TM Report: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Date of activity: September 13, 2010
Condition of trail(s): Dry
Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka
Trail(s) worked: White off the blue
Work accomplished: I received the OK from my LM to cut optional lines through three downed trees across the blue and white trails; all of these sections are very wide (old logging roads) and fast with good visibility in both directions; I parked in the west lot off 145 and headed up the blue to the white with my tools packed; I surveyed all three situations but decided to work on the one fairly large tree on the white that was elevated from actual trail

if I just cut a section out, the rest would sag and offer an angled up and over, so I chose a different approach- to create my first skinny (attended Trail Boss class this spring); I just had a couple of my chains sharpened so I figured this was going to be a breeze; however right from the start I began throwing sawdust instead of nice chips with slow progress- my rakers needed to be ground and this was a well seasoned tree, so it was going to be more work than expected; a ten foot section was removed which cleared the entire trail width; the stump was then spun 180 degrees which blocked the old detour and also covered the root holes; the cut section was spun to be in line with the trail flow and anchored with flat stones underneath; I cut each end at a 45 in order to create ramps from either direction; two inch deep cuts were then made on top, perpendicular to the section and spaced about four inches apart; using a small ax, I removed the “plates” from the top surface resulting in about a five to six inch wide tread; the dust and chips were broadcast all about and local ground cover spread to mask the work as much as possible

it was getting dark quickly, so I packed up and did not have time to try out this new feature, but I plan on heading out within a couple of days to see, try and critique my first trail creation.

Email: donald.hazuka@covidien.com
Town: Westbrook / Deep River

Location: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

What was the time of day?: Late afternoon
Duration (hours): 1.5 hrs
Distance (miles): N/A
Encounters and Observations: Two cars in lot; three friendly women with three friendly dogs passed by while I worked.