We have been busy this fall with planning and implementing a project on the Forest Society's Andrew Brook Forest in Newbury. This forest will eventually be the site of a new trailhead and parking area for the Andrew Brook Trail which climbs up the southern slope of Mount Sunapee to a high elevation tarn, Lake Solitude. From Lake Solitude, hikers can and often do continue on to the summit of Mt. Sunapee to enjoy the panoramic views. Currently, parking for the poplular Andrew Brook Trail is a small pullout on the side of Mountain Road, which is often overcrowded on beautiful summer days. We hope that the new trailhead parking area, which is slated to be constructed next spring, will provide a safer and more practical area for hikers to park.
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| Volunteer Jim Harnett surveys Wendy's handiwork notching a log |
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| Jim Harnett, Bob Lyon, and Todd Wagner steady a hemlock log while Wendy notches it |
The other great thing about the new traihead is that once the lower section of trail is re-routed, the Andrew Brook Trail will be entirely on conservation land, effectively guaranteeing that this amazing hiking opportunity will remain available to the public for generations to come. The Forest Society has secured a grant from the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) administered by the NH Trails Bureau to fund this work. Although the parking area has not yet been constructed, SPNHF staff and stewards had several workdays on the property this Fall to construct three bridges that will be needed on what will be the new section of trail connecting the trailhead to the existing Andrew Brook Trail. Two of the bridges were built using felled hemlock timbers, so construction of these bridges involved a lot of time peeling logs and slowly moving them into place using a griphoist. All of the hard work eventually paid off, though, and I think we all had a little fun in the process too!
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| Ray Jackson doesn't know his own strength with a pick mattock! |
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| Wendy's dog Bella was convinced there was a chimpumk in the muddy stream |
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| Dave Anderson rips a saw down a hemlock log, while Bob Lyon (R) drills holes for rebar |
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| The crew on Day 3 - bridge completion! |
Thanks so much for posting. I'm a Land Steward in California but I grew up in upstate New York. I like all the photos of various stages of work.
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