Now that all the leaves are off the trees (and on the trail) in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to decide what to do with them. There are two schools of thought on dealing with leaf litter, and the answer often depends on local soil and weather conditions. Of course leaves make it harder to see obstacles and tend to provide unreliable traction, but they can serve to protect the soil beneath. Yet some say clearing leaves allows the trail to dry more quickly after rain.
There may be a right and wrong answer, depending on where you live, but that doesn’t stop arm-chair trail maintainers from weighing in. 🙂
