photo by: Chris Conde

The Red Trail at Clinton Lake runs east and west overlooking the lake. This section of trail brought hikers dangerously close to a 20-foot drop before it was rerouted on Jan. 22, 2022.

Have you ever heard of a half-crocodile, half-catfish monster living in Clinton Lake? No? Neither had any of the volunteers working Saturday morning on the lake’s north shore to reroute the Red Trail.

The tale was told by Gary “Story Hawk” Henry of the Lawrence Trail Hawks running club over the clatter of shovels and axes clearing the way for hikers on an approximately 500-foot reroute away from the Red Trail’s rocky shore. Years of erosion had left the shoreline trail dangerously close to a crumbling cliff, putting hikers ever closer to a 20-foot drop onto jagged rocks. The reroute takes hikers away from the cliff but doesn’t compromise the view of the water.

“These North Shore trails, thanks to our volunteers, are probably some of the best maintained trails in the state,” Henry said.

photo by: Chris Conde

Jay Hawks, left, and Kevin Doyle work to reroute the Red Trail on Jan. 22, 2022, at Clinton Lake.

Henry is the local coordinator for the statewide Kansas Trails Council. The local chapter works with a memorandum of understanding in cooperation with the lake’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete maintenance that doesn’t require major construction or threaten area wildlife.

The reroute is a sign of things to come, Henry said.

“The Blue Trail especially has some sections that get horribly muddy,” Henry said. “Even where we put in drainage, cuts get saturated.”

The Clinton State Park Open Trails Initiative was recently started with the goal of making the trails usable year round in any weather, Henry said. Putting in flat pavers on the first section near the Corps of Engineers offices is part of the first stage of the initiative planned to begin in February. Both Clinton North Shore Trails and the Open Trails Initiative have pages on Facebook to connect with hikers.

“If you are out here on these trails and you run into a tree that’s down or some overgrowth, anything that raises a red flag, email me or get me on Facebook, and I’ll tell Jay,” Henry laughed.

photo by: Chris Conde

Jay Hawks cuts through a tree blocking the new route of the Red Trail on Jan. 22, 2022, at Clinton Lake.

Follow the sound of the chainsaw through the woods and you’ll find Jay Hawks, a retired firefighter and a trail fanatic who recently completed 92 miles during the Hawk Hundred trail race in September. Despite his name, Hawks never attended KU, he said.

“Trails are addicting, but they are different from the road,” Hawks said. “The rocks can be brutal.”

Hawks alternated between running the saw and swinging his Pulaski ax while helping the greener volunteers with safe techniques for clearing the trail.

Sara Lundberg hikes a lot and this is her first time volunteering out at Clinton. She heard about the workday from her Facebook feed, she said.

“I’ve never actually been on the Red Trail,” Lundberg said. “It’s my first time walking on the ridge and I’m glad because now I’m not going to be able to anymore. But now, this new trail that didn’t exist a few hours ago!”

photo by: Chris Conde

Jay Hawks, left, explains to first-time volunteer Sara Lundberg how to use a Pulaski ax to safely clear trail debris on Jan. 22, 2022, at Clinton Lake.

Hannah Glatter is an endurance cyclist who cross trains in the off season. The reroute is also her first experience volunteering at Clinton Lake, but she plans to participate in future work days and to bring along a few friends.

“It sounded like a good way to do some strength work without going to a gym. That’s really not my jam,” Glatter said as she carried a stack of rocks to line the freshly scoured trail.

photo by: Chris Conde

Gary “Story Hawk” Henry, left, and Hannah Glatter clear rocks and roots while rerouting the Red Trail on Jan. 22, 2022, at Clinton Lake.

Liatris Studer drove from Topeka to help with the reroute.

“I pretty much live to do this, but I’ve been doing it mostly in the Ozarks,” Studer said. “It’s getting to be a chore to do the drive, usually once a month. That’s enough of that.”

Including Henry, six volunteers worked on an unexpectedly warm January morning, taking breaks only for a sip of water and a bit of sunshine. After the work was done, the group took a victory lap on the new section followed by an hour sharing cold drinks and hiking stories in the parking lot.

The story of a lake monster was inspired by the frozen lake making odd “pew pew” sounds that could be confused with some kind of sea creature. Henry said he has discussed the strange monster in the lake with local officials who claim to have never heard of such a thing.

“That’s just what you would expect them to say, isn’t it?” Henry said.

photo by: Chris Conde

Liatris Studer, left, and Gary “Story Hawk” Henry walk the Red Trail’s eroding cliff side for the last time on Jan. 22, 2022, at Clinton Lake.

Editor’s Note: This story has been revised to correct the description of the Red Trail. The Red Trail is the part of the trail system that runs along the shoreline.