Scouts, Volunteers to Repair Forest Trail

The Boy Scouts of America developed the Angeles National Forest’s Silver Moccasin Trail 50 years ago, and today they’re returning to spruce it up.

As part of National Trails Day, several hundred scouts and other volunteers will swing shovels and axes along a section of the 50-mile trail to repair damage caused by earthquakes, rain, littering and other natural and man-made disasters, said Dianne Cahir, a spokeswoman for the forest.

The Angeles National Forest is also recognizing the silver anniversary of the Trail Boss Program, an innovative maintenance system that was developed by volunteer Jim Spencer and has since been adopted by the Army Corps of Engineers. The principle is simple: Teach volunteers the specialized maintenance skills of professional work crews, Spencer said.

Only the six Boy Scout troops that are expected to show up for the 8 a.m.-to-1 p.m. event are eligible to earn a special Silver Moccasin badge, but all non-Scout volunteers are invited to a 1 p.m. barbecue at the volunteers’ meeting point, Angeles Crest Highway at Santa Clara Divide Road.