The Long Slog Continues

A sunny view south, toward Johnson Avenue. Notice the straight roads leading to Johnson Avenue-makes me wonder whether the entire area was once farmland that was bought and developed as one project. It would have happened before my time.

Visit #1127, Saturday 17 March 18, 1:15-5PM, 4.0 miles.
Temps in the low 40's, sunny.

The long slog through the snow to clear the trails after 2 back-to-back nor'easters, continues.

I thought a week's worth of thawing would make it easier to travel the trails. I was wrong; it was slippery and slow.

On the plus side, I was smart enough to bring my loppers this week along with my chainsaw, which made it easier to trim small branches, and became a backup when my chainsaw ran out of gas.

I started by cutting up the fallen tree on the Soap Box Derby track, which I left alone last week.

I tossed the cuttings up the slope. I was fortunate enough to receive help from a kind passerby in carrying a heavy, clumsy tree stump.

Once I was off pavement and onto the trails, the slogging began. I had plans to hike a longer route on far-reaching trails but once I realized how slow the going would be, I revised my plans.

I slogged all the way up to Castle Craig and picked up the Blue Trail along East Peak, where I came upon my second opportunity to use the chainsaw.

Unfortunately, removing the tree would mean the loss of the blue trail marker.

Further along, I reached a leaning tree which consumed most of my chainsaw's fuel, without dropping the tree, which was hung up in another tree.

The trail is still passable, but I may return at a later date to beat this tree into submission. I halted work early to save chainsaw fuel, expecting to find more fallen branches and trees.

I headed down over I-691 and back to the park. Good thing I still had a little gas left in the tank.

I used the loppers to clear the small branches, and the chainsaw to make the important cuts.

At this point I ran out of gas, but I didn't run out of trees. This will have to wait until next week.

But I still had my loppers, which did a journeyman's job on the remaining finds. These should be a constant companion.

I'll return with the chainsaw next week to finish them off but for now, at least the trails are clear.

This week I close with a view east from East Peak.