White Mountain Professional Trail Crew

Year End Report

2015

2015 AMC White Mountain Professional Trail Crew Year End Report

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INTRODUCTION TO 2015:

The 2015 season started wet and cold. During our annual spring patrols of the 362 + miles of AMC

maintained trails in the Whites and Mahoosucs we experienced rain on an almost daily basis. Drains

were cleaned on all trails and blowdowns removed. Blowdowns were exceptionally high from the

Carter-Moriah Range north all the way through the Mahoosucs. We fought through a lot of snapped

Spruce/Fir tree tops that create the dense walls of the trail corridor at higher elevations. It made for

quite a slow pace as trees had interlocked branches and limbs as they fell.

Projects began in mid-June and we worked in the Whites into October. We had a lot of unique and

challenging tasks on all projects that required lots of power tools and generators to be packed into the

woods, in some cases several miles! The crew gained a lot of experience drilling and splitting rock,

pinning rock and wood steps into ledges, and cutting and shaping steps into ledge.

Pro Crews worked all over the Whites this summer and had the help of the Shelters Caretakers and the

Roving Conservation Crew (RCC) to work on a couple last minute but very important trail projects.

PROJECT FUNDING:

Funding sources for respective trail projects and labor.

Trail Project Funding Source Hours Worked

Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (WMNF) National Forest Foundation 2562

Fishin’ Jimmy Trail (WMNF/AT) Appalachian Trail Conversancy (ATC) and 4,000er Committee 1012

Mt. Osceola Trail (WMNF) FS Contract and

4,000er Committee 921.5

Champney Falls Trail (WMNF) FS Saco District Challenged Cost

Share 3320

Hermit Lake Campsite (WMNF) FS Permit Offset 82

Boott Spur Trail (WMNF) n/a 120

Lonesome Lake Trail (NHDP) n/a 358

Chop, chop, chop on the Grafton Loop Trail Patrol. A rare sunny day on the Bonds Patrol.

2015 AMC White Mountain Professional Trail Crew Year End Report

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2015 PROJECT NUMBERS:

Collective work accomplished by 2015 Staff Trail Crews

Hours: 8375.5 New Trail Cut: 971 ft.

Wood Structures: Rock Structures:

Log steps – 32 ea. Rock steps – 223 ea.

Native bridges – 17 ft. Step stones – 15 ea.

Wood water bars – 189 ft. Scree – 980 ft.

Ladders – 40 ft. Rock cribbing – 28 ft.

Log cribbing – 40 ft. Rock water bars – 373 ft.

Turnpike – 60 ft.

Other Work:

Side hilling/benching – 24 ft. Outflow ditches – 488 ft.

Brushing – 9181 ft. Dips – 32 ft.

Nineteen Mile Brook Trail:

In 2011, TS Irene brought devastating

wind and rain to the Northeast. In the

trails world the Nineteen Mile Brook

Trail received a lot of damage. Trail

Crews; professional and volunteer

spent weeks on hardening two

relocations, one which starts at the

trailhead, the second starts about ¾ of

a mile on the trail. A lot of effort was

put into these sections with the

anticipation of the amount of use the

trail receives.

Pro Crew uses rigging system to move massive boulders on the relocations.

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From August through October the

Pro Crew constructed a 40’ glulam

bridge, design plans called for 3

beams, each weighing

approximately 1,400 lbs. With the

abutments built and the approach

from either side modified we

waited until the end of September

to airlift the beams into place and

bring in the rest of the material

for the decking and

handrails. Airlifts came and went

without much of a hitch, beams

settled nicely and a 4lb sledge was

enough to make the minor

adjustments either left or right to

square the beams up. Once the

decking material, hardware,

and tools were on site the crew

made quick work of installing the handrails,

cutting and fastening the decking, and finishing the approaches.

Fishin’ Jimmy Trail:

Crews spent a lot of time in the ledges section of

this popular trail. Not only does the trail start

from the Lonesome Lake Hut, it’s also part of the

A.T., provides access to Kinsman Pond and the

campsite, and connects to the Kinsman Ridge

Trail where both North and South Kinsman –

patiently wait to be summited by those

seeking their 4,000 footers. All in all it gets

Top step replaced by crew in 2015

The bridge affords nice views of the Northern Presidential’s – which can’t be seen in this picture.

Cut steps in ledge. Crews used a rock saw to achieve nice flat stepping surfaces.

2015 AMC White Mountain Professional Trail Crew Year End Report

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a lot of use, it’s a really steep trail and has a lot of exposed angled ledge – needless to say this trail was a

good example of the dramatic effects of trail widening. Crews spent a lot time in the beginning brushing

in the trail where users had widened it in attempts to bring the trail corridor back into reason. As the

weeks continued the power tools were packed in; power via generator, a rock drill and a rock saw were

used to enhance many previously drilled out steps in the ledge. The crews were successful with those

enhancements and carved out more steps to make the ledge more appealing to users so that they

wouldn’t trample on the thin and fragile soils just off trail.

Mt. Osceola Trail:

We started this project in mid-June, camping at around

3,700 ft., it was cold and wet. The body of work here

was more traditional; the trail was severely gullied and

in need of new drainages to shed the water and rock

steps to fill in the gullied sections. With the Pemi FS Trail

Crew working on lower sections of the trail, we focused

on the upper half. AMC was contracted by the WMNF to

assist on this project.

Champney Falls Trail:

A major Challenged Cost Share agreement between the Saco District of the WMNF and AMC committed

over 6000 hours to this trail to be fulfilled over the next few seasons. The Champney Falls Trail, off the

Kancamagus Highway is arguably one of the

most used trails in the Whites attracting day

users to visit the scenic Champney Falls

and/or continue on to the summit of Mt.

Chocorua. We focused on the trail that

bypasses the loop to the actual falls this year

(due to such high use a trail closure is needed

on the loop trail). Crews rebuilt failing rock

water bars, rock stairs, and reset a lot of old

timber tie water bars that were severely

eroded and failing. We worked roughly a 2

mile stretch of the trail.

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Hermit Lake Campsites:

Phase 2 of hardening the water pump site up at Hermit Lake was a 2 day project. Materials were flown

in to build the turnpike and fencing and a small crew hiked in to put it all together. Now there is a well-

defined path leading directly to the pump, this should significantly help restore the natural flora and

soils in the immediate area.

Boott Spur Trail:

The trails department received several reports that the native log ladder was failing – a few of the top

rungs had rotted through and were now gone! By the end of August replacement needed to happen

immediately; with the help of Kris Kebler’s RCC crew we were able to replace the ladder in kind with PT,

reestablishing for users an easier and safer route up the steep pitch.

After

Before in 2014 After in 2015

Before

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Lonesome Lake Trail:

In October we organized the Sally Manikian’ s

Caretakers to work from the trailhead to the Hi-

Cannon/Lonesome Lake Trail Junction for two

weeks. There were serious erosion issues that had

been there for the last few years, the worst being

where a stream had bypassed the metal culvert

and was flowing down the trail - looked like it had

been doing that for a few years at least. We

trucked over a load of cedar logs to use as check

steps while others worked on reinforcing that

problem spot with rock retainers and water bars.

Additionally, the crew installed rock steps,

rock water bars, brushing and naturalizing

impacted sites. This was just one of many

eyesores that were in great need of some

trail TLC.

Before

After

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OUTLOOK FOR 2016:

There is good news and bad news for 2016. The bad new first; the NH –RTP (Recreational Trails

Program) Grant will not be accepting applications this winter for 2016 projects as they have

traditionally. Always a good potential funding source for AMC trail projects in the Whites the NH-RTP

program or lack thereof for 2016 will be felt not only by us but by many other clubs and organizations

that rely on the RTP Grant. The NH –RTP Grant has played a large role in funding the White Mountain

Professional Trail Crew and trail projects in the White Mountains in the past, and is a source that we

seek out on an annual basis.

The good news; our Trail Master [TM] will be Ashley Fife (a.k.a. Switchback). One of the few female Trail

Masters to come through the ranks of the trail crew. In her third year on the crew Ashley showed great

responsibility, leadership, and overall pride in the crew and the finished product of their collective work.

I am looking forward to when she starts in early May as we have already begun to brainstorm on new

approaches to old traditions.

While the NH-RTP is stagnant, we are fortunate to have secured a few projects already for 2016:

- As mentioned earlier we will continue work on the Champney Falls Trail which is part of a

Challenged Cost Share (CCS) between the WMNF and AMC.

- AMC’s partnership with the WMNF continues as we came to an agreement of another CCS.

Work will be split between the Davis Path and the Crawford Path (5 weeks total). The Crawford

Path will be turning 200 years old in 2019.

- Through their Matching Awards Program (M.A.P) the National Forest Foundation has awarded

the AMC Trails Department funds to build an elevated boardwalk on the Lost Pond Trail, located

across the street from the PNVC. The boardwalk will replace the dilapidated bog bridges and

pedestrian bridge (roughly 200 ft.) that currently provide access across the inlet of Lost Pond. A

popular trail for education programs, climbing access to Square Ledge, and a relatively easy walk

for a wide range of users this will provide a much needed upgrade and enhance the recreational

opportunities in the area.

- The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) has secured funding through the NPS for trail rehab

and repair on the Mahoosuc Trail, between the East Peak of Goose Eye and the North Peak of

Goose Eye. Work will consist of bog bridge replacement and relocated 600 feet of trail. This is a

remote section of the A.T. and will involve a lot of hiking and long pack days.

The State of Maine is receiving grant applications for their RTP this winter. We are sending in an

application that will extend work on the Mahoosuc Trail. If funded, we will be flying in bog bridge

material and working on some of the steepest terrain our trails cover – reconstructing rock steps and

water bars and replacing about 50 ft. of rotting native log ladders.