cooperhill
New member
Early morning, late November. Alpenglow lights up the trees along the White Mountain Highway. A last trailwork trip of the season. I decide to bypass Piper and move over to Champney. I worked the entire trail (Piper) again (after being cleared in the Spring) in September after Irene. It will keep for the winter.
It's the day before what forecasters are calling a big storm. Just another day of "weather" in New Hampshire. The mountains & clouds are showing early signs of this system coming. Beautiful inversion clouds lining the valleys. Driving below these, clouds appear to move and then disappear. Above, clouds formed by high winds aloft. Clouds mimicking the shape of the mountains below them.
28°F at the Champney Falls trailhead. Too cold for any significant trailwork. This is now obvious. I decide to head up with my axe for a bit and see what I can see. It's been a big season for me. 100+ hours of volunteer work with the Forest Service. I enjoy the work and I enjoy taking care of the resource...for me it's about the trail.
Temps are perfect late fall hiking weather. Chilly but not too bad once you get going. Trail is a bit icy in spots but not bad. I pass the upper cut-off for the falls. Just above is a 2-3 FOOT blowdown. Monstrous. I decide that cutting a step / access point will be my objective for the day. I was successful in cutting through 2.5' of wood but couldn't move the log off the trail. I also put a decent dent in the top of my axe bit from swinging into an unseen rock. Lessons learned. Bring a small saw and swing carefully, if at all, when near the ground. All in all a success. People will now be able to get through in the winter. I clear a few blowdowns below the falls cutoff on the way down.
A mixed end to a big season of work. Winter is coming. Time to move onto stacking and splitting wood for next year. Plowing. I retreat into my shop to work on tools for next season.
Before that, I stop to pick up a Christmas tree from the forest. $5. Two words. Charlie Brown.
NOTE: the 2.5' blowdown could be moved further apart and possibly off the trail with a few people pushing with their legs. Just throwing it out there.
It's the day before what forecasters are calling a big storm. Just another day of "weather" in New Hampshire. The mountains & clouds are showing early signs of this system coming. Beautiful inversion clouds lining the valleys. Driving below these, clouds appear to move and then disappear. Above, clouds formed by high winds aloft. Clouds mimicking the shape of the mountains below them.
28°F at the Champney Falls trailhead. Too cold for any significant trailwork. This is now obvious. I decide to head up with my axe for a bit and see what I can see. It's been a big season for me. 100+ hours of volunteer work with the Forest Service. I enjoy the work and I enjoy taking care of the resource...for me it's about the trail.
Temps are perfect late fall hiking weather. Chilly but not too bad once you get going. Trail is a bit icy in spots but not bad. I pass the upper cut-off for the falls. Just above is a 2-3 FOOT blowdown. Monstrous. I decide that cutting a step / access point will be my objective for the day. I was successful in cutting through 2.5' of wood but couldn't move the log off the trail. I also put a decent dent in the top of my axe bit from swinging into an unseen rock. Lessons learned. Bring a small saw and swing carefully, if at all, when near the ground. All in all a success. People will now be able to get through in the winter. I clear a few blowdowns below the falls cutoff on the way down.
A mixed end to a big season of work. Winter is coming. Time to move onto stacking and splitting wood for next year. Plowing. I retreat into my shop to work on tools for next season.
Before that, I stop to pick up a Christmas tree from the forest. $5. Two words. Charlie Brown.
NOTE: the 2.5' blowdown could be moved further apart and possibly off the trail with a few people pushing with their legs. Just throwing it out there.
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