Turkey Burner

It was all about enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods this holiday weekend. I didn't have to fight for parking, or elbow other shoppers out of the way.

Visit #1223, Saturday 30 November 19, 10:05AM-12:55PM, 4.0 miles, 2.9lbs. of litter.

I took a mountain bike ride in Hubbard Park on Thanksgiving to stave off any holiday gluttonistic calorie consumption. I inspected some trails for recent wind damage and found some. It was sunny and reasonably warm for November (in the low 40's) but very windy.

I also found at the beginning of the trail that I had inexplicably lost braking power in the rear. Close inspection revealed a first for me; I lost a brake pad!

The rest of the ride I relied on only the front brake, and survived unscathed.

I stopped at the Halfway House and cleaned up the remnants of a campfire.

Saturday was a Power Tool Weekend®, following the trails I rode on Thursday, in the hunt to remove the fallen trees. I chose Saturday because winter weather was forecast for Sunday which would have put a hold on productive trail maintenance.

All the photos show the difference between Thursday's ride and Saturday's trail clearing.

I reached the first tree, and with the aid of another hiker offering to assist, removed the tree without pinching my chainsaw blade.

Dunkin' Donuts, a frequent find in Hubbard Park, is phasing out their styrofoam cups in favor of paper. Little did I know, there's this New England "thang" of putting Dunkin' cold drinks, in their plastic cups, into a styrofoam cup to keep fingers from getting cold. With the bye-bye of styrofoam, this "double cupping" will fade away, too.

This tree was not blocking the trail but is did fall close enough so I decided to cut it and move it aside.

Uphill I went until I was near Castle Craig, and began my hike down to Merimere Reservoir.

Proof that I rode this trail on Thanksgiving Day.

The trail saved the largest tree for last.

I followed the road around Merimere Reservoir back toward the park, and along the way picked up Season of the Missing Glove 2019 orphans #10 and 11.

I also met a hiker on the road who saw me picking up litter and remarked he had done the same thing a couple months ago. It's good to hear there are more like-minded people out there.

Nearing the water treatment plant, I encountered this large branch on the side of the road and, since it was a Power Tool Weekend® I decided to engage in one last bit of lumberjacking and remove it from the road.

I beat the incoming bad weather and burned some turkey calories this weekend. Not bad.