Hey, I'm Back!
Well, howdy, everybody! After a long absence from my blog site (I couldn't even remember my password!), I'm back at last to catch you up on what's been going on in my world recently. Mostly, it's been work, as I've been quite busy in my off times working on the computer, so I guess we might as well start there.
One of the first jobs I had this season was re-installing the signs regarding trail closures on Champlain Mountain, namely the East Face Precipice Trail. This was the one at the Bear Brook trailhead. There were more, but I liked this one the best.
Here we are on the East Face Precipice Trail, assessing some of the earthquake damage. This is Ray and Pete looking at a section of wall that is attempting to fall apart and head downhill, probably onto the main worksite on a section of wall down below, where Ray and Chris would be working. We wouldn't really want that, obviously, so Pete and I eventually fixed it.
And here's a shot of our view from our worksite. I took this shot just before Memorial Day Weekend to document our view and show the Highseas home far below. An interesting -- and tragic -- story about this home (paraphrasing the Highseas website): "Professor Rudolf-Ernst Brunnow of Princeton University built Highseas in 1912. The mansion was meant to be a gift to his new bride, but according to legend she lost her life on the Titanic. Brunnow, too, died tragically after a fall from the Precipice Trail." In fact, I've heard Brunnow had this particular section of trail I'm standing on built just for him, so that he could sit here and enjoy this view. I do love a good story, don't you?
And here's almost the same view taken a week later, after the hot Memorial Day Weekend. Boy, the trees just loved the two 90-degree days we had and put out leaves all over the place. What a gorgeous morning this was, especially now that we were back to our normal temps.
Now we're on Homan's Path, looking at more earthquake damage -- a giant slab that slid or fell onto a section of our new trail we had just re-opened not too long ago. That's Pete standing at the far end of the 26'-long behemoth, adding a little scale to it. We were up there to lay out and measure a path through the woods to the Hemlock Trail below to run compressor hoses up to this site. The hoses will provide air to a pneumatic rock drill (a variation on a jackhammer) which will drill numerous holes into this thing, in order to insert Boulder Buster charges to blast it into pieces and remove it. That'll basically be my job, mine and a junior co-worker's. Cool, huh? I'll let you know if I have any teeth left after this.
And here's why all the fuss -- this thing's sitting right astraddle our new section of stairs. There was some discussion early on of just leaving it there to demonstrate Mother Nature's abilities, but it was ultimately decided to do away with it instead. Sorry, Mom.
This is a staircase leading down to Little Hunter's Beach that had been undermined by runoff from a pretty nasty storm. Pete and I put the griphoist you see there as a safeguard measure to keep the stairs from attempting to slide any further into the stream, until the situation can be dealt with and the staircase properly secured. If the griphoist looks like it's pointed the wrong way, that's because we're using a block pulley as a directional device for better leverage.
After we tilted the staircase back a bit and shored up the piers' footings, we attached the nylon webbing to two of the piers to provide security. This is what the griphoist is attached to.
Down at the very end of the stairs, the tremendous waves caused by the storm floated and emptied this section of log cribbing stairs, making for tricky footing. Pete and I had to put them back in place and refill them.
And here we have it! Lowered back in position and filled with cobbles and pebbles from the beach down below. God, our aching backs!
And Little Hunter's Beach wasn't the only place on the island hit hard by the storm. Here we are at Sand Beach, looking at an area that used to be only sand dunes. I never even knew there were rocks there under the sand, but I guess that only stands to reason. The iron structure you see to the left is the lifeguard's tower, which used to be down on the beach, not on the dunes -- or where the dunes used to be.
Here was our main call-to-arms (or, rather, shovels) -- the area just below the stairs leading to Sand Beach. Used to be, there was sand leading all the way up to the lower steps. In fact, you can make out two granite steps that were never even seen. They'll eventually be buried again to allow firm footing under the sand as you step onto the beach, which was probably their original purpose.
And here's the finished product, or at least our portion of it. We've removed most of the stones that were sticking up in the path and added the two long stones at the end as "checks" to hold the cobble underlayer and sand finishing layer in place. These will eventually be buried, as well. You can see the two granite steps better here. When the Friends of Acadia volunteers put the finishing touches on this, there will be a sand walkway for folks to get to the beach safely without fearing for their ankles. Nature will eventually take its due course and bury the area in sand once again, but probably not for a while.
And last but not least, here's a little project I finally finished up. The Interpretive staff wanted an exhibit put in of Bates Cairns and their importance to the safety of visitors and landscape alike, and I was given the job of installing it. They had the exhibit signs made up and I first dug the five holes for each sign. Then a co-worker and I installed each sign, using a 4' level to insure they were nice and straight. Finally, the stone epoxy we ordered to hold the cairns together -- something we never use on actual cairns on the trail -- came in, so another co-worker and I went back and spent the past two days assembling them. It was kind of slow at first, not being used to the mixing and applying of epoxy, but I finally caught on and they went together really well. During the assembly of one of the cairns, a visitor actually said to me, "Yeah, I usually take the little stone off the top. They make great benches," to which I wanted to reply, "Yes, and that's exactly why we're gluing these in place." And it's true. You gotta stay one step ahead of these guys, let me tell you.
Well, I guess that's about all for now. I'll try to get out and about and explore when the weather gets more agreeable, and try not let it get so long in between entries. Thanks for tuning in again.
One of the first jobs I had this season was re-installing the signs regarding trail closures on Champlain Mountain, namely the East Face Precipice Trail. This was the one at the Bear Brook trailhead. There were more, but I liked this one the best.
Here we are on the East Face Precipice Trail, assessing some of the earthquake damage. This is Ray and Pete looking at a section of wall that is attempting to fall apart and head downhill, probably onto the main worksite on a section of wall down below, where Ray and Chris would be working. We wouldn't really want that, obviously, so Pete and I eventually fixed it.
And here's a shot of our view from our worksite. I took this shot just before Memorial Day Weekend to document our view and show the Highseas home far below. An interesting -- and tragic -- story about this home (paraphrasing the Highseas website): "Professor Rudolf-Ernst Brunnow of Princeton University built Highseas in 1912. The mansion was meant to be a gift to his new bride, but according to legend she lost her life on the Titanic. Brunnow, too, died tragically after a fall from the Precipice Trail." In fact, I've heard Brunnow had this particular section of trail I'm standing on built just for him, so that he could sit here and enjoy this view. I do love a good story, don't you?
And here's almost the same view taken a week later, after the hot Memorial Day Weekend. Boy, the trees just loved the two 90-degree days we had and put out leaves all over the place. What a gorgeous morning this was, especially now that we were back to our normal temps.
Now we're on Homan's Path, looking at more earthquake damage -- a giant slab that slid or fell onto a section of our new trail we had just re-opened not too long ago. That's Pete standing at the far end of the 26'-long behemoth, adding a little scale to it. We were up there to lay out and measure a path through the woods to the Hemlock Trail below to run compressor hoses up to this site. The hoses will provide air to a pneumatic rock drill (a variation on a jackhammer) which will drill numerous holes into this thing, in order to insert Boulder Buster charges to blast it into pieces and remove it. That'll basically be my job, mine and a junior co-worker's. Cool, huh? I'll let you know if I have any teeth left after this.
And here's why all the fuss -- this thing's sitting right astraddle our new section of stairs. There was some discussion early on of just leaving it there to demonstrate Mother Nature's abilities, but it was ultimately decided to do away with it instead. Sorry, Mom.
This is a staircase leading down to Little Hunter's Beach that had been undermined by runoff from a pretty nasty storm. Pete and I put the griphoist you see there as a safeguard measure to keep the stairs from attempting to slide any further into the stream, until the situation can be dealt with and the staircase properly secured. If the griphoist looks like it's pointed the wrong way, that's because we're using a block pulley as a directional device for better leverage.
After we tilted the staircase back a bit and shored up the piers' footings, we attached the nylon webbing to two of the piers to provide security. This is what the griphoist is attached to.
Down at the very end of the stairs, the tremendous waves caused by the storm floated and emptied this section of log cribbing stairs, making for tricky footing. Pete and I had to put them back in place and refill them.
And here we have it! Lowered back in position and filled with cobbles and pebbles from the beach down below. God, our aching backs!
And Little Hunter's Beach wasn't the only place on the island hit hard by the storm. Here we are at Sand Beach, looking at an area that used to be only sand dunes. I never even knew there were rocks there under the sand, but I guess that only stands to reason. The iron structure you see to the left is the lifeguard's tower, which used to be down on the beach, not on the dunes -- or where the dunes used to be.
Here was our main call-to-arms (or, rather, shovels) -- the area just below the stairs leading to Sand Beach. Used to be, there was sand leading all the way up to the lower steps. In fact, you can make out two granite steps that were never even seen. They'll eventually be buried again to allow firm footing under the sand as you step onto the beach, which was probably their original purpose.
And here's the finished product, or at least our portion of it. We've removed most of the stones that were sticking up in the path and added the two long stones at the end as "checks" to hold the cobble underlayer and sand finishing layer in place. These will eventually be buried, as well. You can see the two granite steps better here. When the Friends of Acadia volunteers put the finishing touches on this, there will be a sand walkway for folks to get to the beach safely without fearing for their ankles. Nature will eventually take its due course and bury the area in sand once again, but probably not for a while.
And last but not least, here's a little project I finally finished up. The Interpretive staff wanted an exhibit put in of Bates Cairns and their importance to the safety of visitors and landscape alike, and I was given the job of installing it. They had the exhibit signs made up and I first dug the five holes for each sign. Then a co-worker and I installed each sign, using a 4' level to insure they were nice and straight. Finally, the stone epoxy we ordered to hold the cairns together -- something we never use on actual cairns on the trail -- came in, so another co-worker and I went back and spent the past two days assembling them. It was kind of slow at first, not being used to the mixing and applying of epoxy, but I finally caught on and they went together really well. During the assembly of one of the cairns, a visitor actually said to me, "Yeah, I usually take the little stone off the top. They make great benches," to which I wanted to reply, "Yes, and that's exactly why we're gluing these in place." And it's true. You gotta stay one step ahead of these guys, let me tell you.
Well, I guess that's about all for now. I'll try to get out and about and explore when the weather gets more agreeable, and try not let it get so long in between entries. Thanks for tuning in again.
posted by Highroad at 5:36 AM
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