2014 Trail Master Certification Course Recap

2014 Trail Master Certification Course Recap

The Wisconsin Horse Council presented its 10th Trail Master Certification course presented by Trail Design Specialists, Inc. (TDS). It was held in Lowes Lake Park, in Monches, WI. Lowes Lake is a unit of the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest and is located west of Germantown. The instructor was Mike Riter of TDS. The 4-day course started on July 9th and ran through July 12th. Classes ran from 8:30 through 4:00 each day, with all days requiring attendance in order to complete the course.

The course covered the latest advances in trail design, construction and
maintenance with a focus on long-term sustainability and ease of maintenance.

The last day covered field application on the concepts that were covered on the previous days, interspersed with leadership techniques for working with volunteers. A detailed booklet, specific to each segment, was provided. The course consisted of three interactive classroom sessions covering the topics listed below.

Trail Design and Layout

We covered advances on how to properly design and layout a trail. We discussed how to avoid erosion, user conflicts, and impact problems through design. This session gave a good working knowledge of what causes trails to erode through water/soil relationships. An outdoor session consisted of a series
of flagging and layout drills designed to utilize the concepts covered in the classroom.

Trail Construction

We covered proper corridor clearing for all types of use and proper construction of a durable tread surface. Various types of tread construction, cribbing and raised tread sections, switchbacks and a section on bridges and boardwalks was also included. An outdoor session consisted of construction techniques that were covered in the classroom. A demonstration of tread construction machinery was included.

Trail Maintenance

We covered maintenance issues on trails. We discussed how to make longterm repairs and lower environmental impacts. Trail hardening techniques along with rehabilitation of disused trails were also covered. The outdoor session consisted of maintenance techniques that were covered in the classroom.

Crew Leader

This portion of the program was held entirely outdoors and gave each student the opportunity to lead a crew. The day was broken into three sessions. At the end of the third session certificates for those that completed the course were issued.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in this year's Trail Design School!