Timelapse: Moving a Thousand Pound Boulder by Hand

Click on the image to watch the short video on Facebook. Courtesy Matt Hagen.

Building great trails is both an art and a science. And sometimes like a game of real-world Tetris. To build a sustainable trail without making a huge impact on the surrounding land, our crew leaders often have to do some intricate problem-solving. Their creativity and precision are part of what make it possible for volunteers of all abilities and ages to help move mountains—or at least half-ton boulders—while staying safe and still having a lot of fun.

Yesterday on a brand new trail project on Squak Mountain, first time volunteer and trail runner Matt Hagen captured a timelapse showing how the crew used pulleys and ingenuity to shift a massive boulder into just the right place. The best trail work is the kind you don't notice, so when the new trail is finished and opened you may never even see this boulder as you hike on by.

Our crews have also used pulleys to uproot stubborn stumps and created ziplines that move bucket loads of dirt up and down steep slopes.

Want to learn more about how trails are created and maintained? Join us on an upcoming work party.