8/28: Stepping It Up On Mt. Kearsarge
On Saturday we were five at Winslow State Park at 0900. The weather was cooler, and drier after the week's melting humidity, and we soon lugged bars, shovels, and pick up to where we stopped work on 7/31.
We just carried on uphill, removing roots only as needed, digging a hole just uphill of the highest step in the soft soil on that slope, and setting new rock steps behind those already in place. We were a building crew of two and a quarrying crew of three. Thus we could set the best rocks we had as each step. We ran out of suitable rocks after about four were set, but the quarriers found a few more, which they eased down to the stairs slowly and with much use of our two bars as rails. Those are also handy for sliding a rock down past its hole, then you remove the bars and it falls from the step below into its intended hole. We kept the rise for each step to 6"-8", so hikers will find them comfortable to use.
By such methods we set another eight rocks in about three hours, total now 10. We temporarily put a fir blowdown across the trail below so hikers would have to climb some large roots but never be walking into the line of an escaped rock.
We finished these stairs by lining each side of them with our smaller, irregular rock, called "scree" in that role. They are to keep hikers from catching their feet in any holes at the side of steps, and to encourage hikers to use the steps as being easier than the soil to either side. We also lugged in some blowdown logs from the woods to line the route of the trail just uphill of these stairs so hikers might keep to the easiest grade there is on that stretch, and erode less soil.
We hope to return there and add pavers on that gentle slope this Fall. We also intend to do the minor repairs noted in our 7/31 news that we did not get to today.
Our crew included one on their third day's work with the crew this season: he earned his tartan and became a Cardigan Highlander (sorry we have no piper to play "Highland Laddie" as a welcome). There was also a new volunteer trying a day with us for the first time who say they will be back. Then there were three old hands who still call this fun! All of us worked safe, saw what was needed and did it, talked with each other and asked questions and advocated and planned... if I may say so, this crew is one helluva good team. Working with them is a pleasure as well as an honor. Moran taing Many thanks.
-Craig Sanborn, CHVTC"
