On September 24th the AMC hosted the annual National Public Lands Day in Crawford Notch on the Saco Lake Trail. The few volunteers that joined us for the day helped in resetting bog bridges damaged by the flooding from tropical storm Irene. We were only able to do a fraction of the much needed work on Saco Lake Trail, but we were able to replace and repair many of the bog bridges.
During the storm the water level of SacoLake rose so much it simply lifted the bog bridges, and many of the larger bridges as well, and away they drifted and piled all around the lake. Looking at the trail now, many things have changed. The south end of the lake was most impacted; both the inlet and outlet are located on the south end of the lake. Significant work will need to be done in the future to repair this section of trail.
The Saco Lake Trail still remains closed to all hikers. However we hope to be able to make it passable by this fall and open it for the winter and spring months until repairs can be made in summer of 2012
Keep an eye on www.outdoors.org/volunteer for day and weekend work parties in the White Mountains to help with storm damage that will be scheduled for spring/summer 2012.
AMC led a group of more than 20 volunteers on a day-long trail project for the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire. On the Piscassic-Cole Farm property, in the town of Newfields, NH, we worked on constructing a number of bog bridges in low lying areas of trail. This was a continuation of work started in 2010.
Over the course of the day volunteers installed more than 12 bog bridges, covering over 100 feet of trail. Many of the volunteers were participating in the United Day of Caring event, promoted by the United Way.
AMC has been partnering with the Southeast Land Trust for a number of trail projects ranging from new trail layout, new trail construction, trail maintenance on existing trails, large-scale bridge construction, and leadership fro volunteer events.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, may I have your attention please.
I bring before you now the flagship of the AMC Backcountry Shelters. Assembled of white pine, capped with cedar, and accomplished through partnership with the US Forest Service with funding from the Appalachian Trail Park Office, the new Garfield Ridge Shelter sits unveiled, in all its glory.
What is the story behind this project that was a year in planning and a brief few weeks in executing? What of the artisan timberframers, professional resource managers, and strong backed crewmembers who made it all happen? If I could have your attention for a bit longer, I’ll tell the story.
It starts with those initial field visits in the summer of 2010, taking pictures and measuring structural rot, all with the eye towards determining whether the old shelter required replacement or repair. And, moreover, if it was to be replaced, what kind of shelter would it be? Would it be dimensional lumber? Native timbers from the site itself? Or, maybe, of the class of shelter as Eliza Brook (2010) and Kinsman Pond (2007)?
Through discussions over the winter with our partners the US Forest Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Regional Planning Committee, we decided first on replacement of the shelter and then on the design: pre-constructed by John Nininger’s Wooden House Company. (For more information on John’s work with AMC on Eliza Brook Shelter in 2010, please click here). Working with John during the late winter and spring, we fine-tuned our design for the new Garfield: not too tall, not too long, and not too exposed to the elements by a completely open door.
Work on the new Shelter began at John’s lumber yard in August, with the arrival of a series of unpeeled white pine logs that John had selected and marked himself. From there, he (and crewman Mark McCulluch) spent three weeks peeling, scribing, notching, and then assembling the structure. In August John unveiled the artistic touches that would be the defining features of the shelter: a wide curved branched log and an “h” shaped joined log (that is ONE LOG folks!). Put simply, John is the best out there.
We at AMC were responsible for everything else: the foundation, the floor, and the roof. The foundation and the floor had to be set before the shelter could be raised, and old shelter had to be demolished before the foundation could be set. We had a lot of work to do. However, due to the challenges posed by Hurricane Irene, the preparation of the site of the new shelter was delayed and ended up being a frenzy of dawn to dusk workdays in the week from September 14 to 21.
The unstoppable rhythm of that single week ran like this: two days of demolition, one day of ground leveling, one day spent setting ten 8"x8"x4’ piers three feet in the ground, one day of setting the sill logs and building the floor system, one day of site preparation for airlift, and one day of the shelter raising itself.
In other words, our scrappy tough crew of caretakers and their field supervisors accomplished two weeks of work in six days. Luck was on our side with some things (in setting the 8x8 piers the crew did not encounter massive boulders or ledge) but not so with others (building the floor system took longer than anticipated). With a crew that varied from three to five people, the work got done through frosty mornings, sleety afternoons, and a few gloriously sunny days.
While the crew was hard at work in the high mountains, down in the valley materials started accumulating at the airlift site, building towards a crescendo: cut and measured lumber for the loft and ridgecap, piles of shingles, lengths of tongue and groove spruce, and the tractor trailer that held the logs of the new shelter. And, of course, a dumpster as the final resting place of the old shelter.
On September 21, a day that dawned bright and clear, a crew of helicopter pilots, AMC staff, and John and Mark, gathered for the raising of Garfield Ridge Shelter. The moment had arrived.
It is John who speaks in the somewhat antiquated language of timberframing, of summer beams and purlins and rise and run and the raising of the shelter itself. At the end of the day, we were all speaking in the language of timber framing, as each beam came in we noted its placement in the shelter. It was a momentous day in the backcountry.
The shelter came in two logs at a time, with the weights varying between 200 to 400 pounds. The skill of the pilot, combined with the craftsmanship of the logs, meant that each log could be placed directly into the notch by the ship itself. A few taps with a sledgehammer, with some coaxing from a flatbar, nudged them firmly into place.
While assembled piece by piece, log by log, one must resist calling the new Garfield Ridge Shelter a “Lincoln log” construction. The reason being that, instead of a pre-fabricated every-stick-is-milled-exactly-like-the-stick-above (and thereby requiring 18” spikes to hold the thing together) each piece of white pine is carved individually by hand to meet the log above. The method of the full-scribe Swedish cope ensures that the logs, as they settle, settle into one another and do not have any gaps. The intricate notches of John’s are strong and stable, often both curved and straight at the same time.
There are no spikes in the entirety of Garfield Ridge Shelter. There are, however, four pieces of threaded rod that are tightened annually to pull the logs closer together as they shrink, to prevent gaps. These ensure a seamless appearance, and hold the gables fast to the rest of the structure.
Back to the momentous day. The raising began at 10 or so, and the final beam, the long ridgepole, came in at 3:30 p.m. John and Mark scurried up high on the ridgelines like the professional timberframers they are, affixing smaller wedges of wood and running the long threaded rods through. By 4 p.m., the shelter was raised, and we toasted the new flagship before watching the sun set from the summit of Garfield.
After that rush of adrenaline, the recognition that we had removed and replaced an entire building in the backcountry in seven days, we settled in for the exacting and painstaking work of roofing: sheathing, shingling, capping.
Garfield Ridge Shelter gets bombarded by weather. It is exposed, high elevation, and also high use by visitors. In fact, the roof of the old shelter blew off one the winter in the early 1990s. We went with a rock solid roofing technique: 2”x6” tongue and groove spruce, thick clear cedar shakes, and capped by waterproof material (ice and water shield) and a clear cedar ridgecap.
The new shelter is done, and our flagship site (visited by over 2,000 people overnight from late May to October 2011) has a shelter (indeed, a work of art) that suits its needs.
The end.
Please enjoy these two slideshows on the construction of the new Garfield Ridge Shelter, and the demolition of the old Garfield Ridge Shelter.
Eric Nieminen I started the Leadership Crew without much outdoors experience and I had never done a trail crew before. I had no idea what I was getting into; I was truly jumping into the fire. The bugs were in full force the first week, heat the second, rain the third, and mud the last. While learning to deal with these White Mountain trademarks, I enjoyed being part of about the vast variety of quality work that is done by the AMC to make the trails passable by visitors. The experience I had in this program is incredibly valuable for anyone who wishes to pursue opportunities in conservation because of the field-work skills we learn and the connections that we develop with leaders - who are awesome.
Laura Burnham To say that the Leadership Crew had learned and accomplished a lot in those four weeks would be an understatement.Through Wilderness First Aid, Leave no Trace, and CPR certifications, not to mention four weeks of trail work or the work we did in the garden, tool shed, or kitchen, we achieved a lot.It is the only group of people I know who can work for hours covered in mud trying to set a rock and still have a great time doing it.Highlights of the trip would definitely include swimming at Emerald, sleeping under the stars, rock climbing, barbeques and Ethan’s food in general.It was quite the four weeks to say the least.At the end, no one wanted to go home but after a month I know that the friends I made will remain close, continue hang out, go to concerts, and remain in contact.And that’s just the way she goes.
Allison Cluett As soon as I heard about the Leadership Crew, I knew it was how I wanted to spend my summer. Arriving at Camp Dodge, I had a faint idea of what to expect, but my experiences this summer exceeded all of my preconceived notions. Over the course of four weeks, we learned the frustratingly satisfying ways of rock work, how to make delicious food in the backcountry, and the basics of Leave No Trace and Wilderness First Aid, among many other things. The work, while challenging, was extremely rewarding; rarely do you have the chance to create such lasting things that you could visit years later and say, “I helped build that!” I certainly have a newfound appreciation for the trails I hike, aware of how much labor went into their creation and maintenance. However, the highlight of my summer by far was meeting all of the amazing people on my crew and at Camp Dodge. Never before have I been a part of a group so enthusiastic and willing to camp, hike, and work despite rain, bugs, heat, and mud. So when I finally re-entered the “front country”, I was not without new friends, increased confidence and skills, and myriad stories of my time in the woods.
Greg Allen For most volunteers who get the “Dodge Experience,” food just sort of “happens” on Monday morning.It arrives in heaping boxes, in perfect proportions, and in time to leave later that morning.Before my Leadership crew experience, I was no more enlightened.However, four weeks richer, I can tell you how much rice a crew of ten requires (3 lbs.), what bread product works best for lunch (always wraps, never bagels), how many snacks to rec (3 per person per day), how long yogurt lasts in the backcountry (one day, no longer), they key to making Annie’s (add butter), how to get all the special recs you want (draw Storehouse a great picture), and how many special recs Dodge really gets (actually, I never figured that out).Helping to write the rec for TLC (as we came to be known) was a true microcosm of the greater goals of the leadership program: we were forced to make key decisions, account for the opinion of the group, problem solve, delegate, be organized, be efficient, be courteous, and be accurate, all with a high degree of independence and limited supervision.And of course, we did massive amounts of trail work, got trail names, made inside jokes, made s’mores, lamped when when should have been working, worked to make up for lamping, pulled weeds, ate as much of Ethan’s food as we possibly could, and I got a haircut (because who doesn’t look good with a Mohawk?).Not bad for four weeks, right?
Elise Goplerud When I tried to explain what my summer plans were to my friends they looked at me in awe.They were shocked by the hard labor, lack of showers, and lifestyle I would be following for four weeks straight.But the aspects that some people would never want are what made the Leadership Crew so special. It’s rare in life that you will be able to do something as intense as spend four weeks in the wilderness and find seven other people your age that are right there with you.Instead of grabbing latte’s and cappuccino’s we ate Soy Ginger Tempeh cooked on a gas stove.Instead of tanning on the beach with my friends I came to Camp Dodge to move gigantic rocks with a group of strangers that would turn out to be some of my best friends. We pushed ourselves to the limit and tested our mental capacities to the fullest.Some might describe the four weeks our crew spent in the woods as crazy but I call it the “dankins” (best) four weeks of my summer.
Patrick Chastant How did I spend my summer?Well it was at Camp Dodge with the AMC doing trail work for several weeks.Some of my friends were astonished and some of them didn’t believe me when I told them this.Then I was asked if I would do it again, and the answer is HELL YES I WOULD DO IT AGAIN!Not only did I get to make new friends from all over New England I also got to know them better than people that I have a class with. Everyone got along with each other so well, of course there was once in a while were someone was crabby but hey u spend a few days in the rain where you get cold and slightly dehydrated.We got such an enormous amount of work done because we knew what was going on and by the end of the 3rd week we knew how to do everything.I’m going to try to keep in contact with all of these new found friends as well as try and get together with them once in a while.For these are all great people and I would love to do this again.
Avery Meyer "Like many other members of the Leadership Crew, I arrived at Camp Dodge at a time when some of my biggest life decisions lay just a few steps ahead of me. What do I want do do with my life? Is my major right for me? Is what I'm doing worth while? Camp dodge provided a breadth of fresh air in a way that no other place could. It gave me the chance to focus on simply "living." What I mean is that I could think about the here and now while appreciating the world for what it could be. And it showed me that there was more than one way to not live a stressful life. I may like stress, and be quite good at not worrying about it, but that isn't the same as being completely relaxed. Sure there were difficult moments; when a rock wouldn't fit right, or if a boulder refused to move; but it wouldn't have been interesting without them. And as always, I learned from overcoming each obstacle.
Throughout our four weeks together, there was a running joke about silly hypothetical phrases we could use to describe camp dodge on t-shirts. For example: CAMP DODGE: CONSERVATION THROUGH DESTRUCTION or CAMP DODGE: LEAVE NO TREES. Both of these phrases point towards one idea. Camp Dodge is a place where those of us who have had the misfortune to grow up, can be a kid just one last time. Because who doesn't want to roll rocks, jump in mud, and hit trees with sharp objects. You know you do too."
Joe Murad I spent this summer doing the AMC’s Leadership Crew -- it was great! I learned so much. We did wilderness first aid training, we learned about Leave No Trace, we went rock climbing, we went swimming – and that was just on the weekends. During the weeks we did trail work and lots of it. We learned how to build log bridges, stone water bars, stone staircases and so much more. We carried all the tools and food we needed for a week in the woods on our backs (that’s a lot of weight) but it was always fun. Yes, it was hard work but everyone was always in the best mood -- you couldn’t help but be happy. Overall it was the best summer I’ve ever had.
Keep an eye on www.outdoors.org/volunteer for day and weekend work parties in the 
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