WMNF Trail Maintenance

[darren]

Got the below email from Giff ( [email protected] ). please email him or repspond here to coordinate with others.

Darren, I have been a volunteer with the White Mountain National Forest Trail Crew for the past three years. I work out of the Holderness Office which is responsible for the close to 600 miles trails in the Pemi-Baker drainage. During te three years, the paid trail crew has varied from two to four people. They are seasonal employees who work from May to October. Obviously they are stretched very thin. Unforetunately much of the time is stent doing Level I maintenance, cleaning water bars and clearing blowdowns. There is little time left for major projects like bridge replacements, trail relocation or erosion control.

I believe that the large user base of VFTT could be of help in this area. A group of three to four volunteers could easily complete level one mainentance on a typical trail like the Edmund's Path in a good day of work. The only tools required would be garden rakes, loppers and a bow saw. This would not allow for the clearing of major blowdowns requiring a chain saw to clear. However, these could be reported to the Forest Service who could come in and clean them up after the rest of the Level I work had been completed.

A volunteer effort such as that described above would have two main benefits. The first would be an earlier clean up of trails in the Spring. The second would be the freeing up the the Forset Service's Professional Trail crew to tackle more the the major projects needed to keep trails in the Forest in good shape. If you believe that the VFTT membership would be willing be take on this effort, I would be happy to coordinate with the Forest Service to make it happen on their end.

 

[peakbagger]

I try to help out Randolph Mountain Club on a similiar effort in the fall when I am in the area. It is amazing how quickly a trail can get trashed when a waterbar is clogged up. It usually a good excuse to go out after the leaves are down. I usually borrow a hoe from the club but I did see one trail maintainer with a collapsible handle hoe that was real slick.

 

[rocket21]

I carry a 7" Corona, which is a small but effective foldup saw. It only takes a minute or two to cut and clear a decent sized blowdown with it. It fits in my backpack very easily and also fits in my pocket if I'm on a messy trail. I recommend it to anyone interested in helping out.

 

[Fisher Cat]

We like to carry either a good forestry axe and/or a hazel hoe even on regular hikes that are not maintenance trips. They can rest easily and slip thru any loop you already have on your pack.
If you are not an Adopter already this is the perfect way to give back. It takes little time out of a hike yet it has lasting benefits for everyone.

 

[Tobit]

I carry a 7" Corona, which is a small but effective foldup saw.

Funny you mention this, I was looking at the 10" version earlier today.

 

[NewHampshire]

We like to carry either a good forestry axe and/or a hazel hoe even on regular hikes that are not maintenance trips.

I carry a hazel hoe on every trip too......only mine is size 13 and attatched to my leg.

Ok, seriously, I have found that on all but the more stubborn waterbars my foot is large enough to do do the job. But then again our trail does not have an abundance of waterbars (though I hear this has changed a bit since the pro croo did a ton of work up there this past summer.)

Brian

 

[MadRiver]

I carry a hazel hoe on every trip too......only mine is size 13 and attatched to my leg.

Brian

I do the same thing if I am ahead of a group and have a few minutes to kill. Cleaning out a waterbar even with just your foot does a lot of good towards allowing the waterbar to do its job. I have about 45 waterbars on my trail and they fill up real fast especially after a storm.

 

[1HappyHiker]

Please do not misinterpret this as tooting my own horn. It’s just an affirmation of what I feel many VFTT folks already do as a way of giving back. Like Rocket 21, New Hampshire, MadRiver, Fisher Cat, Peakbagger (and I’m sure many others), I also carry a small folding saw with me on all my hikes and I’m able to take care of many small to medium size blowdowns, etc. Also, if I see a clogged water bar, I’ll take a moment to clean it out. And additionally, I am a trail adopter for both the AMC and the Forest Service.

With all that being said, I feel that even more folks (besides myself and other VFTTers) would gladly help out with trail maintenance if the Forest Service had the funding to do a more aggressive job of marketing their trail adopter program. I could be wrong, but I think that many people are simply unaware of the volunteer program that’s already in place. Below is a link to the Forest Service webpage that provides details about their program.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/volunteering/

1HappyHiker

 

[Fisher Cat]

So, is this a proposal to band a group of VFTT'ers and, while not officially adopting a trail, set aside some days to gather as that group and do some lighter projects?

 

[Hillwalker]

Idea

If this is about forming an ad hoc VFFT trail crew I think it's a great idea. The WMNF/USFS could act to advise which trails need Level 1 maintenance. As few, or as many as several work trips a year coordinated from a section of this site. Training could be conducted from within since several VFFT members are already qualified maintainers. I really hope this flys.

 

[1HappyHiker]

If this is about forming an ad hoc VFFT trail crew I think it's a great idea. The WMNF/USFS could act to advise which trails need Level 1 maintenance. As few, or as many as several work trips a year coordinated from a section of this site. Training could be conducted from within since several VFFT members are already qualified maintainers. I really hope this flys.

I’m not a lawyer, but does anyone know if there would be potential legal issues involved if this were to become a VFTT-sponsored undertaking?

I certainly don’t want to throw a “wet blanket” on this effort, but could some oddball be successful in winning a lawsuit brought against the organizers if an injury occurred while doing trail work? Maybe if this idea really takes off, then someone (who is a lawyer) should draft a simple waiver for folks to sign??

 

[RoySwkr]

With all that being said, I feel that even more folks (besides myself and other VFTTers) would gladly help out with trail maintenance if the Forest Service had the funding to do a more aggressive job of marketing their trail adopter program. I could be wrong, but I think that many people are simply unaware of the volunteer program that’s already in place.

The professional Forest Service staff also needs to take it more seriously.

My mother & her friends adopted a trail through the Pemi district many years ago. When the fee program was instituted they were supposed to get a parking pass as their trail was a fee area, but the oversight individual also did timber work and went to fires out West and they once went an entire year without one. It was often my car that was parked there and I would have been livid if I actually got a ticket for doing trail work but fortunately never did. When her group finally disbanded after years of inactivity, the FS asked me if I wanted the trail but I respectfully declined and kept my trail in the GMNF instead.

 

[Fisher Cat]

I’m not a lawyer (nor have ever aspired to be one!!), but does anyone know if there would be potential legal issues involved if this were to become a VFTT-sponsored undertaking?

I certainly don’t want to throw a “wet blanket” on this effort, but could some oddball be successful in winning a lawsuit brought against the organizers if an injury occurred while doing trail work? Maybe if this idea really takes off, then someone (who is a lawyer) could draft a simple waiver for folks to sign??

It would depend on whether or not it is sponsored. When you adopt a trail through the AMC, which by the way works in conjunction with the USFS and the trails that fall under their juridstiction, it is necessary to sign a waiver. In which case all one has to do is attend one of the sponsored workshops (free) and receive or request an assignment.

However, if this is just a grassroots effort encouraging VFTT'ers to take the time during their hike to remove a blowdown or clear a waterbar, than that is most encouraging. As for legal ramifications, like 1HappyHiker, there are now at least 2 of us who are not lawyers nor ever aspire to do so.

If all that it requires is any and all VFTT'ers who would like to adopt-a-trail in the name of the VFTT, then all that's necessary is to co-ordinate the effort with the arrangements already in place thru the AMC & USFS, attend a class, and hit the trail.

A reminder, it is NOT mandatory for anyone to belong to the AMC in order to be a Trail Adopter, I for one am not, but truly appreciate the opportunity to work with them.

As it stands now, if you are injured while working as an official volunteer trail worker- adopter, neither the AMC or USFS can be held liable.

So what does everyone think, is the possibility of adopting a trail as VFTT'ers there? If there were enough people interested then any trail section could be adopted, and with enough people I doubt it would require everyone to have to be there at once. Likely, through good scheduling, only a certain amount would have to show up at any of the given mandatory 3 maintenance trips each calendar year. We could set up a rotation.

 

[cooperhill]

From the email request this seems more than having VFTTers just doing brushing and drainage on their day hikes. It sounds like getting a group of people together for a day to do the whole trail. I'd be up for joining in an effort such as that.

 

[Fisher Cat]

The professional Forest Service staff also needs to take it more seriously.

My mother & her friends adopted a trail through the Pemi district many years ago. When the fee program was instituted they were supposed to get a parking pass as their trail was a fee area, but the oversight individual also did timber work and went to fires out West and they once went an entire year without one. It was often my car that was parked there and I would have been livid if I actually got a ticket for doing trail work but fortunately never did. When her group finally disbanded after years of inactivity, the FS asked me if I wanted the trail but I respectfully declined and kept my trail in the GMNF instead.

Perhaps our postings passed or collided in cyberspace, but I just saw this.

That's a shame what happened to your mom and her group. This may sound crazy to some, but I have never concerned myself with any of the "perks" of trail maintaining. For example depending on where your trail section is, the state of NH makes a selected amount of sites and a nearby State campground (if there is one nearby) available for maintainers. They can stay free a maximum of 2 nights on any given trip. Unfortunately in the past, this has been abused by some who have told their friends to use their names and they can stay there in their stead. That's sad, but it happens.
Our trail is part of the boundary of the Pemi Wilderness. In the past I thought Lafayette Campground was available to us. I was wrong. Since our trail is not on State property, we couldn't use it. This past spring, thanks to the kindness of both the campground manager and the AMC I was told I could because it was a slow time of year for them and there were no adopters who had asked to use the platforms at that same time. I was very appreciative of both the manager and the AMC for leting me. In the end, ironically, I didn't end up needing it as we got the prescribed work done by spending our night camped near our trail.
So what I'm getting at is that if there is real interest in this venture, just remember, expect nothing but work, as I'm sure everyone already knows. Even though we are volunteers I still pay for my parking pass. I'm just glad for the opportunity (just like RoySwkr, his mom & her friends and everyone else out there who does it) to be out on the trails and in the mountains that have raised me. And even if it doesn't come to fruition, hope that others will be motivated to do the same, or in the very least hike with an enlarged sense of responsibility. In the end, I'm just glad to be out there with my family and friends doing something I love.
Long live the trails of NH! (because I have no interest in doing it anywhere else)

PS-RoySwkr, I absolutely DO NOT mean to imply that your mom & her friends (nor anyone else for that matter) volunteers for "perks". I know this is not the case. There have certainly been disappointments when arrangements and promises are given and they fall totally flat, but we all know whose fault that usually is. I truly commend you guys for what you do and have done, and will continue to do in the future.

 

[Jason Berard]

I think this is a great idea, and I don't want it to get derailed by worry about liability..... I know that when I am working on the AT, I am covered under their insurance, even though I am a volunteer, I am treated as an employee for insurance purposes.....not sure how this works off the AT.
Just to be clear, Level 1 trail work is brushing, clearing waterbars, blazing, and clearing anything across the trail which doesn't need a chainsaw, or crosscut saw.......its pretty simple stuff, but crucial. Especially clearing waterbars. It doesn't take long for a clogged waterbar to severely erode the trail downhill from it.

 

[RoySwkr]

I absolutely DO NOT mean to imply that your mom & her friends (nor anyone else for that matter) volunteers for "perks".

As I said, they first adopted the trail before parking passes were required in the WMNF, and never stayed in any campgrounds as it wasn't that far from home. The GMNF still doesn't require parking passes so volunteers effectively get nothing. That is not a problem for me. What I did consider a problem was that the WMNF in effect didn't bother to waive the parking fee when I was actually doing trail work although my parking there created no direct cost to them.

Unfortunately there probably are people who do volunteer just for the perks, this bothers me less for the perks they get than because it keeps somebody from adopting that section who might actually do some trail work. For instance the Wildcat Ridge Trail from D to A didn't appear to have been brushed out or blazed in years, nor was there obvious water bar cleaning. And somebody is visiting 3 times a year?

 

[peakn]

Waterville Valley Vols

It's great to see this thread and the interest shown thus far. For the past year I've been a co-chair of the Trails Committee for the WVAIA, the organization responsible, in conjunction with the FS, for many of the trails in and around Waterville Valley.

In this first year (for me) I've tried to gather information on existing adopters and volunteers and their level of activity. We've had volunteer days on Sundays through July and August when weather permitted. We had a volunteer croo of SCA (Student Conservation Association) interns that did a terrific job on Welch-Dickey as well as many other trails this summer.
During this past year, we only promoted the program to our existing WVAIA members though.

While we are planning to have a volunteer day in conjunction with National Trails Day in June, we would absolutely love to add a VFTT trails day in Waterville Valley as well. We would also like to know if there is any interest in becoming an adopter of any of our trails. I finally have a list of existing adopters to work from so now know what is open for adoption. (MadRiver- Excuse me for not getting back to you about this. There was too much organizational stuff to cope with before I could get to this point.)

Please PM me if interested in any of the above, and keep up the great work all. With the budget constraints on the FS they just can't do it all.

Harry

 

[1HappyHiker]

If all that it requires is any and all VFTT'ers who would like to adopt-a-trail in the name of the VFTT, then all that's necessary is to co-ordinate the effort with the arrangements already in place thru the AMC & USFS, attend a class, and hit the trail.

Agree with what I think Fisher Cat is saying . . . it would probably be important that volunteers be required to either take a trail maintenance class, or at least do trail work with someone who has! Although Level 1 trail work is pretty simple stuff, there’s the possibility that some well-intended trail maintenance efforts by an untrained (or unsupervised volunteer) could do some unintended harm to a trail.

 

[Jazzbo]

Harry

Is the list of trails up for adoption in WV published on-line? I'm sure if you posted a link on this site you'd attract some interest. I generally participate in volunteer trail work activities 3 times per year maintaining trails at Cardigan. This Saturday & Sunday (10/25, 10/26) is one of those weekends. We'll primarily be grooming ski trails this weekend, but also do work on hiking trails. All interested folks are welcome. (Including walk-ins). There's plenty of experienced crew leaders to provide training in whatever work is being done. I've been doing this for many years now, but still pick up new insight each time I go. I think it'd be good if adopters posted trip reports on their maintenance activities just to make it known that this is happening (and that it's fun!).

Ray