IRMO, S.C. — Friends of the Harbison State Forest gathered together Saturday morning to help rebuild the Lost Creek Trail. Over a dozen volunteers woke up and got to work early, all for the love of nature.
"I mountain bike out here, and I just sort of immediately knew that the trails don't form themselves, and my conscience bothered me," Charles Jordan, volunteer, said.
"It just gives me a sense of accomplishment and something everybody can use," Dennis Robertson, volunteer and board member, said.
They're all part of a non-profit group called the Friends of Harbison State Forest. Weekend trail work days like this one happen once a month. But this Saturday is the start of work on a new trail about three and a half miles long called the Lost Creek Trail.
A prescribed burn surrounding the route revealed its need to be rebuilt.
"There's a sustainable trail practice guide. You actually build them a certain way so that they don't erode. It has a lot to do with water and runoff, etc. We follow that meticulously," said John O'Neill, past group president.
O'Neill said this project is something the community has been asking for for a while now.
Friends of the Harbison State Forest also get leadership and advice from the SC Forestry Commission.
"Our membership and the user community out here is so excited about Lost Creek. If I get asked once, I get asked ten times; when are ya'll going to do Lost Creek," O'Neill said.
O'Neill said it was cheaper to do it this way.
"Probably costs $100,000 to have a trail builder do it, and we know that because we tried to hire one and get a grant and we didn't. So we bought this piece of equipment, which all of a sudden opened it up for us to do it ourselves," O'Neill said.
More hands mean less waiting and hiking sooner. The group explains it will take many more volunteer hours to finish it. They add that the next trail work day is Jan. 13, 2024.