Monday, April 12, 2010

2010 Trailwork Kickoff Week


It's a great week to kick off the 2010 trail work season and we have a couple of different excursions on the schedule. Remember, come when you can and stay as long as you want - all help is appreciated. We have no professionals on this team and we all figure it out and work together. Details on this weeks sessions below:

Thursday morning, April 15 - We'll work in the Wampum area at Cemex, the River Road trailhead specifically, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. There are a couple of blowdowns to deal with, along with our annual redressing of the sidehill in this area. There is also some rebenching that needs to be done a short distance above the railroad tracks. If you'd like to join us we'll meet at Jata's Restaurant at 8:00 for breakfast, leave from The Store in Wampum at 9:00 sharp, and drive to the trailhead. We'll be out for a couple of hours.

Friday evening, April 16 - Heading to the state line at PA Gamelands 285 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM to be able to check off a few different items on our "to do" list. We'll change the mileage marker (thank you Bob Cody for the new marker) on the NCT sign there, put up a hiker "registration" box, and put in forty feet of bog bridge through the swamp about 100 yards from the trailhead. We'll meet at the trailhead on Rt. 251 (Blackhawk Rd.) at 4:00. **Equipment note - if anyone has a battery powered sawzall they can bring out I'd appreciate it. Or maybe some dynamite would be useful in removing the old mileage marker from the sign - Ron Rice builds 'em tough.

Hope to see you Thursday morning in Wampum and/or Friday evening at PA Gamelands 285.
NCTAWampum@yahoo.com

2 comments:

  1. A great start to the trail work season this morning (as Cathy said, "Just like the first day of trout season!"). The weather was beautiful as Bob, Lee, Cathy, and I went out to River Road and cleaned up the trail-head from the annual dirt slide, reworked the sidehill below the railroad tracks, and worked our way on up the trail clearing blowdowns and grapevine, clipping a ton of multifloral rose, and doing a bit of benching.

    Some photos here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577334854UNgKrW

    Forgot to thank Gail for telling Marie at Jata's that we were coming this morning. We were like the Trail Work VIPs with a reserved table and all. A good start to the morning!

    Hope to see you tomorrow evening at Gamelands 285. If you can't come as early as 4:00 come on out when you can - head up the trail from the PA/OH state line trail-head and you'll find us a very short distance up the way.

    Dave Brewer
    Co Trail Work Coordinator

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  2. I sometimes think that I'm so crazy that I should be selling consumer electronics somewhere in New Jersey and my nickname should be "Eddy". The only consolation is that I found two others as "touched" as me.

    After driving from my home in Canfield, across Columbiana County through a veritable hurricane, I arrived at the Route 251 trailhead to "no rain." I thought, "Cool. Might get a couple hour break here and we can knock this evening's projects out," and started carrying bridge lumber back into the woods to the site. Dennis and Cathy Garrett arrived at 4:00, followed by the hurricane from Columbiana County at 4:05.

    Despite the downpour (necessitating raincoats, jumping in and out of our vehicles, trying to keep the tools dry, soaking wet pant legs) we managed to attach the new mileage marker and hiker-log box to the NCT sign, and carry the rest of the bridge lumber back into the woods. I appreciate their help.

    Check out the photos here (including my new favorite picture of Cathy): http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2222070750098879960IUHdJW

    If you arrived after five o'clock and we weren't there I do apologize. We were wet enough and chilled enough to have to head out. The back up plan is that I am going to back down to GL285 tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9:00 AM to assemble the bridge. It'll be cooler but drier (I hope), and all are welcome to come out.

    Dave Brewer
    Co Trail Work Coordinator

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