Houghton Section Trail Work Reports – 2019
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Date | Name | Trail | Hours | Work | Volunteers | Remaining Work | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-19 | Bob Flagg | Headquarters Path | 0.75 | Performed minor brushing removing branches from trail for section that crosses road. Picked up small bag of trash. | |||
| 2019-01-19 | Bob Flagg | Quincy Path (FBH) | 1 | Performed minor brushing removing branches from trail. Removed debris blocking flow at small bridge. Picked up half small bag of trash. | Need to remove rocks under small bridge to improve flow. | ||
| 2019-01-26 | Bob Flagg | Hoosicwhissick Path (FBH) | 1.5 | Walked path along Houghtons Pond picking up small pieces of trash like butts, bottle caps and straws where the debris washes ashore. Removed branches from trail. | Pond was frozen so good shore cleanup should be done when the water thaws. | ||
| 2019-01-26 | Bob Flagg | Prescott Foot Path | 0.75 | Walked path along Houghtons Pond from intersection with Hoosicwhissick Path to end of trail near concession stand.Picked up small pieces of trash like butts, bottle caps and straws where the debris washes ashore. Removed branches from trail. | Pond was frozen so good shore cleanup should be done when the water thaws. | ||
| 2019-01-26 | Bob Flagg | Headquarters Path | 1 | Removed branches from trail from parking lot near State Police office to intersection with White Pine Path. Cleared large section of green briar from both sides of trail. Picked up small bag of trash. | |||
| 2019-01-26 | Bob Flagg | White Pine Path (FBH) | 0.25 | Removed branches from trail. | |||
| 2019-02-02 | Bob Vogel | Barre Trail | 0.5 | Picked up fallen branches, street to 2130. | |||
| 2019-02-02 | Bob Vogel | Boyce Hill Trail | 1.5 | Cut up good sized double tree down across the trail. Required cutting both trunks twice, and levering both pieces to the side of the trail. | The whole rest of the trail, I just hiked in via Barre to cut up this tree, which had been blocking the White Triangle Trail since the fall. | ||
| 2019-03-29 | John Hahnfeld | Boyce Hill Trail | 1 | Removed fallen limbs, branches from the trail. | A short way onto the trail, perhaps a hundred yards from the 2153 marker, there's a fallen tree suspended over the trail. The trial is passable, but ideally this should be removed. ALSO, at the bottom of the Boyce Hill Trail, turning right on to the Doe Hollow Path, at about 110 yards there's a tree fallen right across the trail that needs to be stepped over. Not a problem, probably, for hikers or horses, but an impediment to any wheeled traffic. | ||
| 2019-03-29 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 1 | Cleaned branches and limbs from the path. | Will return soon to clean out grade reversals. | About 400 feet in from the 2111 marker the top of a fallen tree was blocking the trail. I was able to deal with the smaller diameter branches, but there's still some stuff that's too thick for my saw, and which should be trimmed a little further back from the trail with a chain saw. Probably 15 minutes work for a chain saw. | |
| 2019-04-05 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 1.5 | Raked out all grade reversals on trail. | |||
| 2019-04-12 | Judy Jacobs | Bugbee Path | 36 | Raked side ditches and culverts from 2111 to in between 2155 and 2172. | Bryan Rooney, Irene Hunt, Caroline Mazzola, Chris Read, Scott McCaughy, Barbara Sutherby, Chris Detwiller, Joseph Simonelli, Sherry Cutis, Kim Martin, Jame MacDonald, Monique Screen-Berry | There is a side ditch that hasn't been done in years that is just around 2075, off of Bugbee Path. There are also culverts that need cleaning along Bugbee Path from 2017 to 2111. | |
| 2019-04-25 | Judy Jacobs | Bugbee Path | 45 | Cleared out side ditches that have been grown over; dug out culverts, cut brush. | Ondera Flowers, Ted Lensdale, Kimberly Saracino, Sarah Marks, Isaque Medeiros, Christopher Pontbriand, Dean Cascadden, Matt Kieras, Christopher Morris, Matthew Kalin, Jade Rivera, Kelly Kyson, Dan Boermeester, Chris Ward | There's a culvert just before 2053 that they uncovered, but it is still somewhat blocked on the north side of the trail. Water is pooling on the trail because it can't flow through the culvert. | |
| 2019-04-27 | Bob Flagg | Massachuseuck Trail | 35 | Cleaned and improved all grade reverals from Forest Path to Marker 2152. Removed rocks, leaves, sticks and other debris from ditch and outflow. | Shubha Chungi, Robert Priest, Joe Nelson, Kristen Kercher, Nathan Mahan, Cristhi Anne, Ian McLachlan, Emilie Bent, Bob Kittredge | ||
| 2019-05-11 | AMCSEM-Pete Tierney | Skyline Trail | 21 | Cleaned stairs on both sides of Buck Hill, replaced missing stair on west side of Buck Hill, cleaned out three grade reversals, removed rocks and scree from trail, cut back vegetation. | Natalie, Bill, Lars, Randy, Sue, Tim | ||
| 2019-05-31 | John Goldrosen | Forest Path | 2.5 | Cleaned out blocked culvert under trail at 2194. Cleared downed branches and twigs from trail, and cut back overhanging vegetation. Cut up and removed downed trees that were alongside trail. | Mountain bikers rode around the sides of wet and muddy areas during the winter and spring, leaving ruts and widening the trail. Can we work with the mountain-biking association to educate riders that it is better to ride through the puddles (or not ride at all on muddy trails), than to ride around them? | ||
| 2019-06-07 | Chris Mullin | AMC Footpath | 1 | Brushing | Scrub brush at the top | ||
| 2019-06-07 | Chris Mullin | Fern Spring Foot Path | 0.25 | brushing | |||
| 2019-08-03 | Dexter Robinson | Headquarters Path | 38.5 | Brushed trail from Houghton's Pond parking lot (Hillside St.) to 2175. | Barry Young, Joanne Velez, Anthony Camache, Anna Lee, Michael Shepherd, John Harrell, Sarah Scrugg, Kelly McCree, Alysen McDonough, Grace Grielink | Remainder of Headquarters Path to Rt. 28 | Several areas flood in the Spring. May need to consider re-routing. |
| 2019-08-19 | John Hahnfeld | Boyce Hill Trail | 0.75 | Remove a few small trees that were beginning to look like possible nuisances for equestrian users of the trail. | |||
| 2019-08-19 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 0.75 | Removed part of a large pine that had fallen, landing with the uppermost part of the tree protruding a few feet onto the trail. I was able to remove the most rotted part and pitch it off the trail, but there remains enough for a couple passes with a chain saw that should also be removed to clear it from the trial entirely. | About 100 yards uphill from 2092, on the Burnt Hill Path, three or four feet of a large fallen pine are still protruding onto the trail. A couple passes with a chain saw will make quick work of this, and it should then be removed from the trail, in addition to what I've already removed. | ||
| 2019-08-18 | Bob Flagg | Doe Hollow Path | 0.75 | Cleaned large swale and ditch at 2153 and removed large branch about 100 yards up the trail. | |||
| 2019-09-27 | John Hahnfeld | Boyce Hill Trail | 0.5 | Removed minor debris from trail. | There are TWO locations where substantial dead trees have fallen across the trail. 1) Just south and downhill from #2151, and 2) near #2130. Both of these require a chain saw to remove. | ||
| 2019-09-27 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 0.5 | Removed minor debris from trail. | None at this time. | ||
| 2019-09-28 | AMCSEM-Pete Tierney | Skyline Trail | 16 | Hillside Street to eastern slope of Tucker Hill, Route 28 to western slope of Buck Hill. | Bill, Sue, Skip, Rob, Paul | Continue working on portion of trail not covered today. | |
| 2019-10-12 | Bob Flagg | Bouncing Brook Path | 1.25 | Walked trail performing minor brushing, cleaned nick near pipeline end of trail. | |||
| 2019-10-19 | John Hahnfeld | Boyce Hill Trail | 1 | Picked up debris from the trail after the storm of 10/16 and 10/17. | Still (very) minor debris that I'll get another time. | At the intersection of Boyce Hill Trail with the Skyline trail, about 50 ft. up the Skyline, there is a tree down across the Skyline Trail. It is not preventing use of the trail, but is lying directly across it. | |
| 2019-10-19 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 1 | Picked up debris from the trail resulting from the storm of 10/16 and 10/17. Only minor debris remains. there is a tree down across the Boyce Hill Trail approximately 150 ft. from the intersection with the red dot trail. It allows foot traffic, but would prevent bike traffic and may impede equestrian traffic. | |||
| 2019-10-25 | AMC-SEM Skip Maysles | Skyline Trail | 22 | This trail work outing had 2 parts; 1st to complete work started on Sept 28, 2019 and to remove parts of a blow down approx. 75 feet east of junction 2117.AMC-SEM had a trail work event on Sept 28 and had two crews (total of 6 volunteers) working from each end. We cleaned stairs, cleared water bars, removed loose rocks and trimmed back vegetation. We ran out of time and we did not finish our work. On Oct 25, Pete and I returned to complete the previous work and to remove a recently reported blow down from a storm which had blocked the trail approx. 50 yards east of junction 2117. We finished the work from Sept 28 trail work event. Also located and removed the large branches of the fallen tree which had blocked the trail, but were not able to remove the trunk. The Skyline trail is now passable in this area. | Pete Tierney, FoBH/AMC-SEM | The section of the Skyline Trail, 50 yards east of junction 2117, had previous blow downs which were reported a few years ago. Now we can add another blow down in that same cluster. These will need a chain saw to remove. | |
| 2019-11-07 | John Hahnfeld | Boyce Hill Trail | 1 | Picked up debris from recent storm. Nothing major on this trail. | About 100 yards downhill from #2151 there's a tree that fell away from the trail, but there's about three feet that should be taken off of the stump end to keep it entirely off the trail. | ||
| 2019-11-07 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 1 | Picked up debris from recent storm.11 | At intersection #2111, there's a large oak down across the trail. Defnitely a hazard that would prevent bike or equestrian use of the trail, and may present a danger to hikers. Should be removed ASAP. | ||
| 2019-11-07 | John Hahnfeld | Burnt Hill Path | 1 | Picked up debris from recent storm.11 | At intersection #2111, there's a large oak down across the trail. Defnitely a hazard that would prevent bike or equestrian use of the trail, and may present a danger to hikers. Should be removed ASAP. | ||
| 2019-11-11 | John Goldrosen | Forest Path | 4 | Cleaned culverts and drainage paths. Removed downed branches from trails. Cut off limbs from three downed trees, leaving trunks that were too large for work with a handsaw. | Two large tree trunks remain across the trail, between the Bugbee Path and the Pipeline (2190 and 2189). I cut off what I could with a handsaw, so that people can climb over them. There is also a trunk encroaching on the trail (but not blocking it), north of the intersection with the Skyline Trail. | ||
| 2019-11-16 | Bob Flagg | Oblique Path | 0.75 | Performed minor brushing, removing branches from trail. Cleaned side ditch and removed rocks in front of culvert. | |||
| 2019-11-16 | Bob Flagg | Beech Hollow Path | 0.75 | Performed minor brushing on trail, removing downed branches. | |||
| 2019-11-16 | Bob Flagg | Bolton Foot Path | 0.5 | Walked trail removing branches from trail. | |||
| 2019-11-16 | Bob Flagg | Burnt Hill Path | 1 | Cleaned out grade reversal closest to 2092, removed leaves from remaining ones heading up the hill. | |||
| 2019-11-16 | Bob Flagg | Doe Hollow Path | 0.75 | Performed minor brushing from 2129 to 2132. | |||
| 2019-11-16 | Bob Flagg | Pig Rock Path | 0.75 | Performed minor brushing and removal of branches from trail. | |||
| 2019-11-17 | Bob Flagg | Dover Trail | 1.5 | Removed two very large branches blocking trail, fot three hikers passing by to help sawing thru a 10 inch log. | |||
| 2019-12-01 | Bob Flagg | Buck Hill Path | 1 | Walked path removing branches and cleaning grade reversals. | |||
| 2019-12-08 | Bob Flagg | Athol Path | 1 | Walked trail removing branches from trail including very large branch hanging over trail. |