Fri 8/28: Mt Sunapee Solitude Trail, 16′ 2-Span Bridge Built

A timeline format seems to describe this job, which was a month in preparing. The ledge it bypasses is ~ 100 yards towards White Ledges from the summit road.

Fri 7/31: 3 hr.  View, measure, sketch, plan.  Text Tim, Pres. of MSGTC (Monadnock Sunapee Greenway Trail Club). He approved this job.

Mon 8/3: Order hemlock for 4, 3x8x8' rough sawn full dimension beams at mill in VT. Buy box 25 GRK rough structural screws 5/16" x 6".

Mon 8/17: 2 hr.  Truck hemlock VT – my house. Beams 66 lbs each.

Fri 8/21: 1 hr.  Arrange with Mt Sunapee resort staff to truck lumber up summit road. Buy & deliver 2, 4x6x8' PT (pressure treated) for sills.

Thu 8/27: 1 hr. Deliver hemlock beams my house - Mt Sunapee. Load tools.

Fri 8/28: 8 volunteers @ 6 hr. = 48 hr.  2 vols are Cardigan Highlanders. 3 trimmed brush on this trail as far as Lake Solitude.  5 built the bridge.

Difficult site, some creative engineering, helped by several 40-lb bags of “river pebble" stones for levelling sills and for good drainage under them. Tim brought them, it is an MSG practice, and far easier than hammering big rocks into little ones. Also, I bought more 4x6 PT than needed, but it was all used in the build.

About $250 in materials for this bridge, courtesy of MSGTC.

Respectfully submitted,

Craig Sanborn,  CHVTC
Trailmaster