District Overseer Reports
|
|
Club work trips included two to finish up the 300 feet of bog bridge replacement on Fourth Mtn. Bog; replacing the foundation logs at Leeman Brook Shelter; and fixing the roof at Logan Brook Shelter. In addition, several members helped pack in and pack out our ridgerunner, Krisdin Diehl, to her Gulf Hagas work camp. The Maine Trail Crew spent six weeks in the district, both up Chairback Mountain hardening the trail and rerouting around a wet mess in the Gap, as well as working on the Gulf Hagas Rim Trail. They were joined at times by MATC members. Finally this summer, an opportunity was made and utilized when two members of the NPS/ATC trail assessment team were available to walk and assess the district, as required every so many years, and I was able to facilitate that activity. This is the basis for future trail crew projects and funding, and I was glad to get it done. This hiking season is looking at again a lot of extra activity. The trail crew alone has slated twelve crew weeks for a continuation of the Rim Trail work, and new hardening efforts in the area of Long Pond Stream shelter; the Cloud Pond area; and Fourth Mtn. We are also “on the list” to have two newly designed moldering privies to replace the badly deteriorating ones at Carl Newhall and Logan Brook Shelters…all we need do is get them up there and build them….stay tuned for work trip postings. . Posted 1-18-13  View from the summit of Whitecap Ron Dobra |
KENNEBEC DISTRICTOverseer : Craig Dickstein
|
BIGELOW DISTRICTOverseer Dick Fecteau(The Bigelow District extends from Route 4 to the Long Falls Dam Road. It has 68.3 miles of A.T. and side trail.)
Bigelow District – 2012 Annual Report
I received trip reports this past season from 27 maintainers who turned in 2075 volunteer hrs. A total of 142 individuals worked on 80 trips in the district this past year.
Highlights include;The Little Bigelow two seat privy was relocated and rebuilt last summer by 25 amazing Camp Tekawithka teenagers during the first weekend of July. They dug a new pit, built a cedar crib and moved the building while repairing and painting the old privy. Additionally they peeled, hauled uphill and stacked 50 cedar logs that were left by the Bigelow Preserve manager, Steve Swatling, for future MATC projects. Under the direction of site maintainer Doug Dolan the roof of the Little Bigelow shelter was replaced. His large volunteer crew hauled new metal roofing, removed the old roofing and packed out all the debris during the first weekend of August. Additionally they used some of the cedar logs left by Camp Tekawithka to build new fireside seating and a tent platform frame. CJ Manza was the Horns Pond caretaker this past season. CJ was very efficient as a caretaker and ridge runner in the area, plus being a friendly and helpful host to many hikers. Returning during the last weekend of July 12 Camp Tekawithka boys hauled two dozen bags of wood chips up to Horns Pond for use in the composting privies. They were greeted with brownies by a grateful caretaker for their efforts. In six weeks the Maine Trail Crew, under the direction of Ama Koenigshof and Michael Coughlin, constructed a remarkable number of stone drainage structures on the upper half of the Horns Pond side trail. The plan is to be back next season to complete the project on the lower half of the trail. Also spending six weeks constructing numerous drainage structures last season was a Maine Conservation Crew under the direction of Tyler Fogg. They worked from Rt. 27 south to the summit of North Crocker. The translucent panels on the Spaulding shelter were replaced with new metal sections under the direction of Laura Flight on July 14th. Her crew bushwhacked 1 mile to reach the AT near the junction with the Abraham side trail and then hiked another mile to the campsite while carrying the new panels and packing out the debris. Yet another Maine Conservation Crew worked on drainage structures from Orebrton Stream south under the direction of Johanna Stacy. We were fortunate to have had Dan Simonds as the new Piazza Rock site supervisor this past season. Dan lives just a few miles from the site and has joined the MATC exec committee. Piazza Rock also had a new caretaker this season. Steve Masse of Rangeley was an A.T. thru-hiker as well as having volunteered in 2011 as an assistant Piazza Rock supervisor. Steve was very effective as a caretaker, site maintainer and ridge runner in the area, plus being a friendly and helpful host to many hikers.Major projects next season include;Due to the Fall rains and beaver activity the bridges over Bog brook will need major attention next season. I am planning new abutments and approaches using galvanized pipe and cedar planking. If anyone has a source of 3″ pipe in 10′ lengths please contact me. Dave Field has proposed and the MATC exec committee has accepted a new side trail that will connect the AT with the Fly Rod Crosby trail in Madrid. Dave has flagged a route along the prominent ridge on the south side of Saddleback. Dave has often referred to this as the original trail up Saddleback for the berry pickers from Madrid. It will be called the Pioneer Trail and hopefully will be cleared next season.Many thanks to all the District maintainers and volunteers who do the vast majority of routine work that includes; blowdown removal, waterbar cleaning and blazing, without which there would be no Appalachian Trail in Maine. Dick Fecteau
|
BALDPATE DistrictOverseer Tom Gorrill
|