An intensive cleanup effort along CVOA’s 3-mile section of
the Appalachian Trail has vastly improved the popular hiking trail for
both through hikes and day hikers.
The trail had been badly flooded
and nearly impassable by the heavy rains of Hurricane Irene. It took
four hours of solid effort with shovels and chain saws to build a “ramp”
over the swollen stream, where water was three feet deep in some spots.
“As
fitting .. a through hiker christened the bridge within minutes of our
finishing it,” said Paul Trueworthy, vice president of CVOA and the
club’s the point man on the AT project.
CVOA “adopted” that section
of the AT last year and Paul has been rounding up volunteer crews to
keep it blazed and clear of blow down and to insure hikers can cross the
bogs and
streams.
Here’s Paul’s report on the Sept. 10 bridge-building project:
“On Sept. 10, my friend Doug Andrews, my son Andrew and I built a bridge across a moose bog on the Appalachian Trail.
“The bog is located 100 yards north of the junction of the Sugarloaf blue-blazed trail and the AT proper.
“We carried one large and one small chainsaw, a spade shovel and an ax plus all the necessary safety gear.
“Sugarloaf
management let s take the Super Quad chairlift up the mountain. After
getting off the lift, we hiked one mile up to the summit in 43 degree
temperatures and then down another half mile to the trail junction. The
elevation here is about 3600 feet.
“The moose bog area, which
measured 39 feet, was a lake because of the previous week’s rain from
Hurricane Irene. I attempted to ford the lake on a fallen log when I
slipped and fell into moose muck and three feet of water. Andrew and
Doug wisely took another
route.
“Doug spent an hour with a spade shovel cutting a drainage
ditch and lowered the water level a foot and a half. We decided to take
the 18-foot long log I had slipped on and turn it parallel with the
stream. We would use this log as the center support of the ramp/bridge.
“At
each end of the 18-foot span we decided to prop it up a foot or more
above water level with logs we cut down. It was very hard working in the
deep mud and uneven terrain .. soaked from falling and working in
water.
“Andrew and I cut down two tall pine trees and bucked them to
21-foot lengths. With much effort, we then ripped them lengthwise,
creating four 21-foot lengths. These were notched to fit the 18-footer
and nailed in place with large spikes.
“The result, after four hours of steady work, was a ramp that was 40 feet long with a 12-inch high pitch in the middle.
“We
were all coated in mud and sawdust (especially me from my fall) and it
was a
tough climb back up the blue blaze trail for Doug and I. Andrew, much
younger at age 27, hiked up non-stop in 15 minutes carrying the large
saw on his shoulder.
“The downward hike to the Quad lift went quickly
and Tim and the other Sugarloaf lift attendants were interested to hear
about our work.
“I want to thank Doug and Andy for their help as well as Sugarloaf for letting us ride the lift free.”
And .. CVOA AND the AT hikers thank Paul and his crew for keeping our trails in great shape! |