News
What We've Been Up To!
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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),…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
10/17/25: Skyland Blazes DONE!
Tuesday October 7 was the last day of 10 weeks of warm dry weather for the near future. Three Cardigan Highlanders met at West Ridge trailhead at 0900, and by 0930 started the hike up to Cliff’s Bridge a mile uphill. We turned right onto the west end of Skyland Trail, which crosses a hillside…
Read More