The Blue River was flowing fast and high just above its entry into Green Mountain Reservoir north of Silverthorne. Snowmelt from the mountains sloping high above the river was flowing, too, oozing along the river’s banks.

That meant mud — sink-to-your-knees, suck-your-boots-off mud. And that’s where I was on a June weekend — in the muck.

A group of volunteers pitched in to build a boardwalk trail so fishermen and others accessing the river don’t have to plod through that same muck. More importantly, the boardwalk will keep their tromping from further eroding the bank.

It began as a typical Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) project: setting up camp on a Friday evening, up early on Saturday with hot coffee ready and breakfast cooking, putting together a sandwich for lunch from the deli meats and cheeses neatly laid out on a table.

But then we pulled on hip boots or some other waterproof footwear instead of hiking boots and picked up screw guns, drills, tape measures and other assorted carpenter’s tools. Only a few of the familiar rock bars and picks were brought along.

A Rocky Mountain Youth Corps group was on hand to carry in the treated lumber we would use — all of it pre-cut to the proper dimensions. Colorado Division of Wildlife officials supervised the project and put their muscle into it, too.

The mud was endless and seemingly bottomless. Rocks placed to support the boardwalk foundations quickly disappeared and we had to scrounge for more. The muck became soupier as we worked: ankle-deep became knee-deep. Slipping was a constant hazard, and few escaped at least one messy fall.

When the sporadic rain turned heavy, a decision was made to quit a little early on Saturday and retire to my favorite part of VOC projects: campground chow and conversation with newly made friends.

This time we got the added bonus of a wildlife presentation from the DOW folks and a fly-casting demonstration by a guide from the Mountain Angler in Breckenridge. Too bad all of us were too chilled that evening to do any actual fishing.

Sunday dawned with only scattered clouds, and the sun’s warmth chased away Saturday’s chill. With a day’s experience behind us, we worked more efficiently and made up for lost time. The mud was no less slippery, however, and it brought out the first-ever application of my first-aid training on a trail project.

While carrying an armful of boards near the end of the day’s work, our crew leader slipped and fell, smashing a finger between her load and the boardwalk. The crew leader is also my wife, Ann Williams, and she came to me for help.

I’d like to say I worked some wizardry with the first aid kit and kept her on the job, but the injury included a nasty laceration that clearly needed stitches. So we cleaned the wound, wrapped it in gauze, topped it with tape and put the VOC safety net to work to send her out for treatment. A doctor at the hospital emergency room in Frisco put in seven stitches.

Ann’s crew stayed on the job and we finished our last section of boardwalk. All the crews working together very nearly finished the entire trail — getting more done than expected.

VOC Projects Manager Matt Martinez thanked the volunteers in a followup e-mail and noted: “With your help we were able to complete over 30 new sections of boardwalk. . . . I was very impressed with the way you fought through the mud, rain, and muck. The project team all agreed that these were probably the hardest working conditions they have ever seen on a project.”

High praise. Meantime, Ann’s stitches will come out soon and I’m looking forward to walking that boardwalk with a fly rod in hand.

Visit the VOC web site to learn more about its projects and to join one yourself.

The Blue River was flowing fast and high just above its entry into Green Mountain Reservoir north of Silverthorne. Snowmelt from the mountains sloping high above the river was flowing, too, oozing along the river’s banks.

That meant mud — sink-to-your-knees, suck-your-boots-off mud. And that’s where I was on a June weekend — in the muck.

A group of volunteers pitched in to build a boardwalk trail so fishermen and others accessing the river don’t have to plod through that same muck. More importantly, the boardwalk will keep their tromping from further eroding the bank.

It began as a typical Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) project: setting up camp on a Friday evening, up early on Saturday with hot coffee ready and breakfast cooking, putting together a sandwich for lunch from the deli meats and cheeses neatly laid out on a table.

But then we pulled on hip boots or some other waterproof footwear instead of hiking boots and picked up screw guns, drills, tape measures and other assorted carpenter’s tools. Only a few of the familiar rock bars and picks were brought along.

A Rocky Mountain Youth Corps group was on hand to carry in the treated lumber we would use — all of it pre-cut to the proper dimensions. Colorado Division of Wildlife officials supervised the project and put their muscle into it, too.

The mud was endless and seemingly bottomless. Rocks placed to support the boardwalk foundations quickly disappeared and we had to scrounge for more. The muck became soupier as we worked: ankle-deep became knee-deep. Slipping was a constant hazard, and few escaped at least one messy fall.

When the sporadic rain turned heavy, a decision was made to quit a little early on Saturday and retire to my favorite part of VOC projects: campground chow and conversation with newly made friends.

This time we got the added bonus of a wildlife presentation from the DOW folks and a fly-casting demonstration by a guide from the Mountain Angler in Breckenridge. Too bad all of us were too chilled that evening to do any actual fishing.

Sunday dawned with only scattered clouds, and the sun’s warmth chased away Saturday’s chill. With a day’s experience behind us, we worked more efficiently and made up for lost time. The mud was no less slippery, however, and it brought out the first-ever application of my first-aid training on a trail project.

While carrying an armful of boards near the end of the day’s work, our crew leader slipped and fell, smashing a finger between her load and the boardwalk. The crew leader is also my wife, Ann Williams, and she came to me for help.

I’d like to say I worked some wizardry with the first aid kit and kept her on the job, but the injury included a nasty laceration that clearly needed stitches. So we cleaned the wound, wrapped it in gauze, topped it with tape and put the VOC safety net to work to send her out for treatment. A doctor at the hospital emergency room in Frisco put in seven stitches.

Ann’s crew stayed on the job and we finished our last section of boardwalk. All the crews working together very nearly finished the entire trail — getting more done than expected.

VOC Projects Manager Matt Martinez thanked the volunteers in a followup e-mail and noted: “With your help we were able to complete over 30 new sections of boardwalk. . . . I was very impressed with the way you fought through the mud, rain, and muck. The project team all agreed that these were probably the hardest working conditions they have ever seen on a project.”

High praise. Meantime, Ann’s stitches will come out soon and I’m looking forward to walking that boardwalk with a fly rod in hand.

Visit the VOC web site to learn more about its projects and to join one yourself.