Ready for recreation

On a recent day when the temperature hit triple digits, most kids were likely staying cool inside or splashing in a local waterway.

But Ian Palmer, 15, didn’t let the heat keep him from restoring a portion of trail at Mable Kerr Park.

Palmer, who will be a sophomore at Washougal High School, chose the trailhead at the end of Gifford Road, for his Eagle Scout Project. He has been a member of Troop 462 for five years.

“I wanted to do something in the community that I live, and we run these trails a lot for cross country,” he said. “Someone is always twisting an ankle or tripping on this part of the trail. It makes doing fast miles here very difficult.” The 600-foot portion of trail was filled with bark chips four years ago by volunteers. For his project, Palmer filled it with eight yards of gravel, donated in part by Metro Landscape.

The city of Washougal Parks Department contributed the landscape fabric.

“This project will benefit all the trail users,” Palmer said. “I don’t think most of them even realize this is back here.”

It took two months for Palmer to plan the project and have it approved by the city and the Scouts.

“You really have to use time management with these projects,” he said. “It’s tough, hard work and time consuming, but you need to just get in there and do it.”