Reflection (Week 2)

I noticed a big difference in the trail this week compared to my first week. Although I did a lot of work last week the trail still looked too fresh. Not quite all of the trail was trimmed back and the last third was not finished. Every day when I walked on the parts of the trail that I already had build I would look for things that still might be in the way. I used loppers to cut branches back and tried to make enough room for when it snowed. I figured with two feet of snow hikers might hit their heads on branches that did not seem to be a problem in the summer. Trimming higher also gave the trail more of a distinct look and it was easier to follow. I also noticed from hiking on it every day that the trail started to break in. I was amazed how fast this happened as I only hiked through it two or three times a day.

I am really happy with how the trail turned out in the end. At first it seemed as though completing within the time constraint was sort of a long shot, but once I got building time flew until the last two days. For some reason the last two days seemed to go by slowly. I think this is because I was so close to finishing. During the week I have had about four of five faculty members that hiked the trail and all of them had positive feedback. Most of them were surprised when they reached the section that was not completed and found how thick the woods were without clearing. When building the trail I took time to think about erosion, water runoff, and how hikers would perceive the trail as well as how comfortable it would be to hike it. Keeping good trail construction methodology in mind as I built the trail and getting good feedback, I found I had accomplished the first and second goals of my proposal. The plan was to work for two weeks and then do more of the paper portion for the next three days. So far this has worked out perfect and I have stuck with my proposed schedule.

I ended up spending quite a lot of time in the woods. I wound up about 32 hours over the planned amount of time and ended up working a total of 68 hours. I assumed that I would put in more hours as initially the proposal was for two people to do all of the trail construction. My project partner went on Mountain Classroom so I was down one person from the start. Although it was hard work I ended up having fun. My dog loved spending so much time up there that he got excited this morning when I woke up. After I got dressed he ran to the door thinking it was time to leave. I could tell he was confused as he would not lie down and instead followed me around the house. It was nice having him up there although some times he could be a nuisance. He liked to chase falling trees, which was real safe!

My project turned out to be a great way to conclude my senior year at Proctor. The time spent doing hard physical work gave me time to reflect on my years at Proctor and think about the coming year. Building a trail feels as though I am leaving a physical mark and it will hopefully be something that people will enjoy for many years. I am appreciative of my sponsor and mentor and their encouragement.