Satisfaction

You never know what you'll find on the trails, in the middle of nowhere, in Hubbard Park!

Visit #1128, Saturday 24 March 18, 8:30-11:45AM, 3.6 miles.
Temps in the high 40's, sunny.

Today would see me complete the clearing of the trails closest to the park and most accessible to casual hikers. I drew great satisfaction knowing I was providing a valuable service to park users, which was reinforced by the thanks I received from the hikers I encountered this morning.

I started heading west, behind the bank of daffodils on the north side of Mirror Lake, using my chainsaw to finish a job I started last week.

The bent tree on the left was adjacent to the gravel parking area in the northwest corner of Mirror Lake.

This tree was the biggie for the day.

I headed west all the way to West Main Street/Belmont Avenue, then turned around and continued to clear storm damage.

And I finally got smart-my loppers were always hard to find when I'd place them down, so I addressed the issue by taking a cue from pal, Bob. Now they're color coordinated with my chainsaw which is a plus for a fashion conscious guy like myself. You never can look too good on the trails!

Now let's get back to work.

Meanwhile, back at the Soap Box Derby track, where I cut up a fallen hemlock last week, it appears "Sticky Fingers Len" couldn't leave the pieces alone and rolled some of them back onto the pavement. Sigh.

I returned to the parking lot and dropped off my chainsaw, for my next task didn't require lugging it around.

There's a stream which flows from the old petting zoo down to the lower pool and on to West Main Street. When I drive in the park I spot litter lining the banks of the stream and it looks bad. In the past, I tried cleaning it up but during the warmer months the foliage is too heavy to navigate easily.

Today, on the spur of the moment, I got the idea to try again since the banks are mostly clear.

Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, as I managed more than once to put my foot in the drink.

I turned around just shy of the pool and cleaned the opposite bank. I drew more satisfaction in knowing this task had to be done, and the conditions were in my favor. I gathered enough litter that I needed a larger bag.