CLAY TWP — Over the course of a week, Brian Loutzenhiser pushed a lawn mower over 13 miles of trail — and back — followed by more half marathon-length treks where he cut down felled trees and branches with an ax and shears in the June heat.

Believe it or not, this was his vacation.

Loutzenhiser’s day job is at Penn United Technologies, where he said he sits most of his time in the office. His hobbies include hiking and exploring the outdoors and the physical labor involved in volunteering with the North Country Trail Association doesn’t feels like work to him.

Plus, if he didn’t take a week off from work to make sure the West Sunbury portion of the North Country Trail was clear of brush and debris, it would be a lot harder for him to walk his dog there.

“We mow the grass down. You can't even find the trail if it wasn't mowed,” said Loutzenhiser, North Country Trail maintenance coordinator for West Sunbury. “Some of it would grow in. You wouldn't even be able to see it. Some of it you wouldn't be able to see in a year.”

Loutzenhiser said he has taken a week off from work every June for about seven years so he can prepare the section of the North Country Trail for the summer. Even though he usually takes shears with him on his walks on the trail throughout the year, Loutzenhiser said the week of work allows him and his wife, Suzan Loutzenhiser, to really hone in on its maintenance.

The Loutzenhisers’ work was nearly done on Saturday, June 7, but the two still chopped some branches that were hanging a little too low and snipped quite a few others that were encroaching onto the dirt trail.

“Right now, everything is growing in at its maximum, so we hit it now so we take the greatest growth off,” Brian Loutzenhiser said. “I usually wait until early June and then hit it pretty hard. You've got to take the big trees down with the chain saw, because you can't get through with that mower.”

The North Country Trail Association has chapter associations throughout the north, with each helping manage parts of the trail across its 4,800 miles. The 57-mile Butler County Chapter segment of the North Country Trail begins at Alpha Pass in McConnells Mill State Park and ends crossing the Parker Bridge over the Allegheny River in Parker. The trail in Butler County winds through the forested hills of the Allegheny Plateau in Western Pennsylvania, according to the chapter’s website.

Jan Genaway, former president of the Butler County Chapter of the North Country Trail Association, said removing any trees from the trail is organized by volunteers.

“They coordinate trail maintenance work days, oversee their section of the trail,” Genaway said.

The Butler County chapter provides guidance for anyone performing trail maintenance, but it mostly boils down to making sure the trail itself is visible and clear of obstructions, and ensuring there are “blazes” painted on trees to guide hikers. According to Brian Loutzenhiser, the trail should be 4 feet wide and 8 feet tall, and hikers should be able to see a blaze from the trail at all times.

Additionally, the state parks in Butler County help coordinate maintenance on the trail when it goes through their land.

“Things that we do within the parks or state game lands have to have approval and we do have a good relationship with the state parks and game lands,” Genaway said. “We work together to help maintain the trail.”

Brian Loutzenhiser said he first got involved with the North Country Trail around the year 2000, when he and his family moved into a house near the Sutton Farms trailhead. He was first taking regular hikes with the Butler Outdoors Club, and started volunteering on the North Country Trail because “It's just something that we need to have.”

“It's something people needed so they could get outside,” Brian Loutzenhiser said. “You don't need any special equipment, you don't need admission fees. It's good entertainment. It's good for you physically. It's good for you mentally.”

With a week’s worth of trimming, mowing and chopping behind Brian Loutzenhiser, the trail on June 7 was relatively clear, albeit muddy from a recent storm.

The trail head the Loutzenhisers take care of is near 1401 West Sunbury Road, and is partially located on a property owned by Wayne and Joanne Dallos, which is noted on the nearby sign that points to the trail.

Many parts of the North Country Trail go through private property, but Wayne Dallos said he was happy to let the trail go through his because the association promotes nature and environmental stewardship.

“I have a nephew who is really into hiking,” he said, “and I think it’s something people need to do.”

Brian Loutzenhiser said he seldom sees other hikers during his walks on the trail, but his section is off a state road with the only amenity within about a half-mile being a vehicle repair garage. The first mile or so of the section is also built atop a strip mine, and there is a landfill visible from atop a hill on the trail, so it might not be the first point of entry most hikers think of.

The forest is relatively young, populated by small trees and man-made ponds, because it was classified as wooded wetland habitat after the mine closed. Brian Loutzenhiser said invasive species like knot weed, barberry and autumn olive have also put down roots on the trail. He pays particular attention to these plants because they grow quickly and sometimes have sharp thorns.

The woods near the trail is ideal habitat for certain wildlife. Wayne Dallos pointed out a box turtle poking out from the brush during a hike June 7, and Suzan Loutzenhiser jumped after spotting a blacksnake burrowing into the ground.

The Loutzenhisers have also spotted eagles’ nests and beaver dams on their hikes.

“We see eagles pretty often,” Brian Loutzenhiser said. “You see all kinds of things out here.”

Although the Loutzenhisers each spend a good amount of their vacation time working on the trail near their home, they do take some actual vacations — ones that usually do still involve hiking and outdoor activity.

Brian Loutzenhiser joked that he can never escape his maintenance mindset.

“We do do a lot of hiking on vacations. Then I get there and I critique their trail maintenance,” Brian Loutzenhiser said.

But he can’t complain about any trail too much. He knows as well as anyone that making sure trails are clear and optimal for hiking can be rigorous work, which is why he and his wife are always promoting the trail and the association through events and organized hikes.

Suzan Loutzenhiser said there are a few “fireworks hikes” planned for the trail — one on the evening of July 3 on the Sutton Farms Trail.

“We're looking for people to kind of adopt one-mile or two-mile sections,” Suzan Loutzenhiser said. “So instead of Brian doing 13, if everybody took one, it would be a lot more manageable, and it would get the community involved.”

Genaway said that people don’t have to become trail maintenance coordinators; they can become volunteers by simply hiking the trail on a regular basis to report any areas that might need some TLC.

“They hike it every so often to let us know how the trail is, if there is any trees down or if there are any boards that need to be replaced on a bridge,” Genaway said of trail volunteers.

Even though he often ends up with a “raging case of poison ivy” each year, Brian Loutzenhiser said he still enjoys the trail, the week’s-worth of work he puts into it each summer.

Even though it currently feels like a haven for he and his wife, Brian Loutzenhiser said he hopes more people learn about the North Country Trail, and the 13-mile stretch that he cares for.

“Check yourself really good for ticks when you get home,” Brian Loutzenhiser said. “Definitely bring your water. Let somebody know where you're going to be just in case you get lost or hurt on the trail, so someone can come looking for you.”

For more information on the North Country Trail and the association’s Butler County chapter, visit northcountrytrail.org.