Our chapter
volunteers stayed busy over the past month tackling a variety of maintenance
and improvement projects along our trail sections in both Beaver and Lawrence
counties. We’ve done some digging,
bridge and culvert work, and have also utilized our new chapter chainsaw to
keep the trail in good hiking-condition.
At Cemex
near Fletcher Hill Road the crew rebenched sidehill in order to enable the DR
mower to better navigate the section heading towards Snake Run, and also
installed anti-skid strips on the bridge to the east of that trailhead. Seismic testing activity all over the Cemex
property has us in the mode of “what next?”, but so far, no major disruptions
to our trail route or the hiking experience that we can see. The hiker-journal box newly installed along
the trail, in the woods, about 120 yards from the Snake Run Road west trailhead
was checked an all is in order with that.
At Gamelands
285 we employed the chapter’s new Stihl chainsaw to take out blown down trees
east and west of Watt’s Mill Rd. The new
saw is lighter than the one we had been using and is a joy to carry through the
woods to the worksites. Also in that
area, we rebenched fifty-five yards of sidehill east of Painter’s Run making a
huge improvement to the treadway there.
Volunteer Eric Watson has been working on a solo project to improve our
trail just east of Booth Hill, leveling it out and making it a more comfortable
walk. And lastly at GL285, we installed
a culvert pipe near the old trailhead along Watt’s Mill Road, resolving a
perennial wet and narrow spot that had been a challenge to navigate with the DR
mower.
At Watt’s
Mill itself, we installed anti-skid strips on the bog bridge along the shelter
spur trail, repaired the gunshot wound to the Carsonite post that indicates the
shelter area, and visited the shelter a couple of times - once to prep for the
Pumpkin Pie hike and once to get the fire pit cleaned up and check on the
general condition of the area.
Lastly, we
walked our proposed new section of trail between Hodgson Rd. and Route 168
across the Crawford, McGaffick, and First Energy Properties with Mr.
McGaffick’s daughter to get her input and approval for the route.
All in all a
well-rounded month of trail work! Wanted
to appreciate these volunteers for coming out: Eric Watson, Lee Fairbanks, Jim Rarick, Dennis
Garrett, Eleanor Fairbanks, Sabrina Royea, John Rarick, David Wright, Patty
Brunner, Jake Erhardt, and Doug Turner, and everyone else for their support of
the effort.
