10/11/25: Andrew Brook Trail Patrol

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 was the star of the day. Affable and charismatic, he greeted approaching hikers with glee, and seemed to inspire more interest in our work than is typical. We hope to employ his ambassadorial skills on future outings.

The two other crew members did accomplish a few things as well. Most importantly, we removed three dead white birch trees overhanging the upper reaches of the Andrew Brook Trail below Lake Solitude. All three trees were at imminent risk of tumbling down directly upon the trail—and potentially on unsuspecting hikers. One of our most important responbilities as trail maintainers is to constantly inspect the forest canopy directly above the trail corridor for trees that pose hazards to safe passage.

We also bolstered a log barricade on the Andrew Brook Trail a few hundred feet below its junction with Lake Solitude, where the trail takes several 90-degree turns in rapid succession. The barricade serves two purposes:  keeping hikers on the trail and keeping them out of a scenic but fragile sphagnum bog located adjacent to the trail. In the absence of a stout barricade, some hikers were proceeding directly into the bog, likely because so doing appears to be the most direct route. Sphagnum bogs are very sensitive to disturbance, including hikers boots, and on future patrols we'll keep an eye on the barricade to ensure it is serving its intended function.

Before continuing on to the Solitude Trail, we stopped at Jack and June Junction, a crossroads of sorts situated just above Lake Solitude and below the White Ledges overlooking the lake. Multiple trails converge at this junction, and to keep hikers on point we maintain a standing signpost anchored by a stone foundation.  We took note that one of the boards on the signpost is rapidly disintegrating, and needs replacement.

Our patrol continued up along the Solitude Trail to its junction with the Williamson ski trail on Mt. Sunapee. The Solitude Trail is unlike most of our adopted trails in that it requires little more than periodic inspection for blowdowns. It has a wide trail corridor with only a few waterbars and drains, which we cleaned. We also cleared several small dead trees overhanging the trail.

Thanks to Ben and Hank for a fun and productive day on Mt. Sunapee!

Scott MacFaden, CHVTC Team Leader