BlackSpruce
New member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2003
- Messages
- 664
- Reaction score
- 158
Blessed with ideal conditions, a cool breezy sunny morning and dry trails, Gary and I, after last Tuesday, in no small part thanks to hard work by Anton S., Alex R., Matt C. and Cory D., completion (for this year) of the trail work on the Hopkins Trail to Marcy, headed to admire once again the extraordinary results of Dr Ketchledge life mission (December 29.1934/June 30.2010).
As part of a soon to be published 46-R book I had the privilege of spending a few hours with Dr. Ketch and here is a small excerpt from my chapter:
With an undergraduate degree in forest management, Dr. Edwin H. Ketchledge went on to receive his masters and Ph.D., specializing in the botany of the High Peaks region. He commented, “Bonding with the natural world, I focused my interest in my mountains when I saw the erosion that was occurring in those alpine summits while pursuing my own graduate work. I became independent in my work when I did my masters. I was studying with no intention of climbing the 46. I saw the changes occurring; that is when I began to organize, seeing the raw earth exposed. Climbing I would see more and more black. I started working with my volunteers in 1955.”
After joining the faculty of Syracuse, his studies covered the ecology of his favourite mountains. In 1964, with support from the United States Forest Service, he decided to inventory the status of trails and to outline steps to correct ecological damage. To complete his research work he visited most of the peaks and finally climbed them all to become a 46er. During his years as president of the club, 1975 to 1978, the Forty-Sixers took on its present conservation, stewardship, and trail maintenance efforts in coordination with the DEC. In 1972, work was concentrated on Dix, Colden, Wright and Algonquin. Dr Ed was always dismayed by the low number of volunteers but the few obtained extraordinary results. Today, the summit vegetation on most of the mountains above tree line is luxuriant and offers the hiker incomparable and unique scenery in between the snow seasons. It was hard work carrying up 400 pounds of lime, 400 of fertilizer, and 80 of seeds during the 1972 season. That year, on Dix, Dr. Ed told of getting a boost noticing that after six years the native alpine species had started to re-establish themselves. Nevertheless, he was disappointed that of the 50 volunteers, only a dozen were 46ers. By 1975, Dr. Ed’s next step to complete the work was the judicious placement of rocks, directing alpine summit hiker traffic over one well marked trail. Banning camping and fires above tree line were a must. Temporary grass stabilizes the soil which in due time allows the natural mosses, lichens, and alpine plants to take over, and they do because they are dominant. It is a highly effective but very slow process. Ketch, who has said that his deepest concern is a “higher sense of natural ethics, has commented about hiking... “the power not to…— in order to preserve the beauty of the Alpine meadow for the generations to come. Nine out of ten hikers are stupid, just stupid. We shouldn’t even stay on the summits, just a very short visit. It’s not a playground. Seeds are brought by the wind, not even one should be touched. I don’t worry much when it is frozen and there is snow, but the rest of the time keep them on the damn trail and keep them off the vegetation.” Dr. Ed stresses that because summit vegetation is very exposed, we cannot underestimate the effect of the suddenness of environmental changes. The 85 acres comprising the Adirondack summit meadows covered by true arctic plants are, he says, “islands of history.” The rare mountain flowers found are all remnants of the last ice age, forming “a 10,000-year-old museum”.
Nowadays the Summit Stewards program is run by ADK in conjunction with the DEC and the Nature Conservation. It receives every year a significant portion of its funding from the Adirondack 46-R Conservation Trust created by Grace to provide funding for conservation and education program within the High Peaks Region.
Trails were dry for the most part but for the many bogs on either side of Boundary. The historical herdpath down to the Cold Brook Trail was easy to follow. That was till the 70s the common route to Marshall! Up Marshall from Cold Brook and down Herbert Brook the path was delightful, the few downed trees across the way were a not a big problem certainly not like it was climbing Street and Nye a week ago which could have that day win hands down a contest for the most false paths on any route to a High Peak!
As part of a soon to be published 46-R book I had the privilege of spending a few hours with Dr. Ketch and here is a small excerpt from my chapter:
With an undergraduate degree in forest management, Dr. Edwin H. Ketchledge went on to receive his masters and Ph.D., specializing in the botany of the High Peaks region. He commented, “Bonding with the natural world, I focused my interest in my mountains when I saw the erosion that was occurring in those alpine summits while pursuing my own graduate work. I became independent in my work when I did my masters. I was studying with no intention of climbing the 46. I saw the changes occurring; that is when I began to organize, seeing the raw earth exposed. Climbing I would see more and more black. I started working with my volunteers in 1955.”
After joining the faculty of Syracuse, his studies covered the ecology of his favourite mountains. In 1964, with support from the United States Forest Service, he decided to inventory the status of trails and to outline steps to correct ecological damage. To complete his research work he visited most of the peaks and finally climbed them all to become a 46er. During his years as president of the club, 1975 to 1978, the Forty-Sixers took on its present conservation, stewardship, and trail maintenance efforts in coordination with the DEC. In 1972, work was concentrated on Dix, Colden, Wright and Algonquin. Dr Ed was always dismayed by the low number of volunteers but the few obtained extraordinary results. Today, the summit vegetation on most of the mountains above tree line is luxuriant and offers the hiker incomparable and unique scenery in between the snow seasons. It was hard work carrying up 400 pounds of lime, 400 of fertilizer, and 80 of seeds during the 1972 season. That year, on Dix, Dr. Ed told of getting a boost noticing that after six years the native alpine species had started to re-establish themselves. Nevertheless, he was disappointed that of the 50 volunteers, only a dozen were 46ers. By 1975, Dr. Ed’s next step to complete the work was the judicious placement of rocks, directing alpine summit hiker traffic over one well marked trail. Banning camping and fires above tree line were a must. Temporary grass stabilizes the soil which in due time allows the natural mosses, lichens, and alpine plants to take over, and they do because they are dominant. It is a highly effective but very slow process. Ketch, who has said that his deepest concern is a “higher sense of natural ethics, has commented about hiking... “the power not to…— in order to preserve the beauty of the Alpine meadow for the generations to come. Nine out of ten hikers are stupid, just stupid. We shouldn’t even stay on the summits, just a very short visit. It’s not a playground. Seeds are brought by the wind, not even one should be touched. I don’t worry much when it is frozen and there is snow, but the rest of the time keep them on the damn trail and keep them off the vegetation.” Dr. Ed stresses that because summit vegetation is very exposed, we cannot underestimate the effect of the suddenness of environmental changes. The 85 acres comprising the Adirondack summit meadows covered by true arctic plants are, he says, “islands of history.” The rare mountain flowers found are all remnants of the last ice age, forming “a 10,000-year-old museum”.
Nowadays the Summit Stewards program is run by ADK in conjunction with the DEC and the Nature Conservation. It receives every year a significant portion of its funding from the Adirondack 46-R Conservation Trust created by Grace to provide funding for conservation and education program within the High Peaks Region.
Trails were dry for the most part but for the many bogs on either side of Boundary. The historical herdpath down to the Cold Brook Trail was easy to follow. That was till the 70s the common route to Marshall! Up Marshall from Cold Brook and down Herbert Brook the path was delightful, the few downed trees across the way were a not a big problem certainly not like it was climbing Street and Nye a week ago which could have that day win hands down a contest for the most false paths on any route to a High Peak!
