By Lori Evans
Homer Independent Press
It would be impossible to calculate the number of hours — or kilometers — longtime Homer residents Robert Archibald and Dave Brann have logged on the community’s Nordic ski trails.
They’ve built trails from scratch, groomed trails, cleared massive trees off trails after big windstorms, built bridges on trails where needed, put up signs and, yes, skied on them. In general, they’ve done whatever was needed to make the trails a great experience for skiers.
With a combined 80-plus years of volunteer trail work, the two neighbors and friends embody the ideal of community service and encourage others not to miss an opportunity to get involved.
What is particularly endearing is they don’t draw attention to themselves about what they do. They say that’s because they’re doing what they like to do, and they want to see others enjoying the outdoors.
Robert Archibald, left, and Dave Brann, right, work on a trail project in this undated photograph. (Photo provided)
As low-key as they may be about their volunteer service, it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The two are being honored as grand marshals in Saturday’s 72nd Annual Winter Carnival Parade, which is built around the theme “Snow Much Love.”
“With the theme this year, we wanted to find someone who represents volunteer efforts and love for the community. Dave and Robert are great examples of that idea and have demonstrated their love for this community for many years,” said Brad Anderson, executive director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce, organizer of the annual parade.
The parade starts at noon from Homer High School and heads down Pioneer Avenue.
It would take a book to list all the ways the two men have contributed to the community — their work on Homer’s Nordic ski trails is just part of the story. They also were the prime movers behind establishing the 130.5-mile Kachemak Bay Water Trail that starts at a launch site on the Homer Spit and winds through about 40 possible stopping points in the bay before ending at the Seldovia Trailhead. They now serve as co-chairs of the water trail subcommittee of Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park.
Both have been involved in the city’s Parks, Art, Recreation and Culture Advisory Commission. Archibald is one of the longest serving members of that board. He and Brann remember getting involved with the city as an “I will, if you will” event.
Today, Archibald also serves as the chair of the Kachemak Bay State Park Citizens Advisory Board and is the president of the Prince William Sound Regional Advisory Council, created after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. It’s a good fit for a man who spent 46 years in the maritime industry; the last 32 years of his career, he was chief engineer for Crowley Maritime Corp.
“I worked my entire career on the ocean. When I had my time off, it gave me energy to put back into the community,” he said.
For both Brann and Archibald, their community service is linked to how they enjoy life.
“I grew up with the woods, trees, brooks and ponds of Maine,” said Brann. “Now, my pond is Kachemak Bay.”
Brann’s teaching career on the Kenai Peninsula started in 1980 — first in Ninilchik where he taught fifth and sixth grade and started a ski team. He then taught sixth grade in Homer — and later seventh and eighth grades — and started an outdoor school as part of the curriculum. Among the activities were white water kayaking and mountain climbing. He also was the middle school ski coach.
A lot has changed since those days in the 1980s. The Baycrest trail system didn’t exist. To start grooming there, Brann borrowed a snowmachine from the high school. He and his wife, Molly, would ski on weekends where the trail system is now and figure out options for trails.
Brann liked to groom the trails at night and got Archibald, who had never done any trail grooming, involved. Archibald would follow Brann and learned what to do.
Today the Baycrest system includes approximately 30 kilometers of groomed trails.
Lookout and McNeil trails also have been expanded and improved and the Eveline trails developed with the help of Brann, Archibald and others. Brann estimates that today there are about 50 volunteers — from casual to avid helpers — involved in some way to make sure Nordic skiing happens in Homer.
An appreciation for Homer and its people fuels their volunteer efforts.
“I love this town,” said Brann. “It’s given so much to me as a place to live, as a place to work, as a place to develop friendships and professional networks. And it’s given me an opportunity to continue to play in the woods and water.”
For Archibald, there’s an almost magical quality to life here.
“It’s like coming to something out of a storybook. The thought of living here is incredibly attractive. It’s worth protecting. It’s beautiful, and the people are wonderful,” he said.
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