My Turn: Improvements are on the way at Perseverance Trail
Last year Trail Mix and Channel Construction began to rebuild a portion of Juneau's Perseverance Trail. As we near the end of this historic project, now is a great time to look at why this work was necessary, and to update Juneau's hikers on our progress.
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First, a word of caution: Due to the extreme danger of avalanches and rockslides along the Perseverance Trail, hikers are strongly urged to avoid the area until the spring. At that time, volunteers are invited to help Trail Mix complete our work on this path to Juneau's mining history.
Originally built to access the mines of the Perseverance Basin, the Perseverance Trail was the first road built in Alaska. Almost from the beginning, it required extensive maintenance. Much of the trail was rebuilt in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, using wooden timbers to brace the route along the steep slopes of Mount Juneau. Over time these timbers began to fail, creating treacherous conditions along some of the steepest sections of trail.
Such conditions were unacceptable given the thousands of visitors and locals who hike the Perseverance Trail each year. In 2004 and 2005, Trail Mix worked to create the Alaska Trails Initiative, which directed $2 million in federal funding for trails throughout Alaska, including $790,000 for the Perseverance Trail. Trail Mix and its members have since contributed an additional $65,000 to the Perseverance Trail, making it one of the biggest trail projects in state history.
Much of the expense is due to the steep, unstable slopes encountered along the first third of the trail. This terrain meant that blasting a new route directly into the bedrock above Gold Creek was the only safe solution. Channel Construction rose to the challenge, performing the extremely dangerous, technical work in heavy snow and subzero temperatures over the last 18 months.
Unfortunately, the same forces that led to the collapse of several trail segments in recent years also resulted in several landslides during construction. These slides deposited some rock and debris into Gold Creek just below Ebner Falls, but have not impacted any fish habitat or Juneau's municipal water supply. In fact, the Perseverance Basin has seen countless landslides since its days as a mining district, and it is likely that these slides would have taken place without blasting ... possibly while hikers were present.
While there is now a stable trail built on a bedrock shelf, the slope above the trail will remain unstable until the spring thaw. Until then, it is very likely that debris will continue to fall. Two weeks ago, a large amount of dirt and rock fell on a portion of the trail, blocking access beyond Ebner Falls.
Once again, hikers should not use the trail until the spring to allow the newly disturbed rock time to stabilize.
Once heavy construction is completed, there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to put the finishing touches on the Perseverance Trail. Your first opportunity will be in May, when Trail Mix crews will install two sections of wire fence along the most exposed sections of the trail. This critical safety feature was made possible through a generous contribution by Rich and Mary Stone, owners of AK Litho. Volunteers are needed to help move material and install posts and wires.
Volunteers are also needed to help replant native vegetation along the new trail using plants and seeds harvested prior to construction. This extreme gardening event will coincide with the grand reopening of the Perseverance Trail on National Trails Day on June 7.
We'd like to thank everyone who has contributed generously of their time and money to make this project a reality. If you'd like to volunteer, have questions about the Perseverance Trail, or would like to join Trail Mix, please call us at 790-6406, or visit us online at www.juneautrails.org.
• George Schaaf is the executive director of Trail Mix, Inc., a nonprofit partnership of volunteers and government agencies dedicated to improving and maintaining Juneau's trails.