four hours of trail maintenance and cleanup along the Quail Hollow Trail.

The organizers lead groups of volunteers to specific parts of the trail to do work suited to each ability level.  Some were using pick-axes to de-rock sections of trail, pulling up boulders the size of basketballs; others were cutting into a hillside to widen the trail and then contouring it.  There were a range of projects, all the way down to our group — the kid group — who labored to pull out invasive species of plants from the hillsides along the trail.

I expected to go and work hard, which we did.  I expected to be able to provide an opportunity to teach my children both the value of hard work and the value of providing service to their community, in this case, to our “outdoor community,” which I did.  What I wasn’t entirely prepared for was the joy that everyone seemed to feel and the fun we all had.  Every adult and child gave all their energy for four hours.  Every person was exhausted, dirty, and hot by the time we were done.  Every person was constantly grinning and encouraging those around them.  No one ever complained — not even our baby.  My youngest gave it her best shot to pull weeds up alongside her sister and brothers, helped put weeds into bags, and bumbled around the trail, playing and squealing with joy.

Unfortunately, National Trails Day and the events planned for it, only come once a year.  From speaking with representatives from the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and REI, here are their two top suggestions for what outdoor enthusiasts can do to give back to the places and communities in which they play all year-round:

1. If you see something that doesn’t belong (litter, lost gear) pack it out, and be careful to never leave you own things behind for someone else to have to deal with — leave your space more natural than you found it.
2. Check with organizations like REI, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, city parks departments, state parks, etc. for information on work projects they may have planned throughout the year — cleanup and maintenance don’t get done in four hours, once a year, and chances are they would love more volunteers.

IF YOU GO:
Go hike the Quail Hollow Trail and check out our handy work.  It is an easy trail that skirts the bank of a stream, moderately steep in some sections, but fairly short — a great place for a hike with children or dogs.

Directions:
From Provo, take I-15 North. Exit at 10600 South (exit 293), turning right off the exit, heading east on 10600 South. Left on State Street.  Right on 9400 South, heading east (keep right where it forks and seems to go straight into the shopping center with Lowe’s). Left on Quail Hollow Drive (a residential street), following it around a few bends.  Right on Durban Road, follow it through the gates and park in the nicely sized gravel lot at the trail head.  Head up the dirt road in the northeast corner of the lot, and it will lead you to the trail.

For more information on volunteer opportunities check out the following:

The events calendar for the Sandy store on REI’s website, www.rei.com/stores/store_events.jsp?store=81 .  They sponsor classes and community projects in concert with area agencies throughout the year.

The volunteer section of the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation Web site, www.cottonwoodcanyons.org/volunteer/ .

The “Get Involved” section of the Utah State Parks Web site, http://stateparks.utah.gov/volunteer .

The volunteer section of the Bureau of Land Management, Utah, Web site, www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/res/volunteer.3.html .

The volunteer section of the U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Web site, www.fs.fed.us/r4/volunteer/ .