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What We've Been Up To!
7/20 West Rjdge Trail: Stopping a Waterbar Turning into a Herd Path
On Mount Cardigan’s West Ridge Trail, 0.3 miles uphill, hikers thought a drainage ditch was a fine path. After 2 hours with a shovel and 5′ loop of 1″ webbing, barricading was installed and the drainage ditch was restored. It may get their attention… 🤨. Craig Close up of trail (L), then barricade, then log…
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Do you know the way to Newbury? Just ask Jack and June.
On July 17, two Cardigan Highlanders, Dave & Craig, took advantage of the perfect weather and went up Jack and June Junction near the top of Mount Sunapee. Sitting at the convergence of the Newbury Trail and Solitude Trail / M-S Greenway, this is an important signpost directing hikers where they want to go. They…
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July 9, 2026: Erosion Mitigation on Mount Cardigan
Two senior volunteers, Jim and Craig, built a rock wall on Mount Cardigan’s West Ridge Trail to keep soil on the trail rather than let hikers wear another herd path and see the tread creep downhill. Rocks in trench beside trail hold soil on it. Trail is now twice as wide, yet more durable. 2…
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6/17/26: Andrew Brook Trail Patrol
By 1100 on Wed 6/17, two of us started up Andrew Brook Trail in Newbury NH. We hiked to where a short relocation climbs a ridgetop to K Bridge. Hikers are heeding barricades we added last September and staying on the new path, causing less erosion. We added two more blazes just to guide them even…
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June 6, 2026: National Trails Day on Mount Kearsarge
Six people gathered in Winslow State Park at the base of Mount Kearsarge. Three who signed up via Nature Groupie attended plus three Cardigan Highlanders. We split into teams of three. Dubbing themselves the uphill team and the downhill team, they took their tools and hiked up the Winslow Trail to the worksites. The two…
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Saturday, April 25, 2026: Newbury Trail Patrol
Four Highlanders gathered at the red caboose on the shore of Sunapee Lake in Newbury. A plan was made, tools were distributed, and they strolled up to the trailhead. Team Leader Scott, Chuck the sawyer, and Ben as swamper/raker went on up Newbury Trail towards Jack & June Junction. Being old and slow (his words),…
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Anatomy of a Spring Patrol
By Wes Tucker Anybody who has spent time in New Hampshire knows that there are more seasons than just the basic four. The spring thaw is followed by mud season. Then fast on it’s heels comes black fly season. But wedged in between them is a brief window of time that Cardigan Highlanders call spring…
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2025: 41st Worklog Summary for CHVTC
Eighteen volunteers turned out: 11 had and one earned their tartans. Our 430 hours on trails is 90% of the average of the five years pre-covid: 476 hrs. Admin = 172 hrs, outreach = 20 hrs. DNCR values volunteer labor @ $35.76 / hr, so our 620 hr = $22,171. We patrolled 17 miles, cleaned…
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Friday 10/17/25: New Volunteers Build Rock Steps on West Ridge Trail
We welcomed three volunteers from Hypertherm in Lebanon NH to the West Ridge Trail at 0900 Friday 10/17. Hypertherm pays their employees five days a year to volunteer with a local non-profit, and for a second day these three chose to return to us and build trail fixtures. They are Harrison, Ryan, and Simon. We…
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