Recent content by Creag Nan Drochaid

At wildfiretoday.com, by Hunter Bassler, "USDA hires back all 6,000 fired workers from past month, including public land employees." Date on article is March 11 2025. The Ents strike back🌲🌳🌵🌴.

The article Ken posted is not behind a paywall, or I'd not be able to summarize as I did. I hope you are able to read it somehow.

Just read the article from Conway Daily Sun, posted by Ken. I suggest we do read it before we reply here, as there are several facts that put these firings into perspective. - These 11 are about 10% of USFS full-time staff on the WMNF. - They are full-time recent hires of less than 1 year...

Before I wade in to something too deep for my boots, let me repeat a universally known truth: When you gotta go, you gotta go. This matter is an issue for the powers that be (PTB), esp. USFS, NH DNCR, AMC, RMC, WODC, CMC, etc. Since the PTB now welcome all hikers to the mountains, then...

Thank you for those numbers, J. We can wrap our minds around them. My question would be, how much of those assets would be things like land and buildings and gear, and how much in more liquid things convertible into credit or cash? They do sit rather comfy for an organization whose hand is...

I just read the entire AMC Action Plan 2025-2030, twice. With growing membership from 90,000 to 150,000, member and public programs, loaning gear, DEI initiatives etc. I have no problems, and I cannot easily imagine how anyone could. I have found AMC people I have met to be welcoming and...

Hi, KRooney, For now, we are talking one trail and one place on it. On that trail, there are a few Powers that Be. In descending order, they seem to be the Forest Service, the AMC, and the West End Trail Tenders (founded by Laura and Guy). I know not what they would say about a need for...

The short poles holding up the string are indeed there to try to guide the trampling hordes on the trail in snowless seasons (see the Raven published weekly by Nat Scrimshaw). If they are not tall enough to stick up higher than the snowdrifts, they are worthless for the job we are debating, and...

Aye, Dr. As for Hillwalker's post on this thread, he notes that "improvements" that contribute greatly to hiker safety ( blazing, rescue gear, shelters, bridges) are often removed by the US Forest Service, especially in designated Wilderness areas. For their rationale, please see their...

Not to go too far into the blazing topic of a few months ago on this forum, but... a blaze pole with a cross piece anchored in a cairn where the trail leaves open ledge and enters the thickets of dwarf spruce can do much to save lives of wandering hikers. After all, We blaze trails closer...

My heart goes out to the family of the overdue hiker. Moving on to the rigging topic, for a few decades we have used 5' loops of 1" nylon webbing to move things in building fixtures for erosion control etc. on trails. Logs, rocks, whatever. Choker hitch around the item, two crew per loop with...

So, the Mink Hills. Old roads past many stone walls, graveyards by some, one or two sites of district schoolhouses. Subsistence farms whose last owners passed a century ago. Their hayfields now mature second-growth forests. Blazes needed about as much as more channel buoys in the Piscataqua...

Aye, Salty. The blazes colored dark red, is a signature of a certain far-ranging and very motivated person who delights in opening and marking trails as they see fit, without leave or even contact with the landowner or the adopters. The crew for whom I work adopts Rollins Trail (white...

Apropos of the examples being posted on pgs. 3 and 4 of this thread; What TCD said.

Wee trick of the trade: our blaze paint is from the hardware store. It is Rustoleum latex gloss enamel. Your brush is a 1.5" sash tool. Apply a thin layer of new paint. The blaze must look artificial, with straight edges and right-angle corners. The "gloss" paint is excellent at reflecting...