Shelter-Building Report

Early on Sunday Cathy Garrett sent out a thanks to everyone who worked with and supported the Watt's Mill shelter project. It WAS a tremendous piece of work on everyone's part Saturday and we knocked out about ninety percent of what needs to be done to have a "move in ready" hiker shelter. I wanted to throw in my two cents on this one.

We had thirteen Americorps volunteers join eight Wampum chapter members and friends in working on-site Saturday, and thanks goes out to Julie Elkins for inviting her colleagues to join us. Not only did we accomplish that much work on the shelter, the Americorps folks also helped us out with refurbishing 120 yards of sidehill in the gamelands above the shelter area! It only took them about an hour to cover that much ground. Amazing!! (It kicked my butt trying to keep up with them as they worked their way down the hill). The North Country Trail people worked hard all day hauling material and working on the shelter construction. It is gratifying to see how different groups of people (volunteers all) can come together for a day and accomplish so much.

Thanks goes to Cathy and Dennis Garrett for providing us with the inspiration for and the perfect location to put this shelter, and to Cathy (Maa) especially for making sure that everyone who came out Saturday was made to feel welcome.

A big KUDOS to Lee Fairbanks who drove this whole project forward. I have no idea of how much time he has invested at this point but it has to be an unreasonable amount. I do know that he sought out and refined the shelter building plans, wrote the field grant application to have the funds to do this, procured the building materials, figured out the steps involved in the construction process, refigured the plans several times (he said, ". . . with Eleanor's help."), cut the lumber and preassembled all of the pieces possible off-site, and supervised Saturday's construction effort. Thank you Lee.

I have some photos from the day's activities posted here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577689228xNWbwc

We'll be getting together sometime over the next two weeks to finish off the siding and the needed roof piece. Thanks to everyone who participated and to everyone associated with the North Country Trail for all you do to support the organization. What a great team effort!

Dave Brewer

Co Trail Work Coordinator