Hitch 5 report

Progress Report:

Program Name: Finger Lakes National Forest
Dates: 7/26/10- 8/2/10

Burnt Hill and Interloken Trail Corridor- 3.5 miles
Drilled pilot holes for rebar in 6x6’s- 32 6x6’s – 3 holes each
Interloken trail drain dips- 8
Privy Roof, Ramp, Trim, Door
Toured past worksites with Holly Knox and Rebecca Wright
Toured logging operation with Holly Knox and Rebecca Wright

We started hitch 5 by clearing 3½ miles of corridor on the Burnt Hill and Interloken Trails. The trails were in fairly good shape and were not overgrown too much so we were able to complete the 3½ miles in less than a day. After clearing the corridor Marc and Kevin went to work removing an old, rotten boardwalk while Holly and Ellen started drilling pilot holes in the 6x6’s we will be using for turnpiking. The battery powered drill was not powerful enough to drill through the pressure treated 6x6’s so Holly and Ellen had to resort to a brace and bit to get the job done. It was hard, slow work drilling the ¾ inch holes with a brace and bit but Holly and Ellen kept at it and three days later all the pilot holes were finished. While Holly and Ellen finished drilling holes Scott, Marc, and Kevin went back to the privy and finished the roof, walls, ramp, and door. The building is now complete, we are just waiting on accessories such as the toilet seat and grab bars and it will be ready to open.

After drilling holes and putting finishing touches on the privy we went to work digging drain dips along the Interloken Trail. The dips were especially challenging because they were on relatively flat and wet ground. We had to use our brains a bit in order to come up with drain dip designs that would work well. I was happy to see that the crew understands the concepts and theories behind drain dips and was able to apply them in order to build unique, yet effective drain dips.

During hitch 5 we were visited by Holly Knox from Green Mountain National Forest. On the morning of her visit we visited a timber sale taking place on the forest. Rebecca Wright gave us a tour of the timber sale and explained the science behind sustainable logging to us. It was a great learning experience as well as a fun adventure. Afterwords Scott took Holly and Rebecca on their own tour of our past, present, and future worksites and explained the science behind trail construction and maintenence. Holly and Rebecca were both impressed by the work we have accomplished thus far.