Saturday, September 13, 2014

Gap Mountain Trail Day

Fall is almost here, so it must be time for another work day on Gap Mountain.

There were two more rough sections on the North Trail that needed attention so we thought we would tackle at least on of them today.  Here is a "before" view of this section of trail.


As can be seen in this picture, a tangle of roots and rocks.  Hikers trying to avoid the mess have created an ever widening "trail" over this steep section.  Time for some attention here!

With the help of Bob Curley's crew from Massachusetts and several local workers, we amassed quite a work crew for this Saturday.  Bob's crew does extensive work in conjunction with the North Quabbin Trails Association and the Quabbin to Cardigan initiative.


We split into two crews, one for the major rock work in the eroded section and one for general water bar work on the steep upper section of the trail.  After the hike in to the work site, the crew immediately began gathering rocks and moving dirt (well, what little dirt there was to move, mostly roots and stones).


We finished up by early afternoon and returned to the parking lot just as the rain began.  After the fall rains and the leaves drop there should be a new base for new vegetation to take hold along this new section of trail and the area should be much more appealing to hikers.




Thanks to all that helped out today.  And also a thank you to Lee over at Monadnock State Park for lending the crew many of the tools needed for the heavy lifting today.