As the weather grows warmer, walkers and joggers increasingly utilize Kirkland trails. Local trails such as those at Cotton Hill Park and Crestwoods Park have been renovated in the last few years, thanks to volunteers.

Stu Clarke stands apart as one of Kirkland’s most cheerful and willing volunteers. In 2008, he donated more than 100 hours toward building a turnpike at the Cotton Hill Park trail site, and regularly checks up on several Kirkland trails.

“They’re out there for people to enjoy,” he said of the trails, “and if they’re muddy, rocky, and unsafe people aren’t going to walk on them. I want people who are not outdoor enthusiasts to walk on the trails.”

A seven-year South Juanita resident, Clarke is delighted to offer his trail maintenance expertise to the Kirkland community. “I’m a guy who can’t sit still,” he said. “There’s so much too that needs to be done in this world, and there’s plenty of opportunity.”

Clarke has done anything but sit still during his life. As a student, he studied at University of Washington and then University of Southern California, earning a degree in accounting. He then worked as a consultant. “That got me involved in manufacturing, processing, and engineering,” he said. “(It was) a lot of creative sorts of things, and trail building is creating.”

He went on to work in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and eventually Hong Kong. During his time in Hong Kong, Clarke combined his love of hiking and background in Boy Scouts to organize a Scouts troop for American boys living with their parents in Hong Kong. He later received permission from the International School in Hong Kong to include boys from all nationalities.

The group hiked all over Eastern Asia, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. “I’ve been lucky enough to backpack not every place in the world, but a lot of places,” he said, smiling.

Eventually, his work with the Boy Scouts led to nine years of involvement with the Scouts World Training Committee. In 1996, he was invited to celebrate the King of Sweden’s 50th birthday party. His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf, is the World Scout Foundation’s honorary chairman.

After returning to the states, Clarke volunteered for the Washington Trails Association, where he learned to build and manage trails. Nowadays, Kirkland residents can find him leisurely walking nearby trails with his grub hoe tools, looking for repairs.

His outstanding volunteer work in Kirkland includes designing a 500-foot long turnpike at the Cotton Hill Park trail, which he helped build with volunteers, and a water drainage system for the Crestwoods Park trail.

Clarke’s goal is to “keep the trails alive.” The most common problem is flooding from nearby streams and springs. He aims to construct a way for water to flow off the trail. Usually, he builds “waterbars,” which capture flowing water and guide it away from the path, into the woods. “It’s a portable dam,” he said.

Recently, he has observed the growth of new weeds along the Cotton Hill Park trail. While weeds are a hassle to gardeners, Clarke explained that the plants help hold soil down, which prevents mud.

Since his days abroad, Clarke’s life has slowed down a little. Currently, he has no new projects beyond properly maintaining his past work, but he enjoys reminiscing about the generosity of fellow volunteers on trail projects.

“I would still be there today, building, if not for them.”