The Trail Companion

Winter 2002

A Day in the Life of a Crew Leader

...continued

Throughout the Day

During the day the crew leader constantly monitors what the crew is doing and how they are faring in order to correct any dangerous situations as soon as they come up. crew leaders encourage crewmembers to take breaks, drink water, switch tasks, ask questions, make suggestions, and socialize - in other words, break up the day so the experience doesn't become a grind.
Depending on the experience level in the crew, the crew leader may also need to monitor the construction work closely. A hard-working, inexperienced crew can build twenty feet of trail in the wrong place in no time flat. The crew leader needs to work with the crew to make sure that the alignment, grade, and other features of the trail are correct. Crew members get praise for the work they do well, and gentle corrections for mistakes they make.
Crew leaders have to be ready make changes to the workflow, depending upon the crew's energy level, the availability of particular tools, the condition of the soil, etc.

This isn't always as easy as it sounds at first -- trail work is always full of surprises.

Crewleader Training at Memorial Park (San Mateo Co.), Aug. 1997 (click for larger image)

Photo by Scott Heeschen

We always find something odd during every work day: a massive rock in the middle of the route, or a section of loose, crumbly soil, or a hidden pit in the hillside buried under three feet of dead leaves and sticks. The crew's energy level changes, depending upon things like their own level of interest in the work, the time of day, and the weather conditions.
All our crew leaders love to get tools in their hands - at least most of the time - that's probably the main reason they signed on, but if they're working with an inexperienced crew, they'll probably only use the tools to demonstrate proper technique, or to lean on while they watch their crew's progress!

End of Day

People's energy level usually runs down later in the afternoon. As things slow down, the crew leader may encourage their crew to walk the entire section of newly constructed trail - this is especially important when the crew has been working on a small section of technically difficult trail. They need to see what has been accomplished by all of the crews during the entire workday. The workday supervisor will usually call an end to the workday, although crew leaders may tell their crews to pack up a little sooner if they've run out of steam and are just sitting down. Before the crew leaves the work site, the crew leader sweeps the area for tools, packs, and other items, as well as the deliver the very important reminder about the refreshments or barbecue and any thank-you gifts waiting for them at the staging area. Finally, he or she thanks the volunteers for work well done and invite them to future trail builds.

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