Reflection (Week 1)

This past week was pretty much a solid work week for me. For the most part I planned the new trail and then worked on a specific section of the route each day. I am really happy with how the first part of the trail turned out. There was a little bit of a surprise when I first arrived at the Bulkhead at the start of this week. I found more wind blown trees than I have ever seen up there. Luckily most of them had either dried out or rotted. This made them lighter and easier to pick up and move. I was surprised with how fast the first section of the trail work went. As the week went on I noticed that my progress was slowing due to the increasing thickness of the forest. I finally did break through to a clearing yesterday. My progress from here on should be faster as there are not as many trees in the way. This is good news as I am just under half way finished with the trail. I should have enough time to complete the trail next week.

Over the weekend and during the last week I watched some videos that Josh had lent me regarding proper trail building techniques and designs. Most of the trails discussed were on a larger scale but all of the information was applicable to small trails as well. I kept many of the techniques and suggestions in mind as I was planning the trail. This is the primary reason why I changed parts of it. The grade was too severe in certain areas. When hiked or cleared the sections of the trail with the steep pitch would have eroded. The first half of the trail is mostly under the grade limit and any sections over the limit are short. I am not sure if I will be able to adhere strictly to the pitch limitations for the last half of the trail as the terrain is tough and there is a steep ascent up to Balancing Rock. I spent almost four hours trying to find better routes on Friday. The easiest route seemed to be the preexisting marked passageway. If properly cleared, this route would have less of an impact than any of the alternatives I plotted. I brought up a GPS and plotted the marked trail and made several passes ranging up to a quarter of a mile on either side of it. All of the alternatives ended with a short cliff or were ultimately a harder route. This is the primary reason that any new route was not practical. I was surprised by how rocky the land was up there.

My plan going forward is to complete all of the trail work including blazing and marking by Friday of next week. I might be able to finish sooner but it is hard to predict my progress as I am going into a different type of forest and there are some large trees blocking the path. The last area I cleared was thick and the lower vegetation had died due to lack of sunlight. The area I am entering is thinner and almost all of the trees are still living. I am planning to work all day tomorrow, Sunday, to get a large chunk of work done and out of the way. This will allow me get a jump-start on the week. I am planning to complete the trail with blazes and signage consistent with the existing signs that indicate the "Bulkhead" or "Balancing Rock" on nearby trails. The trail is turning out to be better than I had anticipated and I believe that many people will enjoy it for years. I was a little worried going into the project as initially the plan was for two people to do the trail work. So far the progress is great, I am on schedule and less anxious about completing the project on time.

I am pleased with the ability to take the trail design and construction techniques that I have learned and apply them throughout each day. It is interesting to see the various types of woodlands within a relatively small area. I have imagined the possibility that this area was logged in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. It must have been a very difficult area to log given the topography and the changing terrain. The time alone in the forest has also been interesting as I have had time to reflect. It seems as though the time passes fairly quickly as my mind wanders from thought to thought. It seems fitting to be completing my senior year at Proctor, alone in the woods (except for my dog) with the opportunity to think about the past four years. The work is hard, the days are long, and yet there is an incredible sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.