October 18th, 2012 – Mt. Kinsman

On Thursday, October 18, 2012, Hal Graham and I, both Trailwrights, collaborated to remove two blowdowns near the first water crossing on the Mt. Kinsman Trail. The first was a Poplar Tree of which the upper forty feet had broken off the main stump about 15 feet above ground and landed vertically in the middle of the trail with the canopy tangled in the adjacent trees.

As would be expected its removal was a multistep process. Hal first probed the ground with a rock bar at the base and determined that the trunk and had sunk just over a foot into the ground. We dug around the base removing rocks and roots to open it up the hole and free the base somewhat.

A come-along winch was attached to the base of the blowdown and a tree farther up the trail. Due to the depth of the base in the ground the tree would not come free from the hole.

A crosscut saw and an ax were then used just to weaken the upper part of the tree from the base in the ground.

The come along was then able to separate the upper and lower parts and pull the upper part down facilitating the removal of the stump in the ground. The come along was then relocated to pull the remainder of the tree down and across the trail.

With the tree down within reach, saws made short and safe work in its removal.

The blowdown was removed and the trail cleaned up of debris.

The second task involved the removal of a 12-inch diameter blowdown lying diagonally across the trail hung up in the adjacent trees just above the first water crossing. A crosscut saw and an ax made short work of it.

It was a most productive and enjoyable day. Totals for the day for 2 people x 7 = 14 hours. Big thanks to Hal Graham and the use of his winch and crosscut to clear up these obstructions. – Bruce