Rabbit Creek Greenbelt Trail Party Event Cache

GeocacheAlaska! is teaming up with the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) for a work day to improve the Rabbit Creek Greenbelt trail system.  Come visit one of Anchorage's hidden parklands, help improve the trails, and get a barbecue lunch in the deal.  The MOA has been very supportive of geocaching, so let's demonstrate how we can give back!

New Coordinates: N61° 05.650', W149° 45.372'

Saturday, September 19, 2009

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Doorprize drawing at noon at Prator Trailhead

Rabbit Creek Greenbelt
(Prator Road Trailhead)

The workday is structured so cachers may come and go as they need to.  So, come in the morning and wrap up with a barbecue lunch, or come for lunch and work off the meal in the afternoon.  We'll be working primarily between the Old Rabbit Creek Road, Prator Road, and Griffin Road trailheads with the primary meeting point being the Prator Road Trailhead. 

Parking at any of the trailheads is limited and that situation can be helped by carpooling down from Storck Park near Clarks Road and Rabbit Creek Road.  If you bring your vehicle to the Prator Trailhead, please park on the right-hand (east) side of the road without blocking driveways as you approach ground zero.  There will also be parking at one of the local residences to the west of the Prator trailhead.  Come on down to ground zero and you will be directed to the correct driveway.

Many tools will be provided, so all you need to bring is a pair of work gloves and a willingness to invest some sweat equity in this greenbelt.  Due to the great response this event is receiving, please do bring extra digging, chopping, hacking, and other earth-altering hand tools.  Extra wheelbarrows/small carts/5-gallon buckets will also be welcome to assist with the bulk relocation of material.  The trails are narrow and covered with roots in sections, so smaller rolling stock with pneumatic tires will be better than bigger.  Also, if anyone has a pick-up truck with a liner, a run to Turnagain Arm to collect some rocks for the creek crossing bank stabilization is needed.  Rubber boots will help at this location as well as at one of the boardwalks.  Finally, small carpenter levels will be useful for leveling the box steps as well as battery-operated power drills for driving screws into some of the boardwalks to increase traction.

Work projects include:

1. Bucket brigading wood chips to specified trail locations.
2. Bucket brigading gravel for box steps to specified trail locations.
3. Building box steps.
4. Moving rocks to the "beaver pond" for stream bank and footbridge abutment stabilization.
5. Using Pulaskis and other trail tools for shaping/grading the trail where needed. 

You can download a gpx file with a tracklog of the trails we'll be working on, the trailheads we'll be using, and the work location waypoints by clicking here.  The first two digits of each waypoint will match a written work description that will be passed out at the check-in point at the Prator Trailhead, so even if your GPS truncates the waypoint name, you'll have all the information you need.

Please bring walkie-talkie and Rino sets to facilitate communication between work crews because cell phone coverage is spotty in the ravine.

Please respond with a "Will Attend" log with the number in your party so the work crew/list can be developed ahead of time and enough food for the barbecue can be purchased.   Softdrinks will be provided, but bring your own water for consumption on the trail.  Thanks!

The Northwest Trails mapset includes the Rabbit Creek Greenbelt Trails. Loading the mapset into your GPS will be helpful for navigating to the worksites.

This area has a high wildlife concentration.  Canines are welcome - but you are responsible to keep them leashed and/or under direct control if you bring them!  Check this page (or put a watch on it) often for more details as they become available.