Hitch 2

Rock Cribbing 25ft
Rock Water Bars 2
Rock Crush Created for Filling Tread 100cubic feet
Drainage ditches 50ft

Hitch 2 brought our crew back into the swing of things after a much needed break. We spent the entirety of the first two days making crush for the section of cribbing we completed on hitch 1. We had discovered that while we were gone the combination of rain and horses necessitated another layer of crush on the tread. We had originally built the tread with a layer of crush, then a layer of mineral soil, another layer of finer crush, and then a top layer of mineral soil, as per our forest service contacts recommendation. With the additional crush added to the surface we found it to be a much more durable surface that should be able to handle years of abuse from equestrian usage with little maintenance.

After we were through making the majority of the crush, we refocused our efforts on our second set of cribbing. Our most experienced rock setter was unfortunately on light duty for the entire hitch due to a back injury, but this created an opportunity for the rest of the crew to alternate through taking the lead on setting rocks. It was a bit slower going, but everyone on the crew has increased their rock setting skills. Teamwork improvements also showed in our ability to move unwieldy boulders for the wall that in our earlier days in the field would have been exceedingly difficult with all six of us.

On the last day of our hitch we got hit with an unusually strong afternoon thunderstorm and got to really see our work function. Within 20 minutes a formidable stream of water was flowing down the trail and off of it where we had installed drainage structures. The tread we hardened with crush stayed solid and easy to walk on and the areas protected by our drainage features became muddy from the shear volume of water coming straight down, but it drained the way we wanted it to and stayed perfectly usable, while the rest of the trail quickly turned into a swamp that entirely swallowed boots and, at best, left its victims with soaking wet muddy feet. Experiencing this down pour was a great moral boost for the crew, as we saw firsthand that our work was functional.