Steve Glaeser, path-building team leader for Hilgard Path, places a sideboard.
On steep slopes on the north side of the UC campus, volunteers with the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association are hard at work bringing the Hilgard Path to life.
“This one is going to be more like a trail,” says Charlie Bowen, BPWA’s path-building lead. “It will go through trees and a little bit of brush. It’s a much more natural setting, on wild and untended land.”
The right-of-way for Hilgard Path varies from a gentle slope to very steep stretches. Originally intended as a street but never built as such due to its steepness, it has a 60-foot right-of-way rather than the usual 10 feet allotted for most paths. These 60 feet allow the path builders to be creative in their approach to where to place switchbacks along the trail. The new path will have gentle switchbacks, winding through oaks.
“It’s going to be very attractive,” Bowen says.
Hilgard Path will connect Hilgard Avenue between La Loma Avenue and La Vereda Road. It’s in the historic Daley’s Scenic Park Tract area, which includes the LeRoy Steps, La Vereda Steps, and Cedar Path.
What’s new?
Path-building volunteer Rob Strong puts in time, putting in steps.
Veteran path-builder Steve Glaeser is taking the lead on the path, with a small crew of about 8 people who work together on Monday and Wednesday mornings. “They’ve become really experienced, and they can build excellent-quality paths,” Bowen says.
Jim Rosenau helped the path-building team make way for Hilgard Path by deploying a newly acquired skill: He was recently certified by the U.S. Forest Service to cut fallen trees using cross-cut saws.
“They called me at a fortuitous time. There was a 14-inch, long-dead oak tree suspended in space where the trail needed to go,” says Rosenau, a carpenter, artist, and Berkeley resident since 1967. “I had just completed the training, and within a week they needed someone to cut this tree. It was very nice for me to have a chance to put it into play while it was still on my mind.”
Rosenau is co-founder of Take to the Hills, a group that repaired Derby Canyon Trail above the Clark Kerr Campus and is now restoring native plant communities along the trail. Glaeser and BPWA’s path-building team helped Rosenau to start the group and they continue to collaborate on projects.
“I love making things, which is what interested me in trail work in the first place,” Rosenau says.
What’s needed?
Andrew Dickson uses a cross-cut saw to help Jim Rosenau remove a downed oak from the Hilgard Path right-of-way.
Rosenau had help cutting down the tree from Andrew Dickson, a 22-year-old UC graduate student in molecular biology who had recently joined the path-building crew to get away from his computer during the pandemic and do something fun and useful outdoors.
“For me it’s mostly been digging and putting in treads, and fixing retaining walls,” says Dickson, who received on-the-job training. “Jim has taught me a lot, but everyone has shown me something at some time.”
Rosenau’s cross-cut certification allowed him to supervise Dickson. “We were able to do it with one cut,” he says.
What’s next?
After Hilgard Path is completed, the crew hopes to move on to two unbuilt paths in the Terrace View neighborhood north of the Lawrence Hall of Science; the city has plans to cut down several eucalyptus trees for fire mitigation, which are also blocking the rights-of-way.
“When those trees are gone, we hope to be able to build both those paths. There are no fences or any other problems we’d have to deal with,” Bowen says. “We’re committed to all of the unbuilt paths. We have fewer than 20 now left to go.”
To support our path-building efforts, go to www.berkeleypaths.org/your-donations-help. All donations go toward building new paths, repairing and clearing paths, and purchasing handrails.
The team hauled a pile of branches out of the trailbed and stacked them at the top — ready for the city to haul away.