Winter New Hampshire 4K (NH4K)Hikes, New England Hundred Highest (NEHH) list,Maine/Vermont 4K Hikes, New Hampshire 4K Hikes
Black Pond Trail Maintenance Fall 2016 - 11/12/16 posted 3/25/17
At the end of last year I volunteered to adopt this short trail. Black Pond Trail is often used in the winter to start a bushwhack approach to Owls Head and starts off of Lincoln Woods trail. Black Pond trail is only 0.8 miles each way but 2.6 miles in on Lincoln woods. So its only 5.2 miles round trip to the pond. I drove up to NH and did the required one day training, then last October went up and did some pre-winter season trail maintenance. Mostly trimming brush that was starting to grow into the trail and sawing up and moving blow downs - a few good size ones. Below are some photos from that trip.
I brought some of my own tools and picked up a few from a cache in Lincoln that trail keepers can borrow. The golf cart was my wife's ingenious idea and worked pretty good, at least for on Lincoln Woods and about half way on black pond trail.
A section of the old track. Lincoln woods trail used to be a railroad track bed.
This was the biggest one I cleared just before the pond. needs two cuts but the first one wore me out so I went on to a few smaller ones before tackling the second cut.
This is the big one again after I made the second cut and rolled it aside. I was pretty proud of myself on this one. If there are blow-downs too big to handle we are suppose to notify the rangers and they will contact someone to come in with a chain saw.
Lincoln Woods is a wide straight trail. Well used by locals for walking dogs and cross country skiing in the winter.
Large Birch blow-down across LW trail. You can see a few of the RR ties here too.
Here she is - the start of Black Pond Trail.
My first blow down to clear.
Piece of cake , it was pretty rotted.
At Black Pond. Go to Owls Head to see it frozen with an igloo on it.
More blow-downs. I left quit a few on the way in to hit on the a way back .
There were two high blow-downs. I think this is the one I could actually get at.
The next high one down the trail is the one I had to leave. It shouldn't be a problem for winter snowshoers unless there is reaally a lot of snow this winter. If its still there I may tackle it in the spring.
Back on Lincoln Woods trail. I made a half ass try at cutting through this but didn't get far (not my trail though). I reported it to the rangers at the LW trail-head They said it must have just come down because it wasn't there the day before and that they would contact a team to take care of it.
Think I did a pretty good job today. Not a big or hard trail, but at least I'm giving a little back. Makes me really appreciate the volunteers clearing the harder mountain trails.
I'll come back after the spring thaw and make another pass. There is a few blazes that probably need a little new paint.
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