The threat of rain didn't keep a large and diverse group of volunteers from working hard to improve a section of the famed Appalachian Trail. Starting at the trailhead on Hurds Corners Road, the team hiked up to the Appalachian Trail where it first enters the Pawling Nature Reserve. Multiflora Rose and Barberry could be found in abundance, growing in large thickets. Outfitted with loppers, volunteers young and old trimmed back the invasive shrubs with gusto, clearing the path of the many thorns that can grab onto hikers' legs. Bittersweet vines, which can easily overtake a forest canopy, were hacked as well to prevent regrowth. A mile of the Trail as it wends its way up toward Hammersly Ridge showed vast improvement when the volunteers were done, and we thank them for their hard work and enthusiasm.
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