Posts by cardiganhighlanders
Well Done, Wes!
by Craig Sanborn Wes Tucker is our graphic artist, cartographer, and web minion (he runs the website and calls on the webwright to repair it). About a year ago he presented the crew with a new map of Mt. Sunapee, with trails overlaid on a topo map, conserved land boundaries, ski trails and lifts, etc.…
Read MoreSpring Patrols and Season Prospects
Gentle readers, it is time for a wee update on the crew and the trails (here insert usual warning not to cause more erosion, so please do not hike on muddy trails, thank you). The crew held their annual meeting on March 25. Possibly the most consequential decision was to further encourage volunteers who have…
Read MoreMud Season & Trails
By Bob Humphrey Mud Season has once again come early to Cardigan Highlander territory. Mud season could arguably be the time of year when our trails sustain the most damage. Early warm days start the thawing process and beckon hikers anxious to hit the trails after a long winter hiatus. Unfortunately, this is the worst…
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2022: 38th Worklog Summary for Cardigan Highlanders Volunteer Trail Crew
Seventeen volunteers turned out: 10 had and 6 earned their tartans. The 812 hrs on trails is 158% of the average of the last 5 years pre-covid: 476 hrs. That 812 hrs includes 3 days from 2 YMCA teen crews on service trips: 300 hrs. Our admin hrs = 158, outreach hrs = 59, so…
Read MorePutting Trails to Bed for the Winter, AKA Raking, Raking, Raking…
A clean drain is a happy drain! The trailwork manuals say that drains should be cleared of leaves before snowfall. Dry leaves do rake MUCH easier now than do soaked ones in May. Cleaning drains now means they can handle downpours and snowmelt right into next summer. Some crews heed this advice, some do not.…
Read More10/8/22 Lake Solitude Trail, Mt. Sunapee: Autumn on the Mountain
This foliage season is easily the most spectacular one hereabouts in many years. After a drought, there was enough rain in September to let the hardwoods really blaze with color against the constant of dark green spruce, fir and hemlock. Swamp maples in bright scarlet, sugar maples in yellow or orange, beeches in a lighter…
Read More7/11 – 9/16; Remove & Replace Old Wood Steps and Waterbars on West Ridge Trail
One major focus of 2022’s work was to remove and replace old rotting broken woodwork on West Ridge Trail, the main tourist trail up Mt Cardigan from the west. It climbs moderate grades on deep mineral soil, varied by steeper bands of ledge, until it encounters bedrock ledges just above Cliff’s Bridge which it follows to…
Read More9/10: More Rocks for Winslow Trail
We were a crew of two, so we decided to gain time by working from the bottom up instead of the top down. We added a largish pin rock to an older waterbar. At the upper side of the powerline cut, we added a rock step to help hikers climb a short but steep slope. The new…
Read MoreWinslow Trail 8/27: Rocks and Bars
The crew gathered at the Winslow trailhead at 0900, and what with trading news, greeting friends, waivers and tools etc we started the hike uphill at almost 1000. The day was cool and breezy, very pleasant, and we enjoyed taking our time up to the flight of 10 rock stairs we built last year. Just…
Read More8/26: Retirees Redeck 8′ Bridge on West Ridge Trail
Back in April 1986, by request of the ranger-in-charge, we moved West Ridge Trail from its old route across a bog to a parallel route just to the north that crosses gently sloping ground, which made it possible to drain that route. We built the first bridge across a small brook, two stringers of local…
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