July 5-9: 5 Day Field Crew; the second hitch

1. Debar Mountain Trail Clearing
This project was located on the lower section of the trail leading to the summit of Debar Mountain. We camped about a mile in from the trailhead, located off of Mecham Lake Campgrounds. The work involved making the trail more inviting to the general public. We ripped out a useless, dilapidated, bog bridge and replaced it completely. In total it was 30ft. of bride in 2 sections. We felled a 60 foot standing dead Red Spruce tree for replacement materials. The muddy site surrounding it was rehabbed and cleaned to discourage hikers from walking around the new bridge. A new log water bar was put in uphill from the bridge, and some stepping stones were set between the bridge and the water bar. Additionally, we filled 2 large holes that existed before and after a large culvert. The holes were filled with crushed stone made on site, and covered with fill and leaves. This grading made the culvert hardly visible and easily stepped over. We also removed a rusted, jagged 12ft long culvert. It was replaced by 8ft of water bars, made out of rock. Two blow-downs were also cut and cleared. We also lopped about 1.5 miles of trail and cleared 19 water bars and drain dips. Our camps sites and work trails were rehabbed upon leaving.

2. Northville-Placid Trail
A difficulty with a project vehicle meant the first few days were spent around our headquarters cleaning and performing general maintenance. We also maintained campsites along Little Tupper Lake. We collected garbage, trimmed overgrown plants and emptied fire pits of ash. An arrangement was made with the vehicles so we could get back out to the bridge site on the trail across Pine Brook. We finished notching and burying the dead-men of the cribbing structure begun the previous week. We felled a tree and flattened a surface for walking on. One of the 3 stringers was positioned across the brook resting on both the sills. It had yet to be notched or spiked. We also re-vegetated where the tree was cut down. The bridge was later completed and the creek spanned.

3. St. Regis Canoe Area, Various Projects
Work continued along the same lines as the first week, but the crew discovered the joys of packing out trash from 1970s. Apparently some toads were making homes in the deeper layers, so we left those alone, reducing not only our weight to pack out but also the impact on the local inhabitants.

4. Santanoni Historic Area, Various Projects
This week our crew worked more closely with the Santanoni staff members. They cleared the blue trail next to Henderson Lake, which is off the Tahawus Road. The trail had not been trimmed and was barely maintained over the past 15 years. The overgrowth was thick enough that the trail was not even visible in some areas, let alone navigable. The crew split into two teams and worked from either end to meet in the middle of the trail. Unfortunately, there was not enough time in the week to cut the trail to desired level of clearing, (4ft wide, 6ft tall) but we were able to cut through to the satisfaction of the Santanoni staff, as well as Hikers who thanked us for our work. On Friday, the crew trimmed sections of the property at the Santanoni Gate House. The hike to and from the project site was 5 miles and with the additional 15 mile drive, leaving the remaining work there for another hitch