Scouts Rebuild Roaring Brook Trail

Two local scouts helped to rehabilitate the Edith Sliker Memorial Trail that runs through the woods behind .

The scouts, Russell Bailey, a boy scout, and Lindsey Brosnan, a girl scout, were on hand for a re-dedication of the trail Friday.

Bailey worked on clearing the overgrown trail, including cutting plants, while Brosnan worked on building birdhouses - out of milk and juice cartons - and on beds.

New to the trail is the addition of a story walk, where parts of books will be displayed on different posts. Bailey built the signs while Brosnan worked on the books. Stories will be rotated for each season except winter.

Both scouts attended Roaring Brook when they were younger. Back then, the trail had been in use previously, but had since fallen into disuse, becoming overgrown.

“We didn’t except the trail to be in such bad shape," Bailey said.

Bailey, who is just a few badges away from becoming an Eagle Scout, worked on the trail for a project.

“It’s a really good feeling," Bailey said to see the project complete.

Both scouts are now students at Horace Greeley High School - Bailey a freshman, and Brosnan a sophomore - and have been scouts since they were kids. Both described what it's like to be scouts now versus when they were younger.

"I remember here, everybody used to want to wear their vest to school," Brosnan said. While this is less common in high school, scouts can do more, she said.

Bailey said it is "probably less scary," because he is now an older scout, because when he was younger he had to dealer with older scouts.

Edith Sliker, who the trail is named after, was the elementary school's first principal.