Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Trail Work Thur 6/2 and Sat 6/4


Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

The work week at the paying job is almost over and a vacation is in sight! My plan for kicking off my time away is to head out to Cemex near the haunted house on Thursday morning, June 2nd to spend a couple of hours* working on one of the reroutes we have planned there. We'll do the short, western-most one first to get up out of a swampy area. Taking off from in front of Jata's at 9:00 AM and driving to Fletcher Hill Road, walking in from that end. Come earlier to Jata's for breakfast if you'd like.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=200253697770480530268.000474202f07a35e196ca&ll=40.927619,-80.320401&spn=0.014688,0.0421&t=h&z=15

On Saturday morning, June the 4th I am heading to the Sterling Road trailhead at Gamelands 285 at 9:00 AM, planning to spend a couple of hours* working around the Indian Rock Hill area. We've determined that the sidehill off the east end of that hill is never going to meet our expectations of what the trail needs to be (it keeps on sliding down the hill) so we'll be working on an alternate idea for that area. Again, planning to be out for a couple of hours.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=200253697770480530268.0004498a6086c175b4998&ll=40.784506,-80.487556&spn=0.02944,0.0842&t=h&z=14

I'll bring the tools for both days - bring drinking water as it looks like it will be warm. Hope to see you on the trail Thursday or Saturday.

*On both of these days I plan to spend some time mowing with the DR after we are finished - Thursday at GL148 and the Edwards Farm, and on Saturday at Gamelands 285 up to Booth Hill and back. These are going to be a couple of those infamous "?" end times as I'll stay out until finished. If you'd like to stay and work with me, or come out and meet up with me somewhere along the way on these projects you're more than welcome as lopping and weedwacking help is always appreciated.

Dave Brewer
Trail Work Coordinator

Friday, May 27, 2011

Good Day But A Bad Discovery


Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Today's trailwork excursion started off pretty positively as Bob Cody, Lee Fairbanks, Tom Bogdan, Doug Turner and I gathered at the Sankey Hill Road trailhead at the northern end of Cemex with the mower, weedwackers, pruners, a chainsaw, polesaw, and every other implement of trail maintenance you can think of. The plan was to get all of Cemex cleared and mowed for Sunday's hike, and working together, in conjunction with with what Tom Scardina had cleared with the weedwacker on Wednesday, we made excellent progress, going section by section and having all but the last mile done by 3:00 PM. "One mile left? No sweat. We'll be done by 4:00."

However, when Bob and I headed south from Tony Dytko Road to clean up that "last section", we encountered the impact of the logging operation that's been at work in there over the past week. There was really no trail left to mow, with giant mud ruts, downed trees and limbs, and wiped out blaze trees in its place. That section of trail - Tony Dytko to River Road isn't just closed - it is gone. At least it is right below Tony Dytko Rd for .3 or .4 of a mile. We didn't do the recon the whole way to the railroad tracks as our find was quite discouraging. Some pics from today start here.

(I wrote my rant here at first, but then I deleted it.) We can rebuild it once they are done doing what they are doing there. Stay posted for info going forward.

Thanks to those guys for coming out today- everyone did a great job and the trail from Tony Dytko to Sankey Hill is in excellent shape.

Dave Brewer

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

5/25 Recap & Plans For Friday 5/27/11


Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

We had a good morning on the trail today, installing 1 and 1/2 bridges at Cemex near the lime kiln. We only installed 1/2 of the second bridge because the procurer of materials can't count lag screws and rebar pieces. But we did the hard part, which was carrying in the lumber and getting the beams leveled and set. These bog bridges will help ease passage over those little streams that cut through that area.

And . . . Tom Scardina weedwacked a ton of the trail through that section. And . . . we got to meet up with a new trailworker - Tom Bogdan of Wampum. My thanks to Tom, Tom, Jake Erhardt, Lee Fairbanks, and Eleanor Fairbanks (who was playing hookey from Kennywood today) for coming out. A few photos of the beautiful morning start here.

Friday morning I'll be heading to the Sankey Hill Road trailhead at 9:00 AM to spend time a) working through some sections with the DR mower or b) working through there with the weedwacker, or c) both. The use of the DR is dependent upon my vehicle situation and the weather coming together. In any event, I'll be working on clearing trail at 9:00 on Friday morning (until ?). So come on out if you'd like. Spring has really taken off and there is much clearing and pruning to do!

Also wanted to appreciate Jim Rarick and Gail Blakely for spending their sunny evening indoors today working with the Wampum Boro Council members on the proposed Trail Town designation documents. Good meeting - good stuff.

Thanks for all you do for the trail!

Dave

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Moms Day Recap and Tuesday 5/10 Plan



Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

As I predicted, it turned out to be the BEST MOTHERS DAY EVER with seven of our Wampum crew out in the woods on a beautiful Sunday afternoon digging yards and yards of sidehill trail near Painter Run. We walked in from the west side of the run, which turned out to be unfortunate decision on my part, as we needed to be on the east side to continue working on what the SCA crew had accomplished last weekend, and the water level hadn't dropped enough to make a crossing easy. But we improvised, adapted, and overcame to get to where we needed to be.


My thanks to Gordon Meader, Tim Ramsey, Maa and Dennis Garrett, and Lee and Eleanor (Maa) Fairbanks - (it is Mothers Day) - for coming out to work on the new section of trail. Moving right along out there! Some pics from today start here.


Tuesday morning, May 10 we'll take another run at putting a Carsonite post in near the River Road trailhead at Cemex and dress up some sidehill above the railroad tracks near the treestand so the DR mower can be manuevered through there. We were rained out last Tuesday - this week looks much more promising! Leaving from the front of Jata's Diner in Wampum at 9:00 AM to make the drive to River Road and plan to be out for a couple of hours. I'll bring the tools. If mom missed trailwork today and still wants to get out in the woods bring her along. And, if you'd like, come earlier to Jata's for breakfast.

Thanks for all you do for the trail.

Dave Brewer
Trail Work Coordinator
330 531-1623

Sunday, May 1, 2011

SCA Crew, Tire Cleanup, DR Mower - All Coming Together!



Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

The Student Conservation Crew that spent the weekend with us has headed home, leaving us with 400 yards of brand-new, high-quality sidehill trail at Gamelands 285 and the Kirkwood Farm. Those high-school-age volunteers did a great job and worked just as strongly in the rain today as they did in the sunshine yesterday. My thanks goes out to Josh Nard of the SCA in Pittsburgh for the offer of help, Laura and Cheryl the crew advisors (who worked just as hard as the crew did - maybe harder), and all six of those young men and women. Outstanding! They did the difficult part of this one- mile extension and we'll finish off the remainder over the rest of the season.

Also want to appreciate the Wampum Chapter folks for going out and working with them on the trail and for preparing and serving Saturday dinner at the campground. Thanks to Doug Turner, Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks, Dennis Garrett, Rick Ostheimer, Gail Blakely, Bill Majernik, and Dorothy Buquo for all of the support. We also had a chance to meet a newcomer to the Wampum crowd, John Vlah, who handled a pulaski like a pro and built some awesome stone steps on the new section on Saturday. Appreciate him coming out!

I have a Picassa album of pics from the last two days here. I'm sorry but I missed a couple of people in the photos.

As to the tire update - The tires we retrieved from the wetlands at Gamelands 285 a couple of weeks ago are gone off to where all tires that are cleaned up go. Gone! Thank you to Doniele Andrus and Jerry Zona for hauling them away on Friday. Six pickup truck loads I am told. AND . . . . a thank you goes out to Gail Blakely who was able to secure additional donations, from people in the Wampum area, which added to what we already had collected, got us even on the total cost of the disposal. It appears that "persons unknown" added a few tires to our pile out there. Better to the pile I guess than down over that hillside (or any hillside). Thanks again to everyone for their help with that cleanup.

And, Bob Cody reports that he has the DR mower tuned up and running like a top as of this afternoon. Let those weeds grow, we're ready for them now. Thanks Bob!

An excellent weekend! Thanks for all you do to support the trail.

Dave Brewer
Trail Work Coordinator