News From Our Trails
We have enjoyed these last 12 weeks or so of warm temps and almost no rain. Here is a snapshot of what we did with the trailwork time we had, among other life chores and fun.
We raked 208 drains after winds blew all the leaves off the trees. They filled drains to a depth of 1' or more. We missed only South Ridge Trail 15 drains, and Rollins Trail 20 drains. Teams of rakers included Steve D, Ben, Joshua, TL Bob, Scott, TM Craig. They raked for 62 hours.
Kim blazed Mowglis Trail in White, 2.2 mi. Orange Cove-Cardigan summit 8/16, 6 hr. TM Craig blazed South Ridge Trail from Rimrock to Cardigan summit 9/14 and 9/17, 16 hr. Steve D and TM Craig blazed Skyland Trail from jct. Woodland easterly to col at west side of Brown Mtn. 10/22, 14 hr.
The landowner agreeing, Kim then blazed what we'll call Briggs relo southwesterly from that col along an old sidehilled sled path down to the Briggs cellarhole. There the route turns easterly following the driveway to that home on a sidehilled path below Brown Mtn. At the east end it rejoins the present Skyland Trail, easterly to Alexandria 4 Corners. My guess is that the Briggs driveway went across what is now a hayfield to the Church Hill Rd. ascending from Alexandria 4 Corns. Kim blotched out the faded blazes on the old Skyland route over Brown Mtn from a rattle can of ultra-flat grey paint. 11/15 2 hr. Skyland Trail east of Rimrock is blazed in White.
New landowners wanted the trail moved from atop Brown Mtn as they are farming and building their house just east of it. DONE!
Other jobs by Cardigan Highlanders are already news items on our website. Two more jobs of outreach:
- Consulted with SPNHF on a bridge site and design at 1st crossing Andrew Brook Trail, 10 hr, no decision yet.
- 10/18 5hr, and 11/2 3 hr, taught drains workshop for Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail Club just south of Max Israel shelter. Quarry rock, site drains, set rocks in trenches, dig outflow ditches. 8 new drains, used AT Fieldbook pp. 59-63.
Whew! We're getting no younger, but we're still game. Here's tae the crew, wha's like 'em, damn few...
Yours, Craig