Thank you for your work! I try to do some trail work every year for the good karma of it.During summer,I usually bring a saw just in case when I go hiking.Keep it up and you might be a inspiration to others.
Thank you Red Oak, where would any of us be without the inspiration of someone in our lives? Best wishes to you!
One of my takehome points, besides getting out and giving back, is that sometimes the things that are important to us are not noticed, are unmeasureable. Unless not done, but who would know? We take such satisfaction in the little things, such as cutting out one sappling, picking up one more piece of foil from a snack someone dropped probably by accident, relocating a cairn that was right at the wrong spot, encouraging a waterflow's dedicated passage down trail to seep into the woods instead. Your photos show so well the quiet work. Thank you!
Excellent point Ellen, and those "little things" add up to a great deal, all because someone takes the time to care! Thanks!
You really did well mixing pictures, history, facts and emotions to present the life of a trail maintainer.
Huge aside from the awesome trail work story (might be a topic for another thread)... since you brought up the drive north... I've done a lot of driving from NH to the PA area (and west).
You can skip the most awful and dangerous city traffic on earth (Hartford, CT) with a 691/91 bypass. It's a waaaay nicer drive and I've never hit a single bit of traffic that didn't involve a road closure or construction. And your life isn't at risk at all times from insane CT drivers going 85 in a 50.
You can cut off Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (horrible traffic always) by going for a lovely drive through the Pocono's via Tobyhanna. PA423>PA507>I380>I80.
In NH, I assume that people know the West Side Road cutoff to go around North Conway traffic.
Sorry for the drift... might be a good discussion thread on it's own.
Thanks, but all credit for the photo layout goes to Philip, all I did was send him photos when he asked, he truly did do a nice job!
Ha, no problem JacobH, I don't mind the drift at all, getting there to work is half the battle. The worst is getting out of PA, 78 is stupefyingly (is that a word?!) horrific.
We have been trying multiple routes lately just because of that. We leave at 4-430am. That's gets us to the NY Thruway fast enough to avoid major traffic, then we just 84 it to Hartford. If its midweek, we arrive just after or around the end of AM "rush".
We even tried the northern PA route you mentioned on the last trip back just for kicks & giggles, nice, little traffic when we drove it, but it definitely took longer.
The 691/91 bypass around Hartford can be a real life saver...
Doug
That's true Doug, thanks for tip. When we go the "old way" which incorporates the CT Parkways (Merritt & Wilbur Cross) after the Tappan Zee, we have actually been using that exit for Rt 2 N off 91 N just before you get to Hartford, thus avoiding the stall out as everybody unloads onto 84E.
We like the Parkways, plenty of bathrooms, etc. But the delays for construction, and mowing of all things when its been dry, are ridiculous. And if none of those are occurring, if your timing is off by even the slightest margin, its parking lot city.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback, your thoughts are generous and much appreciated, kind of gives the incentive to sit down and write once in awhile.
As a neat little note, my mom gave us 2 small packages right before we drove back, with instructions not to do so until we got here. Mom sometimes gives little gag/goofy gifts, so I thought that this was the case, and that being so, it would be best I don't open it in the car while driving (one time was a box of exploding confetti, among other things).
Then when we got back I lost track of it while unloading and all the other typical stuff you have to do when getting back from vaca, so shame on me, I forgot about it. Well, just yesterday I opened it, and inside was an original 1st edition of George C. Evans History of Jefferson NH 1773-1927, my hometown. Inside it said "Presented to DJ Lennox by Geo C Evans Starr King NH Oct 12 1932" Then on the inside was a sheet of faded, discolored paper with my great uncle's handwriting that said "For Scott". I have to admit, my eyes got moist. She was right, I'm glad I didn't open it while driving.
Mom's note said they had it for many years and found it among his estate as we were cleaning it up after he passed, but they themselves had lost it. But over the last several months as they have begun sorting out a lot of their things, they found it amidst some other old family documents (including, get this, my Revolutionary War veteran ancestor Longley Willard's son, William's - my next descendant in line - birth certificate) and they knew it was time to pass it on to me. What a trip.
)
