From the trailhead: Meeting visitors, maintaining the trail, expanding parking

The nice weather continues to bring out lots of folks to use and enjoy the trail. It’s especially fun to see family groups and running clubs out together. You can read about the Williams family and their birthday outing elsewhere in this issue. More recently I met some women out for a training run as part of Moms RUN This Town, a nationwide running club that fosters camaraderie, exercise and shared experiences.  They loved the trail and helped us out by reporting a downed tree.

Socially distanced members of a local chapter of Moms RUN This Town club try out the DRHT.

Volunteer Warren Veazey, who also serves as vice president of the Friends of the DRHT, at work on a downed trail.

Warm weather brings vegetation growth, so our volunteers have been busy mowing along the trail and trimming encroaching vegetation (and boy does it encroach!). Not to mention removing the occasional tree that has fallen across the trail.  Thanks to Warren Veazey (shown at left) and his kids, Rod and Laurie Schlemm, Dave Jones, Corey Smith, and I’m sure many others.  

Several of our members are talented photographers who spend a lot of time on the trail capturing what they see in beautiful photos.  Chris McClintock and Laurie Schlemm have taken many photos of the trail's flora and fauna. You can see some of their photos on our new wildlife sightings page on the website. Chris’ work is currently featured in several photography shows in Fredericksburg and on her Facebook page, Chris McClintock Photography.

As our parking lots get more crowded, we’re exploring ways to expand them, particularly the smaller lots at the Comorn and Indiantown Road crossings. We’re getting cost estimates from a local contractor and submitting grant applications. Fingers crossed that we’ll be able to enlarge those parking areas soon. In the meantime, please park carefully — or try the Bloomsbury Road parking area, which is much bigger.

The 12th running of one of our premier events, the DRHT 50K trail race, comes up next month. It’s a popular race with many runners returning year after year.  Runners enjoy the small field of entrants and the all-dirt course that is level and fast, with a tree canopy for shade. A few years ago runner Michael Wardian set a national record for a 50K on an all-dirt course. A few years ago we added a half-marathon. It works well: The half runners start after the 50K runners, and most finish before the 50K finishers. This year we’re adjusting the race procedures for safety in the time of coronavirus. Our goal is to have an enjoyable and safe event for both runners and volunteers.

​See you on the trail! 
Jim Lynch
President, Friends of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail
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