Trail work marks the start of hiking and biking season

PALMER — Now that the snow is gone and the sun is out, hikers and mountain bikers are taking to the trails to spiff them up for the season.

“We put out a call to members to come out and sweep up those trails, kick sticks off, there might be some light dirt work to repair tread here and there and promote drainage,” said Jo Ortner with Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers.

Anyone who wants to help can show up Saturday at the Crevasse Moraine Trailhead at 10 a.m. to work on Mooseberry Mesa and other trails.

Ortner said volunteers don’t need to bring their own tools because the group has loaners. It’s usually an all-day affair, though, so you might want to bring food and water.

This coming week also marks the start of VMBaH’s Mat-Su Kids Bike’n’Hike. On Wednesday, the group will meet at the Palmer Center for Sustainable Living, formerly known as the Experiment Farm, for the mountain biking portion.

“It’s about $20 for one child or $40 for two or more in a family, and then they also have to be members of Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers,” said Dave Musgrave, the program’s organizer.

Parents and kids can sign up on site for the class and to become members.

“We will be teaching mountain biking skills,” Musgrave said. “We’ll be doing some trail riding around the greenbelt area.”

Hikes start that following Saturday, and the first session meets at the Government Peak trail.

Over the course of the summer, Musgrave said, the group will hit trails such as Crevasse Morraine, Bodenburg Butte and others in the Hatcher Pass area. They’ll also head out on what’s being called the Lazy Moose Trail, which VMBaH put in last year, and offers an easier hike up Lazy Mountain.

“It’s not all rutted out like the one that goes straight up,” Musgrave said. “It’s a really nice hike.”

Kids have to be at least 6 years old to hike and at least 8 years old to mountain bike. Children under 6 have to be accompanied by an adult. The group has some bikes for rent.

For more information, contact Musgrave at 982-7553 or visit facebook.com/MatSuKidsBikenHike.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.