As Muddy as it Gets

White sneakers not recommended
(Indian Well State Park)

So many pristine white sneakers on our hiking trails!  That may work in August, but not in mud season after torrential rains. Hiking boots were invented for these kinds of conditions. 

Waterproof hiking boots work.
(Birchbank Trail)

Flooded section of Birchbank Trail
(a drainage channel was cleared for this to drain away)

Last month we had one of the wettest Decembers on record and there is mud everywhere. In Danbury, it was the wettest December since 1983. There were two major rainstorms on top of saturated ground and high pond levels. The first was around 4" and then we had another 2.5" or so. If it was summer, the tree roots would be sucking up some of that water, but since the trees are dormant, the ground is still saturated, and that water is oozing out of the hills all over the place. 

After clearing out the old drainage channel to the right, 
the water began to drain off  Birchbank Trail

There are certain spots that are always a problem during mud season, but this year we have new ones for your hiking pleasure. These are mostly located where water is seeping out of a major slope, and the trail has captured that water. The fresh layer of leaves that recently fell also interferes with proper drainage in some places. Birchbank and Indian Well have been especially problematic, although they are fine if you have good hiking boots. Even the Rec Path near Silent Waters had a problem with seepage ponding across the trail.  Some other trails, like Nichols Trail and French's Hill, are always muddy during the wet season and should just be avoided until it all freezes. 

Paugussett mud hole after pulling away the downhill edge of the trail, 
creating a drainage channel down the middle, and placing branches
to stop people from walking around and widening it.

What to do? Since water is the source of the mud, trail maintainers first try and get the water off the trail. If there is a side-slope, just scraping the edge of the trail down the hill can be a big help. A very common problem with mud holes, especially in northern New England, is that people try to walk around the mud hole and destabilize the adjacent soil. That makes the mud hole bigger and bigger over time and why trail etiquette is to stay on the tread and walk through the middle of the mudhole whenever possible. Up north this can be impossible at times since the mud can be over a foot deep. But here in Shelton it shouldn't be a problem if you have appropriate footwear for the conditions. 

Scraping off the edges didn't help much for this chronic
wet seep on Birchbank Trail since the seepage rate was so high...

...so a dewatering trench was created on the uphill side
to intercept seepage before it gets to the trail.

Sometimes the volume of water seeping out of the hillside is so great that a channel needs to be dug across the trail. Occasionally a ditch parallel to the trail on the uphill side is needed to redirect that seepage. If there are existing pipes and ditches, those may need to cleaned out.  This is the case for a chronic problem spot on the Rec Path at the northern junction with the Paugussett Trail/Turkey Trot. Water comes off the steep hillside and is normally intercepted by a shallow ditch along the Rec Path that directs the water to a pipe. But that system clogs up easily, as happened this year. The spot is due for an upgrade. 

Mark Vollaro clearing a log from the Rec Path that was contributing 
to some ponding on the trail.

The same spot after the drainage trench was cleared out

At Birchbank, some of the flooding issues were made worse by a clogged culvert under Indian Well Road. Beside backing up the flood waters, it may have raised the water table. Some of the  lowest parts of Birchbank Trail may have been near the water table line. These are areas where we never had a water problem before. 

Clogged culvert under Indian Well Road

Cleared culvert

If the muddy spot is the lowest around and there is nowhere for the water to go to, then the long-term solution may be to build a bog-walk, bridge, causeway, or well-spaced stepping stones. These are big projects and we can always use more (attention Eagle Scouts!). Nichols Trail, French's Hill, and parts of the Paugussett near the High School would benefit from such efforts. 

The first trail bridge ever built at Shelton Lakes

Sometimes people want to help fix a spot in a trail they use, and that's terrific if it's done right and does not block the drainage. Otherwise, it actually makes the problem worse and creates a bigger problem for trail managers to fix later. Always allow for water to drain off of the trail!

How water should flow off a trail. This can get blocked. 

The above image shows how water needs to drain off a side-slope. It's normal for that drainage to get blocked over time. A trail lip (rim or berm) tends to develop from normal trail usage, while leaves, sticks, logs, and rocks add to what is now a dam. The result is a mudhole. Throwing sticks and rocks across the mudhole tends to make it worse (especially if placed on the downhill side of the trail), as does walking around the edges. Instead, clear the blocked outflow and let the water drain. 

HOW TO HELP: Here are some helpful actions that lead to a dryer trail: 

• cleaning out clogged drainage pipes and drainage ditches 
• clearing out blocked drainage channels
• removing the downhill edge of the trail ("lip") if it's blocking drainage
• well-spaced, stable stepping stones (that do not block water flow)
• If there is a slippery mud spot without much water, some bark thrown on the mud can help with the footing (many fallen ash trees are offering up their bark just now)

BUT PLEASE DON'T DO THE FOLLOWING: Here are some things that can make matters worse by blocking drainage. Over time the water level rises and things get worse for the next hikers, and then the trail volunteers have an even bigger problem to address. Please don't add the following: 

• Stepping stones right next to each other across the water flow, creating a dam (this often happens across Upper White Hills Brook near the Birchbank Chimney). There should enough spacing between stepping stones to allow water to pass. The greater the flow, the wider the spacing needs to be. 
• Stepping stones right in the middle of a drainage channel crossing the trail (constant problem all over). Just step over the channel. 
• Sticks and branches tossed across the mud (creating a dam). This is a frequent issue on the Paugussett at Indian Well.  The photo below shows sticks tossed over the top of stepping stones. The sticks are slippery and can cause a fall; they obscure the stepping stones; and they block drainage.  Several times a year they need to be cleared out, so that's just extra work for the volunteers. Instead, use a stick or boot to pull leaves away from the drainage channel. 

Not helpful:
Slippery sticks on top of the stepping stones

Same spot after sticks, leaves and mud were pulled away
to allow for drainage. Note the gaps between stones for drainage
that the sticks had been blocking.

Soon this all will probably freeze for the winter and footing will better. Even then, sunny afternoons can melt the top layer of trail and turn it into a slippery soup.  Hiking in the morning when everything is still frozen can be more enjoyable. And remember to leave the white sneakers at home or wait until trail conditions improve!