A Day of Action for Spartanburg County Trail Clean-up

The sun was just coming up this Saturday morning when residents of Spartanburg County gathered to lend a hand to local trails. However, these kind-hearted individuals weren’t there for a jog or a bike ride. They came prepared with garden gloves, tree shears, rakes, and plenty of bug spray – all set to rid the paths of the remnants left by the recent Hurricane Helene.

This concerted community clean-up effort was initiated by Play Advocate Live Well (PAL), supported by Spartanburg Area Conservancy. Together, these organisations and numerous volunteers devoted their morning to the maintenance of two city trails – the Lower Drayton Trail and Three Creeks Trail.

Trails Reeling Post Hurricane Helene

Despite the early hour, a committed team of around 25 volunteers assembled at the Lower Drayton trailhead. They wore their gloves and swung rakes and shears, determined to clear branches and other debris deposited in Helene’s wake. The havoc which the hurricane had wreaked was substantial. “We’ve had a couple of folks working at Duncan Park. I think they said there were more than 20 trees down, just on the trails,” PAL Director, said.

Collaborative Community Spirit

One of the volunteers, Olympia Waitman, came down from Inman to help with the clean up. Waitman, who works at United Community Bank, stated, “This is me doing my part in the community.” She further added, “If supplying extra water bottles or food or dried goods like that is something you can do I encourage it, and if you have the availability on a weekend morning to go help with the cleanup, I recommend that as well.”

Similar sentiments were echoed when a retired University professor, chimed in, “They’re a community resource and community responsibility, so we’ve got to get it cleaned up,”

Involving the Younger Generation

Even families pitched in, such as the Muellers – a professor couple. Together with their ten-year-old son, the family often participates in the thrice-a-year trail clean-up. “We always bring him with us,” Mrs. Mueller stated of their son. “I think it’s a way to demonstrate and model the importance of being a part of your community and giving back to it. He does it with enthusiasm now, and so I’m hoping we’re really building that sense of kind of civic identity in him early.”

Further Plans

As of now, the Mary Black Rail Trail is the only one open in the city. The PAL director hopes that with these clean-up efforts, most trails would reopen by early next week. That said, some areas like Duncan Park, the River Birch Trail, and the Mary Wright Greenway were the hardest hit with many downed trees to clear. “The Mary Wright Greenway needs a lot of work, and so we’ll probably focus on that in the coming week,” PAL Director added. “So if people aren’t able to be here today, we certainly would welcome them to join us another time because we’re not done.”

Indeed, this community clean-up day was a testament to the Spartanburg County’s spirit of unity and resilience. A wonderful reminder of what folks banding together in difficult times can accomplish.

Stay tuned for further updates regarding upcoming community clean-ups through their social media pages.