Gina Cretser, right, and other volunteers had to climb over a number of downed trees to get to their worksite(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )

The U.S. Forest Service manages some 160 thousand miles of trails, and maintaining that sprawling system is a major undertaking. Volunteer trail workers have become an essential part of keeping the public’s access open to its vast wild areas.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse recently went out with a volunteer crew, and brings us this report.