Wildcats A->D

[Tom Rankin]

We met Bikehikeskifish and Paradox at lot C of the ski center, and we piled in John's car. We drove down to 19MB TH and ran into Dave Bear, just about to leave. Off we went down the 3.6 mile trail to the junction with the AT. Nicely broken out already, moderate grade, easy going. A couple of families were walking out from the hut.

When we started up towards W-A, the trail became VERY steep. This trail gains 1,000' in about .6 miles! It was also a lot of side-hilling and small slide crossings, which we negotiated with great care. There are numerous switchbacks, which actually help make the ascent a little easier. The trail was broken but almost frozen over. A few bare booter post holes, with 1 spectacular hole that showed a butt print! I hope that one hurt!

After about an hour, we had gained the summit. Some moderate views towards Carter Dome. We took a little break here and then continued across the ridge. The trail was easy enough to follow but like many winter Whites trails, there were no blazes, even though this is the AT. Maybe they were buried? Eventually we were over to W-D. Decent views here in all directions but the cloud ceiling prevented us from seeing the tops of the Pressies. There were several kids hanging around on the new platform, and a ski patrol guy. He saw us, but said nothing. Neither did the other 2 that saw us near the top of the lifts.

We walked down the Polecat Trail and met ForestGnome! Nice to meet you! A few other people chatted with us as we descended. Exactly 1 hour after we left the platform, we had dropped 2200' to the car. We met J&J for some hot chili and cold beer! Mmmmmmmmmm!

 

[una_dogger]

The blazes were under the snow surface in early February

The trail from A to B is in excellent shape due to
The hard work of some trail angels ;-)

In previous winters it was tough to get through there
Without swimming through snow laden branches

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Some photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/bikehikeskifish/Wildcats20110312#

Tim

 

[NewHampshire]

The blazes were under the snow surface in early February

The trail from A to B is in excellent shape due to
The hard work of some trail angels ;-)

In previous winters it was tough to get through there
Without swimming through snow laden branches

That section of trail is maintained by a family in it's third generation (at least it was as of last time I was told, which was not long ago.) I hear they like to keep to the absolute minimum standard of a 4x8 corridor (non snowpack) which means it will not take long for a snow build up to start eating into the available space to move. Unfortunately I learned after the fact that some one (a few actually) went up there on their own and started widening, and doing a poor job at it. I am also told it was reported to the AMC. I won't get into the right or wrong of this, but would use this moment to say it is best to leave trail maintinance of that level to those who have adopted it. If people feel like they wish to do something to give back please contact the AMC or USFS to adopt their own trail, or if they feel there is a problem with a trail again, just contact the AMC or USFS to report the problem. The AMC (and I am sure the USFS) will gladly listen to your issues and try to fix them.

Brian

 

[una_dogger]

Unfortunately I learned after the fact that some one (a few actually) went up there on their own and started widening, and doing a poor job at it. I am also told it was reported to the AMC.
Brian

Go check it out for yourself if you haven't yet, other AMC adopters have seen the work. Its excellent. Very similar to the excellent corridor work on N Twin that made this winter a blessing. The work on Wildcat is to the same standard, and was sorely needed. And winter hikers have benefited. How many winters were trail reports mainly consisting of "bagged D from ski slope, then drove around and bagged A from the notch" ?? When's the last time the adopters were out there? All I can say is that I've been there in years past, winter or not, and the trail was suffering. Who ever took care of it, adopters or not, I thank you.

The trail was easy enough to follow but like many winter Whites trails, there were no blazes, even though this is the AT. Maybe they were buried? Eventually we were over to W-D. Mmmmmmmmmm!

Don't read any complaints here.

 

[NewHampshire]

I am not trying to start an argument. I don't know if the person who did the illegal maintinance was AMC trained or not. The point I guess I am trying to get at is that there are ways of going about this correctly. One is to contact the parent organization responsible for said trail who will then contact a maintainer about it. When was work last done? If it is a currently adopted trail then every maintainer is responsible to go out and do at least 3 days of work a year, and the AMC requires meticulous work reports to be filled out, so if the work is not getting done they do know.

Please I just want others out there reading this to understand that some maintainers find it rude when work is done to their trails without their knowledge. I am not saying it was done with ill intentions...most people thingk they are doing something good. But we maintainers have standards we are required to abide by that others do not realize. Just like MadRiver who had a rock blaze ilegal placed on his trail a couple years ago. The person who did it obviously did not realize the standards for maintaining a trail. I am sure many believe brushing out is just cutting branches and thats it, but there is much more to it. This is why I am trying to get folks to understand that there are better ways of doing things like this than just doing it yourself.

I will say again, I highly suggest folks interested contact the AMC or USFS trail adoption programs. It is a rewarding experience as well as educational. You will never look at a trail the same way again once you have seen what kind of work and effort goes into maintinaing it.

Brian

 

[bikehikeskifish]

So Brian,

Serious question - should I or should I not cut a blowdown or severe leaner that is blocking the trail?

Tim

 

[Dave Bear]

Tim, You should turn back if its impassable! Not like these idiots that keep making routes off-trail around the obstacles!

Seriously, sometimes mountains are made of mole hills! Chances are if someone is on a hiking forum and has plenty of trail time in they know what is proper for the trail. Best not to go overboard talking it up and patting yourself on the back because the general populous that reads here will all think its their civic duty. We have all moved some inconvenient dead wood but it probably is best to sign up if you want to do it by the rules!

I do feel the guidelines or the trend of the maintenance is prejudice toward winter hiking on high snow depths. This condition is injurious to trees as well as hikers! Its easy to think of a few places that could be made better for passage and knowing where the trail is so people don't tromp around looking for it!

In that regard it was nice to visit with Tom and Laurie at the trailhead and then make the acquaintance of Glenn S and Deb. Glenn is a trail maintainer for North Twin and those folks have done a nice job getting that in shape for year round enjoyment! Thanks!

 

[NewHampshire]

So Brian,

Serious question - should I or should I not cut a blowdown or severe leaner that is blocking the trail?

Tim

A fair and valid question. To this I would say it depends. Obviously safety is the biggest factor....I know this sounds silly but if you don't know how to cut a large tree safely then I would say leave it. A large tree can cause harm to the cutter if they are not aware of how to avoid the pitflls that could cause injury. Small ones would obviously be no problem. I don't see blowdowns as a large issue only because they are of a begnin nature. What I mean is that a blowdown is a dead piece of wood that would be removed anyways. Brushing on the other hand is one of things where once the branches and trees are cut they can not be replaced if it was done wrong. The same goes with clearing waterbars as with blowdowns. This is another begning thing. While most people who are not trained do not clear a drainage correctly (you need to clear the outflow in proportion to the length of the waterbar...i.e. if you have a 4 foot waterbar you need to clear the outflow 4 feet), but in this case if it is not done correctly no real harm is done.

There are a number of adopters here who would gladly take the help from those people who don't want to go the full distance and adopt. GlennS and MtnDave on RoT are a couple as well as the Trailwright folks. Since I am not working the list I don't know for sure, but I am also told that you do not need to do ALL trailwork with Trailwrights if you are looking to do that list. So any time you help out another adopter you can get credit for it. Plus you will have the opportunity to experience trailwork and also get an idea of what goes into maintaining a trail.

Again, my intent is not to come off as an ass. I just want people to realize there is a right way to do things. Trail maintianers put in a lot of time and effort in both work and training, so we only ask that people consider that before taking larger matters into their own hands.

Brian

 

[una_dogger]

Hey Brian, I was making an appreciative comment about a trail's condition.
I not aware of any illegal or injurious activity nor was I encouraging any.

 

[Paradox]

So Brian,

Serious question - should I or should I not cut a blowdown or severe leaner that is blocking the trail?

Tim

I think it is legit.

 

[erugs]

It seems the question of helping out on a trail is "how much is too much." Moving blowdowns that can be moved easily by one or a small group is okay, in my opinion. One of my friends and I regularly "sweep" downed branches aside as we go. Another has been known to "kick" a water bar free of rubble if it helps to quickly drain an area.

The other side of that conundrum is, if I have adopted a trail (and I have) and I plan a certain day to go and brush it out (as I have) only to find out that someone else was there ahead of me without my knowledge and done some considerable work (it's happened)...well, it is a little annoying. Good but frustrating.

My spare time is precious. My last visit to my adopted trail last fall and it was pretty much unnecessary, much to my surprise. I could have used this time where it was needed more (helping my family on a household project) or working on my hiking list or doing something else that was fun. I'm happy to do trail work but don't care much to walk a trail that's been recently worked on so that my visit there is unproductive, never mind carrying with me the tools of the trade.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Well, at least we know why the Wildcat Ridge has been in such lousy shape for so many years. It appears to be design.

Sounds like it's time to assign it to an individual(s) who will maintain it in accordance with its actual use, not what some may deem as its proper use.

 

[RoySwkr]

That section of trail is maintained by a family in it's third generation (at least it was as of last time I was told, which was not long ago.) I hear they like to keep to the absolute minimum standard of a 4x8 corridor (non snowpack) which means it will not take long for a snow build up to start eating into the available space to move.

Well, at least we know why the Wildcat Ridge has been in such lousy shape for so many years. It appears to be design.

Sounds like it's time to assign it to an individual(s) who will maintain it in accordance with its actual use, not what some may deem as its proper use.

My observation over several years is that they simply refuse comply with the FS trail standards and have never cleared it 4' wide. They also don't blaze it, of course it would need fewer blazes if it was better cleared. I have met hikers in the _summer_ who asked if this was really the trail.

This level of maintenance is entirely inappropriate for a non-Wilderness section of the Appalachian Trail that receives heavy winter use. If the adopters refuse to comply with FS standards, they should be reassigned to a little-used trail in Wilderness like Chandler Brook and a more reasonable person recruited for this section. Maybe I will start writing some letters.

This trail should be better maintained. The trail bandits should not have cleared it. In this case, 2 wrongs make a right

 

[bikehikeskifish]

More on topic for the original post, Tom commented how few blazes there were, and asked if they were under the snow. I really never looked for a blaze as the corridor was really obvious, even with a good 4 feet + of snow (a pole, at 125cm, plus my hand, wrist and a bit of forearm could reach bottom just off the snowshoe track) but after he asked I looked for a while and didn't see even one.

I remember in summer of 2008 that it was very bushy up there, and in winter 2010 it was pretty easy to follow, as it was on Saturday.

Tim

 

[NewHampshire]

Hey Brian, I was making an appreciative comment about a trail's condition.
I not aware of any illegal or injurious activity nor was I encouraging any.

It's OK Sabrina, I didn't think you knew and the entire purpose of this was not to point fingers, name names or try to embarasse the persons who did do it (which is exactly why I did not name names.) The only reason I even know of the situation is because someone who was in the area when this happened contacted me about accepted trail maintinance practices knowing that SilentCal and I are the adopters for the adjcent section of trail. The person finally asked me what they thought they thought they should do and all I said was basically what I keep saying here, if you ever have a problem or issue contact the AMC (or if it is a USFS trail of course you then take it to the Forest Service) It is their job to handle this, and if enough people speak up then they should do something about it. I was told that when the incident was reported the AMC person was appreciatve and would pass the info along to the Adopt A Trail program heads. As far as I was concerned that was the end of it. But I just wanted to use this opportunity not to make a scapegoat of anyone, but to show that even the best of intentions can still be misguided. I know the person/s who did this thought they were doing what they thought best. I can't be angry with anyone for that. And I am sure they were well unaware of the problems they may have been creating. All I am trying to say is there is a system in place to deal with these kind of things, and it works out for the best when everyone uses the system.

And to add more to the debate....believe me, the AMC knows the condition of, at the very least, every inch of the AT very well. The pro crews try to get out on ALL trails at least once a year (but as I understand sometimes some of the more obscure trails may only get bi-yearly visits), but they make a point to walk the AT because it IS the AT each and every year. They go out and do the big jobs....blowdowns too big for adopters to handle (i.e. ones that require chainsaw or axe), replaceing bog bridging....that kind of stuff. So since a crew is on that particular section every year they know full well it's condition. Also, the regional coordinator (basically this is your standard trail adopter who then takes on the added responsibility of collecting work reports and coordinating efforts for their region with the AMC adopt a trail program) is required to walk all the trails under their regional duties at least once every 3 (I think) years. Like I keep saying, believe me folks, the AMC knows the condition of the trails they are responsible for very well.

And you know I have to be honest, I was on this section in question 2 years ago, just before snowfall, and I did not find it all THAT bad. minimum 4x8? Yes. But I would not go so far as to call the adopters negligent. But hey, that is just my opinion, so take it for what it is worth.

So I guess the moral of the story is, if you don't think a particular trail is being maintained to a proper level please contact the appropriate governing body for said trail. Enough people complain then something will be done about it.

Brian

 

[SilentCal]

I'm just happy to have a section to work on and call "mine". I'm happy when I read a report and someone says my adopted trail is in good shape. I always try to get some feedback from any trail reporters and most reviews are positive. It's a good way to promote stewardship for the trail system as a whole.

Whatever anyone elses thinks if frankly their own opinion.
The End.

 

[una_dogger]

Thanks again for your efforts guys, and I started a new thread for the maintenance discussion

Back to Tom and Laurie's excellent adventure!!!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Back to Tom and Laurie's excellent adventure!!!

Hahahahahaha! Thanks everyone. We do trail maintenance too, in NY. Some of the same issues over there. Winter vs summer does make a huge difference in many herd paths and lightly maintained and/or flagged trails. But, hey it's Winter, if everything was a piece of cake, it would not be any fun!