Pathways Newsletter

Looking out towards the beautiful Bridger mountain range in Bozeman, your eyes can’t help but catch on the giant white “M” on the hillside. Originally constructed in 1915 by MSU students, the M gets an annual coat of white paint each fall. But after years as Bozeman’s most beloved hiking destination, the sitting area at the base of the M needed some work. That’s where MCC comes in, to provide some much-needed TLC in the form of a new retaining wall and benches!

A helicopter delivery of 2 tons of treated timber beams later, MCC crew leader Gavin, and crew members Linda, Dave, and Rachael hiked up the M trail on a cool October morning to break ground. Their goal for the week was to install a 70-foot retaining wall to stabilize the area where visitors stand at the base of the M.

“It was a pretty noticeable difference after we went in and did the work. Now that dirt will erode and hit the wall instead of covering the platform. And the benches are now ADA-compliant. It’s definitely a big improvement,” said crew member Rachael.

One of the crew’s favorite parts of the project was the interaction they had with members of the public. Since it’s such a popular, close-to-town trail they received many visitors. “It was pretty cool working on a trail that gets hundreds of people a day,” said Rachael. Crew member Linda added, “It felt like I was doing important work to preserve what is up there. I'm proud knowing that the work will be there for many years to come.” Crew leader Gavin shared, “I’m from here and have seen the M for as long as I can remember. Being able to work on something that’s so big for the community is neat. Our work will stick around for a while.”

The crew finished ahead of schedule and was also able to do some drainage work on the trail leading up to the M. They closed down social trails along the route to improve trail conditions and reduce erosion. “The people who are regulars, they saw improvements right away. Normally the best work for trails is unseen, but for people to actually notice the drains and be so appreciative was so cool too,” said crew member Dave.

The helicopter and MCC’s work was funded by Montana State University (MSU) through their Division of Student Success. Bozeman Ranger District’s Recreation Management Specialist, Cody Yeatts, stated, “This is one of the busiest trails in the area and has a huge importance to our community and Montana State University. This partnership between MSU, MCC, and the Forest Service is a great example of how working together allows us to get things done that we might not be able to achieve on our own.”