Hello again,
Trails World!
Earlier this Summer, I posted about a large project that the Roving
Conservation Crew (RCC) completed in North Providence, Rhode Island. Today, I
wanted to take some time to tell you all about a project the Crew has completed
a little closer to home.
The Crew spent seven weeks this Summer (and, an additional week this Fall)
working on the Bald Peak Trail, which heads towards the summit of Pleasant
Mountain in Bridgeton, Maine. Through a very generous donation, the Loon Echo
Land Trust was able to hire the RCC to complete a reroute of a badly eroded
section of trail.
Although less than a mile in length, the trail work proved to be very difficult
due to the lack of topsoil that existed in the area of the reroute. Once the
top layer of organics and soil (commonly referred to as “duff” by the Trail
Crew) was removed from the new trail, the Crew found that they were working
with bare ledge, which is not exactly ideal for trail working conditions… It
was time for the Crew to get creative! Over the next seven weeks, the RCC used
stones and native timber to build a series of stone steps, check steps,
ladders, and stairs to ascend Pleasant Mountain. The final product came out
wonderfully; users from all over are now enjoying a more sustainable route up
the mountain. I’d like to encourage any and all of you to get out and hike
Pleasant Mountain, via the Bald Peak Trail, and check out some of the RCC’s
work. The views from the top are fantastic!