The notice in the Garrett County Republican offered access to normally off-limits trails in the Potomac State Forest in exchange for a few hours of volunteer labor on a summer Saturday in August. While it elicited no response from the local community, several members and friends from the Mid Atlantic Four Wheel Drive Association (MAFWDA) answered the call. In return for what really was light labor for just a couple of hours, we were given access to a number of trails that are usually only open to snowmobiles and ATVs during hunting season.

The trip coincided with Preston's annual family vacation so he, Pam, Emily and one of Emily's friends showed up on Wednesday. Their trip to the western reaches of Maryland had them loaded into the big Dodge with the camper on the back and the red TJ on a towbar behind that. Headed out I-68 was not uneventful as a sidewall blowout on the Dodge had them seeking a new tire before they got to their destination. Other than making the wallet a bit lighter and the trip a bit longer, no permanent damage resulted. They made up the PA Jeeps contingent.

On Friday, Mike (white Rubicon) and Keith (blue S10 Blazer) from the Capital Off Road Enthusiasts (CORE) came rolling in during the day. Paul (green solid axle S10) made it before dinner time. On Saturday, we were joined by Tom and Debbie in the white Bronco and Scott from the DNR who came with paint and related supplies.

On Friday afternoon, we scoped out the area a bit to see how the camping area was laid out. We drove down to the end of Laurel Run Road where we left the vehicles for a short walk down to the upper reaches of the Potomac River. The remains of a road (accessible only on foot) and parts of what had at one time been a bridge over to the West Virginia side found us next to a rock strewn riverbed no more than 50 yards across. Heading along the shore upstream, Preston tried a little fly fishing. He hooked two rather quickly but was unable to land either not having a net and he was just a bit too high above the water. There was also a rope swing for swimming but we passed on that pleasure and headed back to camp. After a bit, Paul showed and after getting set up, we all settled down to dinner and watched the fire until sleep finally called us all.

Saturday morning, Tom and Debbie arrived fairly early and all had breakfast. Preston went over the tasks list and the maps of where we would be working that day. Our task was to renew and freshen the snowmobile trail markings. Scott from the DNR arrived a little after 9:00 with the paint ad supplies. Scott rode along with Mike, Tom and Debbie rode together, Preston and his family went together and Paul and Keith drove separately. We split the paint and took off in different directions on different trails. Paul and Mike started from opposite ends of the same trail to meet in the middle. Tom and Debbie headed for another trail, with Preston and the younger girls taking a trail that looped on one side of the road with Pam and Keith taking the other side of the road on a dead end trail.

The color used for marking these trails is an "interesting" shade of green which is reminiscent of the institutional green used by the USFS in past years to paint their trucks. It ages on the tree bark to be very similar to that grayish-green moss. In other words, in spite of being an incredibly ugly color, it's hard to see when it ages! Our instructions were to repaint only existing blazes (approximately 3 inches wide by 5 inches high). To do that, we took along loppers to cut some of the undergrowth so we could get to the trees and so that the blazes would be visible. We also used the loppers to help make it known that we were on our way in so that any wildlife would have plenty of notice to clear out! The others didn't report any wildlife during the painting/trail maintenance but Pam and Keith saw some slithering creatures which could have been done without. It took us a bit more than 2 hours to accomplish the tasks at hand so we were done by around 1:00. We headed back to the campsite for lunch and to return and consolidate the remaining paint and supplies.

After lunch, we headed for our payday! We had done the work, we had Scott and Preston with the keys to the locked gates and we were going for a ride! As has been stated elsewhere, these are not hardcore trails but they are interesting and scenic. The first trail we got to run was called Rattlesnake Ridge. It's never been clear to me whether the name comes from reptiles occasionally found there or its twisty path. I prefer to think its the path but... To get to this trail, you go off of Laurel Run Road and through one of the campsites across the creek to the gate. As we were accessing normally closed trails, we had to be sure to close and lock each gate as we after we went through. Luckily three of the group had elected to bring chain saws along. As the trails get so little traffic, anything that has fallen since spring is likely still there. Before our first turn, there was a good sized (10 inch diameter?) tree to be cut and moved out of the way. About 60 yards past the first turn and up the first hill, there was another to be cut out of the way. Before the day was done, the chainsaws came out at least three times. Of course, fallen wood is fair game so we cut some to take back to camp with us, too. Rattlesnake Ridge was on our list of possible repaint trails but it appeared to have been painted more recently than some of the other trails we had seen. We climbed the ridge and drove past several cleared areas which are planted as feed plots for the game hunters.

Our next trail may or may not have had a name but comes from the end of Laurel Run and appears to be called Schell Road on the maps I consulted. There is a spot (settlement?) on the map marked Schell so it would have been the road to Schell which would have been near the old bridge over the river that we had seen on Friday. This trail wandered up and down more and went through some wet and off-camber areas. Early on, we came to a fallen log which was more parallel to the trail and we got to play a bit driving along the tree with one set of wheels on the log. This road eventually led us back through another gate to Laurel Run Road.

After depositing Scott back at the campsite and his truck, we followed the gravel road back past our campsite and followed along the river on Wallman Road (and beyond its end) to eventually reconnect with the other end of Wallman Road in Steyer. Although this trail doesn't show on the maps, it is an old public right of way that roughly parallels the river and the railroad tracks. It was very wet and grown up as we went along. In one spot, Preston managed to get a bit of tree wedged between the tire and the rim and leaking air. Does this ring a bell with anyone? If it happens once, it's bad luck, if it happens twice, it's the beginnings of a streak. The recently added CO2 tank came from the back of the Blazer and seemed to seal the leak after digging out as much as we could. We continued along through more mud and overgrown brush uneventfully until we came out in Steyer and headed back along the paved road to camp.

On Sunday, we headed back to the river and the railroad tracks along Wallman Road but took a turn that took us right down alongside the tracks. This trail lead us right down to the river in a dead end. We had to take turns going down the hill and turning around at waters' edge. After we had come back up the hill and started headed back to the gravel road, we heard a call over the CB that someone was having a flat. Guess who? Yes, the pattern of leaking tires had indeed turned into a streak. So Preston dug out his tire repair kit and patched the sidewall and Keith dug out the CO2 tank. Shortly we were on our way again and headed back to camp to pack up and head for home.

Although just a very few of our MAFWDA members were able to come along this trip, it always is well enjoyed by those who get to go along on this unique opportunity to trade some labor for access where it is seldom granted. In considering the trails, there are very few spots that could be identified as potentially in conflict with other resources in the area. There is only one stream crossing and it is hardened by the naturally occurring rock in the area. There are no particularly sensitive species in the area and other uses (hunters on ATVs and snowmobiles) in the fall and winter. But achieving year-round access to a place like this is an issue to be addressed in Annapolis, not in Garrett County. Maybe someday?

This was a rare opportunity that comes along very seldom but luckily for members of MAFWDA, this one has come along and usually does each year. If you missed this one, you missed a treat. Make plans to clear your calendar for next year's workday ride in the Maryland State Forests.

~Keith Holman