Posts by cardiganhighlanders

On Mount Cardigan’s West Ridge Trail, 0.3 miles uphill, hikers thought a drainage ditch was a fine path. After 2 hours with a shovel and 5′ loop of 1″ webbing, barricading was installed and the drainage ditch was restored. It may get their attention… 🤨. Craig Close up of trail (L), then barricade, then log…

Two senior volunteers, ​Jim and Craig, built a rock wall on Mount Cardigan’s West Ridge Trail to keep soil on the trail rather than let hikers wear another herd path and see the tread creep downhill. Rocks in trench beside trail hold soil on it. Trail is now twice as wide, yet more durable. 2…

By 1100 on Wed 6/17, two of us started up Andrew Brook Trail in Newbury NH. We hiked to where a short relocation climbs a ridgetop to K Bridge. Hikers are heeding barricades we added last September and staying on the new path, causing less erosion. We added two more blazes just to guide them even…

Four Highlanders gathered at the red caboose on the shore of Sunapee Lake in Newbury. A plan was made, tools were distributed, and they strolled up to the trailhead. Team Leader Scott, Chuck the sawyer, and Ben as swamper/raker went on up Newbury Trail towards Jack & June Junction. Being old and slow (his words),…

We welcomed three volunteers from Hypertherm in Lebanon NH to the West Ridge Trail at 0900 Friday 10/17. Hypertherm pays their employees five days a year to volunteer with a local non-profit, and for a second day these three chose to return to us and build trail fixtures.  They are Harrison, Ryan, and Simon. We…

On an absolutely stellar fall Saturday 10/11, two regular Cardigan Highlanders and one honorary canine crew member set out from the Andrew Brook trailhead in Newbury to conduct a patrol of Andrew Brook trail and the connecting Solitude Trail. Team Leader Scott, Ben, and Ben’s dog Hank comprised the day’s contingent. By any measure, Hank…

Tuesday October 7 was the last day of 10 weeks of warm dry weather for the near future. Three Cardigan Highlanders met at West Ridge trailhead at 0900, and by 0930 started the hike up to Cliff’s Bridge a mile uphill. We turned right onto the west end of Skyland Trail, which crosses a hillside…

Friday 9/19 was another perfect day of dry weather, no bugs, and bright sun, just  like the previous six weeks. Three new volunteers turned out, and we hiked uphill 0.9 miles till we were above the cascade.  There we built barricades on a wide and muddy herd path where hikers think to bypass a rocky…

… after another safe and satisfying workday FWIW…  Fri 8/29/25 0900. 3 Cardigan Highlanders met by caboose on Rte 103 @ Newbury Harbor. We drove in one car to NE Bowl up on Mt. Sunapee. We patrolled 1.6 miles up Rim Trail then down Newbury Trail east to our cars at Newbury Harbor. Our sawyer…