IMBA’s website has trail building guides. I suspect first you start with flagging the route within appropriate guidelines , then start removing organic material to prevent slipperyness and regrowth.
I have a copy of the IMBA Trail Solutions book that BNS Mountain Bike Trails Committee owns and allows to be borrowed. If you came to the meeting on Tuesday, I could bring it.
The best freely available manual on trail building is probably from the US Forestry service, most other manuals copy the basic principals and techniques exactly, IMBA adds in some TTF information and is worded more for MTB but the practices are the same.
The condition of the trails at the Cob, especially Snakeline were done by nothing but boots on the ground… over a 15 year period. To speed it up, definitely remove the top layer of moss and try hiking/riding it from there. From my limited experience, trails work in a lot quicker than you’d think… frequent use is the key.
I would think a roof stripping tool or a sharpened mattock would make quick work of the moss. It’s the sucker roots underneath that’ll test yer mettle… lol