1Thanks to the work of the Clallam County Sheriff’s chain gang and scores of volunteers, the wilderness trail is winding its way toward completion.

You can already hike, mountain bike or ride a horse from state Highway 112 near the Elwha River all the way to Lake Crescent, but close to half of that traverse is made on logging roads.

For the past four years, crews have been trying to connect the dots to form a uniform wilderness trail in the Olympic foothills.

“Eventually, it will be 21 miles of single track,” said Rich James, Clallam County transportation program manager and longtime Olympic Discovery Trail advocate and planner.

Single lane

As of now, 13 miles of the Adventure Route are single track, meaning a trail in the conventional sense with a “single” lane of traffic.

The route starts in a small parking lot off Highway 112 near the nearly completed Elwha River Bridge and heads west, connecting with the Lyre River railroad grade after 22 miles.

From there, it heads south to Lake Crescent.

Three Clallam County commissioners next week will call for bids for trail construction along the Spruce Railroad grade on the shores of Lake Crescent.

Eventually, the Olympic Discovery Trail will connect Port Townsend to the Pacific Ocean at LaPush. In Jefferson County, about 6 miles of the trail has been completed near Port Townsend.

Funding for the trail has come from state grants.

Once completed, the Adventure Route will remain an option for users of the Olympic Discovery Trail. A paved main segment of the trail will be built north of Highway 112 in 10 to 15 years.

The two trails will form a stretched oval — connecting at the Elwha and Lyre rivers — that offers a choice between paved and flat or woodsy and hilly.

Commitment

James has been committed to the development the Olympic Discovery Trail since 1993.

“I saw it was something that was badly needed,” James said.

He said the trail is an asset to the region for transportation, recreation and economic development.

“The commissioners have been very supportive of it from the get-go, whether they were Democrats or Republicans,” James said.

Building the Adventure Route is a labor of love for a volunteer group that calls itself the Thursday Trail Crew.

Lorrie Campbell, volunteer coordinator for the Clallam County road department, leads a group of about 20 volunteers to a trail site every Thursday.

Composed largely of retired engineers and teachers, the group is focused on maintenance. Members also supplement some of the construction done by the chain gang.

“When we started in January of 2005, there were only a few of us out there,” Campbell said.

Now there are 30 on the list, with about 20 showing up on any given Thursday.

To a volunteer, it seems like they’re not accomplishing much as they plug away at 10- to 20-foot sections, Campbell said.

“But at the end of day, they can see all the other sections on their way out and they get this great sense of accomplishment,” she said.

The volunteers have built strong friendships. Some even take vacations together, Campbell said.

“They really like the camaraderie,” she said.

“They’re so like-minded.”

Exercise, being outdoors and the appreciation for building things like bridges, drainage systems and picnic tables keeps the volunteers coming back, Campbell said. They work from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“They do excellent work,” Campbell said.

“They’ve built up their skills over the years.”

The Adventure Route chain gang is one of three small work crews of Clallam County jail inmates. This particular chain gang has already cut more than 10 miles of trail through rugged terrain and dense forest.

“My crew can’t keep up, but they do their best,” Campbell said.

Trail gangs

Jon Beltrami of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office leads the trail gang, which focuses on construction. The volunteers do most of the maintenance, but there is an overlap, Campbell said.

About a month ago, the chain gang unveiled a shiny new transport — the Green Machine. It’s a 1997 Ford F-800 Diesel truck that replaced an aging former ambulance.

Not to be outdone, the Thursday volunteers boast a vehicle called the Gray Beast, Campbell said. It’s a beat-up old Ford 250.

Lunches are provided to the Thursday trail volunteers by the Peninsula Trail Coalition.

Crews currently are building a segment of the Adventure Route near its midpoint and Mile 13.

From there, you can see the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains.

“This new section going in is going to have dramatic views,” James said.

While the crews keep blazing the trail, the public is enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Campbell said there’s been a steady stream of mostly mountain bikers, with plenty of hikers and horseback riders.

“There are tons of people using it, especially on weekends,” Campbell said.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.