“He’s a gem!” enthused Francesca Verdier when I asked how she liked working with BPWA path-building volunteer Andrew Dickson, 23. “He’s a hard worker, listens well, and learns fast. And he’s always willing to haul building materials up many flights of steps!” High praise indeed from a leader of the incredibly hardworking team that builds new paths (and repairs old ones) around town.

I recently interviewed Andrew on the Derby Canyon Trail to find out how and why he started volunteering his time on the paths. Is he a regular hiker? Not really (unless climbing up to the Big C counts!). Had he built trails before? Never. Had he heard of the Path Wanderers? Nope. In fact, Andrew is a grad student at Cal, studying to get his PhD in Bioinformatics. Logging lots of hours at a computer during the pandemic left Andrew longing to spend more time outdoors. A couple of online inquiries led him to Francesca Verdier, Steve Glaeser, Bob Gomez, and the rest of the BPWA building team. Andrew loves the chance to do some hard physical work and ditch the screens for a while.

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Andrew has been a dedicated path volunteer for a year. He worked on the (recently completed) Hilgard Path, helped with the rerouting of the steps at Wildcat Path, and has been working on the current project up in Derby Creek Canyon.

Francesca reports that he has built some excellent retaining walls in tricky spots at Derby Canyon. The day I visited, the crew was working to widen a connector pathway off the Derby Canyon Trail (also known as the Clark Kerr Fire Trail). This steep path is found at the top of Dwight Way on the north side of the Clark Kerr Campus by following a long run of wooden steps—a set of which are painted to look like piano keys, the work of an anonymous artist.

We thank Andrew and all the volunteers who keep our system of stairways and trails operational and safe for us all to enjoy. Bob Gomez said it best, “It means so much that a young adult with Andrew’s work ethic shows up to work with us. The paths will need attention in perpetuity, and I’m confident that Andrew and others of his generation will continue the work we started.”