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Mountain Meitheal Volunteers
Since the club started in 2002 Mountain Meitheal volunteers are out at all times of the year in all kinds of weather doing valuable work on repairing and maintaining hiking trails - mostly in the Wicklow Mountains and occasionally elsewhere. This work is for the benefit of all citizens and visitors who walk in Ireland and who enjoy fresh air and countryside.
Our club had the benefit of overseas wisdom and advice when we carried out our survey and viability study for the Devil's Ladder route up Carrauntoohil - Ireland's highest mountain. This study is currently with Kerry County Council.
The trails manager from The Appalachian Mountain Club in the USA came over to work with us on the project which was sponsored by The Heritage Council. We also ran a project improving the St Kevin's Way near Glendalough and 12 young volunteers and 2 lecturers came over from The University of Michigan to work with us during their summer holidays.
Volunteers worked on an access path at Oldbridge leading to Lough Dan with the full cooperation of the private landowner which now allows for permissive public access to the lake. The same year we won the CVI/ESB Community Environment Award.
Our volunteers carried out a major improvement and repair scheme in Glensoulan on badly worn parts of the Wicklow Way (Ireland's premier walking route.) This summer during our annual camp we built an Adirondak style shelter for walkers using the Wicklow Way in Glenmalure. Constructed from the remains of an old foresters hut and new materials, the facility is enjoyed by the many local and overseas walkers who leave notes in our visitors' book. Building the shelter was our contribution to the 25th Anniversary celebrations of The Wicklow Way this year.
Our volunteers are now embarking on our most ambitious project to repair the old and historic stalkers track leading from Glenmalure to Lugnaquilla, Leinster's highest mountain. Better known as "the Zig Zags" to the thousands of walkers who use it each year, this project is being carried out in conjunction with the landowner, Wicklow Uplands Council and Wicklow County Council and will include a new footbridge to be built by our volunteers.
We are members of Wicklow Community Forum and the Mountaineering Council of Ireland. Our past Chairman has just published "The Mountain Meitheal Guide to Trail Design and Construction in Ireland and is sponsored by Ballyhoura Development Limited, a community based walking and cycling group in Kilfinane, Co Limerick. It is hoped this will become the definitive Irish guide to voluntary trail development.
Our club has nearly fifty members with a slightly wider pool of additional casual volunteers. This year alone, about 90 volunteers gave
1,522 hours of their time for the good of the Irish mountains.
For more information visit http://www.pathsavers.org
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