May 17th – Artist Bluff & Bald Mountain
We did our Basic Maintenance and some additional drainage. Cleared the Short Circuit trail on the way back. 5 members totaling 25 hours.
June 7th – Mt. Kearsarge Winslow Trail
We held a discussion on tools and safety followed by instruction on water bars and how to clean them properly. Performed basic maintenance to the half way rocks. Stabilized a couple rock steps and added 4 more along with rebuilding two wood bars. 13 participants totaling 83.5 hours.
July 7th – Monadnock Trails Week
Four members for 28 hours. On July 15th two members for 11 hours . There were 3 other members but I have no report as it was being handled by SPNHF.
July 14th – Fox Forest Ridge Trail (NH Trails Day)
Basic maintenance, rebuilt large culvert, removed blowdowns and Installed 15 stepstones. 11 Participants totaling 77 hours.
July 26th – The Dan Doan Trail
Darrell picked 4-bar rocks to play with and we had only three bars J. Dan’s experience was a big help. Brian’s YOUTH and POWER made a huge difference and proved to be the difference on the day. James and I helped where we could. I did a lot of looking on in the beginning as I caught my breath from the hike in. They all together did manage to get a nice 7 rock staircase with scree completed about 4:30 and back to refreshments by 5:30. Thanks James for the cold ones. Thank goodness we had that strap. Meanwhile Peg and Theresa (what a worker) completed the short relocation. Then the 4 of us completed the short relocation we flagged last year. It will need side hilling and blazing in the future. We then moved up to the next relocation that avoids a very rocky/slippery area. We started at the spring and worked down to the old trail. It will need breaking in (Duffy) and blazing along with a couple smaller trees to be removed that need a bigger Saw other than a bow saw. We then came back down to head out, but Darrell had another problem rock so James jumped in as well as myself when I could fit in and man handled it into place. We also removed a couple of smaller recent blowdowns and Dan cleaned several water bars on the way in because some of us were a little slow hiking in (Winking smile). I don’t remember being quit that steep in a couple places. It was a rewarding and fun day with decent weather. Still very much work is needed. A full day or two of additional water bars is needed above the Staircase to the upper relo. A few on the section below would not hurt. I think Dan D. would have been proud of the work accomplished so far. As a Trailwright member and friend, this day was for you. We are all part of the Family. Thanks Ruth and Don for the send off much appreciated. – Hal Graham
August 2nd – Mt. Pemigewasset Trail
On Saturday, Aug 2nd, Hal, Peg, Darell, Theresa, Barb, Jeff, Eugene and two of his friends (maybe not any longer) Doug, and Jack Proceeded to start building a rock stair case in a badly eroded gully about 2/3 up the trail. The usual large rocks at the base took a while but once set the Steps went along very smoothly. We managed to install 12 rock steps in the gully. At the top was a large rock water bar that had rocks too high so we dropped two down to proper height and made them into a step. One LARGE rock was left to use to back up the water bar at a later time. A Darell 5 bar rock with 4 bars J. Screed the entire section. Much more to be done with at least two more sections of trail in the same eroded category. My thanks to all for such a successful day and special thanks to Doug and Jack. We had a hiker join us and volunteered to help from Noon to the end. Thanks Nate for a job well done. He says he will try again. Not a bad day with some 85 hours total. We got back to the trail head at 5:30 weary, tired but very satisfied with the whole day. – Hal Graham
October 9th – Rollins Trail, Rollins State Park
Three members spent a day installing additional drainages after completing cleaning of all water bars and repaired two cairns. 21 hours.
October 18th – Artist Bluff & Bald Mountain
This was our fall basic maintenance trip on our only adopted trail to get the trail ready for spring. All drainages cleaned and blowdowns cleared. An inventory of additional needs for the future was made. 10 participants for 41 hours. The over all statistics for these project include 34 different Volunteers for 376.5 hours.
August 2nd – Monadnock Training Day
Eight eager trail workers gathered at the Mt. Monadnock Half Way House trailhead, joined by Trailwright’s members Mike and Sue Zlogar and Ray Jackson. We were requested to offer our experience maintenance hiking trails with the Monadnock Park volunteer trail manager, Lee Willette and the Vigilante Volunteers who maintain the 40 miles of trails on the most climbed mountain in New Hampshire.
After a tools and safety hand-on and discussion, we hiked to our first drainage challenge. Two longs (peeled by Lee and friends earlier) were transported and laid into trenches, dug by the group. When these log waterbars were completed, the groups split into two task areas. One addressed a 30-foot corridor where the rocks were moved uphill on the treadway and tamped in to allow the water to drain in the dug trench. This afforded a more comfortable experience for the hikers, as well as getting the water off the trail.
Two rock water bars were rebuilt, with rocks added to lengthen the cross trail coverage as well as providing better outlet drainage. Although all of us were muddy and tired at the end of the day, there were still smiles on all faces.
A special thank you to Sue Zlogar for not only documenting the day’s work with over 150 pictures, but working on each area as well. The work experience was sponsored by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF), who shares in the ownership and care of the Monadnock trails system. A great day. – Ray Jackson
Additional Work
Trailwright Gene Bouley had additional basic maintenance hours on the Pemigewasset Trail, totaling 61.5 hours.
From Mike Zlogar, helping Chatham Trails Association, the following:
Memorial week end was Spring patrol, basic and an assessment to identify future needs. Two members for 14 hours.
National trails weekend saw replacing 72 linear feet of bog bridging and rehabilitate the trail on each side of the bog bridging. Two members for 21 hours.
Fall weekend was corridor definition and water bar maintenance on Bicknell Ridge trail. Five members for 35 hours.
Ray and Mike have also been involved in several projects on the Mt. Tom Reservation ( Mass.) as well as a request to help with a deteriorating footbridge.
Last but not least is the amount of hours that Bruce Richards put in on his adopted Mt. Kinsman Trail. Some 172 hours alone and another 83.5 hours. Some included in the members and other groups for a whopping 256.5 hours. Other Trailwright Members have also contributed to other organizations showing a dedication to trail maintenance to which I say a job well done. – Hal Graham