10/4/23: Bicknell Brook Trail, Enfield NH

And now, something a little different: The Enfield Selectboard appointed me as Trailmaster for that town. They tend three trails on different parcels owned by the Town. The monsoon season of '23 (June 9 - Sept 19 20" rain) slowed trailwork everywhere, but sites got measured and plans made in spite of the weather.

Now there is drier weather, projects are getting done fast. For us, that is new yellow blazes on Barlow Trail at treeline on Thursday 9/21, salvage a broken 12' bridge to be 10' at Suki Marsh trail in Enfield 9/23, 3 rock steps in gully Solitude Trail 10/1. Thus we arrive at today's job.

Bicknell Brook Trail in Enfield needed several new bridges where hikers had been bypassing mudholes, fording brooks, etc. Not much draining, but ~54' of hardening. The chair of the Conservation Commission and I went there on August 1, they then appropriated $500 for materials. Confusion delayed payment to the sawmill for a while, but on Thursday 9/28, I bought 10 3x8x8' roughsawn full-dimension hemlock and stored it with the PT for sills at the town shed. Good weather and crew schedules meshed, and we turned out at 0800 today, with tools, fasteners, and lumber (see photos).

We began by driving the truck 800' closer to the site because the Town lent me the key to the gate. Then we lugged hemlock and PT to the site (see photos). Once there, we measured the span again, figured where to set sills, and dug away at roots to make a shallow trench for gravel we mined nearby. Stringers or beams on sills, torque screws, battery screw guns, and voila! (you know the drill by now...).

Three of those, and we ran out of sites where our lumber could be used, if the Conservation Commission appropriates a little more money this Thursday. Meanwhile, this report. Three of the crew here are Cardigan Highlanders who all live within ten minutes of this trail.

More later.

Craig Sanborn, CHVTC