Trail Crew

Chestatee boasts over 5 miles of groomed trails throughout the wooded hills of the High School and Middle School properties. Our distance runners, along with the general public, use these trails all twelve months of the year. Because of this, our trails need routine maintenance to keep the trails clear, safe, and accessible throughout every season.

Our trail system is maintained solely upon volunteer help to clear the trails regularly of leaves and sticks, rake and level washed out areas, prune overhanging branches, evaluate the health of the trails after storms, and occasionally remove fallen trees.

The most needed task is clearing the trail of leaves and small sticks which is easiest with a gas-powered backpack blower. Most "sections" of the trail can be easily done in 45-60 minutes depending on the equipment used and how covered the trails are...but it is GREAT EXERCISE while helping a great cause!

If you are interested in being part of the CHSXC Maintenance Team, please contact Josh Dobson or Will Stewart.

NOTE: Due to campus security concerns, please do not attempt to clear the course during school hours unless you are a registered coach or have prior clearance to be on school grounds.

CXC TRAIL CREW VOLUNTEERS
Josh Dobson
Wes Wessley
Will Stewart
Henry Irvin
Geoff Chaffin

PRESEASON (MAY-JUL)

TRAIL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
Summer conditioning starts at the end of May. We make sure to clear debris (AND POLLEN) from the trails. Frequency is about once every 2-3 weeks. The trail system can be cleared in segments, rather than the entire system at one time.

2-3 WEEKS BEFORE RACE

COURSE MAINTENANCE WORK BEE
About 2-3 weeks before our race, we will call a work bee to help get the course ready. This event usually takes place on a Saturday morning from about 7am until 11am.

Tasks required are:

Clearing debris from trails to prep for spray painting
Grading and Leveling washout areas, especially on hills
Spray painting roots
Pruning overhanging branches up at least 8 feet above the trails
Mowing and trimming weeds down in the lower meadow
Taking inventory of race supplies

24-48 HOURS BEFORE RACE

COURSE CLEARING
The Course Setup crew will need as much debris cleared from the trails as possible as they will be putting down spray paint to mark the course. Plan on checking on the course Wednesday or Thursday evening before the race to alleviate having to clear the trail on Friday.

SETUP DAY BEFORE RACE

COURSE SETUP
There is a flury of activity the day before our race. This event usually starts at 8am Friday morning and continues until we are finished. NOTE: This is during school hours, so volunteers will need prior clearance through the Head Coach (as we need to notify both the HS and MS administration). You will also be required to get a visitor badge from the HS Front Office.

Tasks required are:

Final walkthrough inspection of the race course
Setting up flags and stakes in the start/finish area
Spray paint boundary lines along course, as needed
Stake and Flag areas in course to keep runners from cutting course
Mow grass on course to "race length" which is basically fairway length on a golf course
Setup course and spectator signage
Help move concessions and supplies to Baseball Concourse

0-24 HOURS BEFORE RACE

RACE COURSE MAINTENANCE 'MINUTE MEN'
During the Revolutionary War, the Minute Men were a group of militia that were "ready at a minutes notice" in the event they had to organize a defense. While not as dramatic, we need to have the same mentality here. Last minute storms the night before a meet can wreak havoc on a trail that is ready to go. In the event storms are in the forecast, this crew is put on standby to be ready to show up EARLY to clear any debris, water, and/or trees that may cause issues with getting our race started by 7:30am. If storms are in the forecast within 24 hours to the race start, this team will appoint a "first responder" to check the trail system after the storm passes to evaluate the health of the actual race course. In the event that significant debris will need to be removed, they will alert the rest of the minutemen to report for duty at a designated time in the morning (may vary depending on how much debris there is).

It is beneficial if these volunteers have ready access to gas-powered leaf blowers, chainsaws, and landscape equipment for quick debris removal.

HALL COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP AT NORTH HALL COMMUNITY CENTER (AKA "NOPONE")
In the past we have offered to help clear the race course at North Hall Community Center for the Hall County Championship. While this race is managed by North Hall High School, the County Championship is all of our schools race and we should take some part in the setup process. One way we help is that we have a couple of "Trail Dads" that have backpack blowers head over early to clear acorns and leaves as they usually have one person do the entire thing. Adding a few more helps make light work and helps clear more debris. Just remember to bring a headlamp as it will be dark!

8-10 WEEKS AFTER THE RACE (SEP-NOV)

TRAIL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
Until the season is completely done by the middle of November, we have to routinely make sure that debris is cleared off the course to keep our Chestatee runners safe when out on the trails. This usually requires 60-90 minutes of time every 2-3 weeks (or 1-2 days after a large storm) depending how powerful of a leaf blower you have.

Clearing the trails may be required every 3-4 days once leaves start dropping in the fall and due to earlier sunset, partial clearance may only be possible at one time.

OFFSEASON (DEC-MAY)

TRAIL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
Our Track & Field distance runners still use the trails to train on once XC is done, so we just need to make sure that debris is cleared out periodically during the winter and spring months. Coach Wes or one of the runners will usually alert us if some work is needed on the trails, especially if there is a workout planned for the track distance runners.

We can also use this time to identify potential washout areas, leaning trees, and other hazards that could become an issue in the future and make plans to address them before the XC Summer Conditioning starts (when it gets hot out).

Google Sites

Report abuse