Some tools of the trade.
Shenandoah National Park, October 18 – 20, 2019 — If you want to learn how to dig holes in the dirt, who ya gonna call? The Hoodlums, that’s who.
Each September the North District Hoodlums trail crew hosts a workshop for trail maintainers, beginners through experts. Last weekend we did it again. For me it was number seven.
The canopy is for the kitchen where Dave Nebut’s brothers prepare our scrumptious meals.
The format is simple. The content gets adjusted periodically. It goes like this. The official start time is 0900 Saturday morning. The safety talk is followed by work party assignments commensurate with each person’s experience level.
On Saturday we generally work until around four o’clock when we return to clean up. Dinner is a six followed by a campfire.
Sunday is a repeat with coffee and breakfast at 7 a.m. We close at noon for lunch and cleanup.
A few of us usually arrive early on Friday to help with set up, gathering of tools, hauling firewood, and the like. The early birds also get the most level tent sites!
A full campground on a clear Friday night doesn’t always go the way you plan. Some group partied until 3:30 a.m. I was shocked the campground host didn’t intervene. Moreover, the city slicker dogs just had to announce each bear that wondered through in hopes some ignorant knucklehead left out food. Between bears and loud drunken laughter, nobody got much sleep.
Saturday dawned like the shiny jewel of a day it was. The park trail crew arrived to work with the advanced group.
Phone addicts everywhere. Mine gets NO Service in this spot, a blessing.
Dave and I led some fine folks on an encore trip near the junction of the Thompson Hollow and Tuscarora Trails to finish the work we abandoned last month when one of our work party members suffered from heat exhaustion. The day was warm, but not that warm. It’s officially designated wilderness, so traditional tools only may be used.
In total we removed seven blowdowns.
Some of the blowdowns were high while others were low.
Using a hatchet to chop away the rot. On a log spanning a gap, gravity draws the wood downward causing compression (bind) at the top. Once the cut gets deep enough, the resulting bind will slowly make it harder to saw.
We use wedges to hold open the “kerf” so the sawing can continue.
We also built some drainage dips where waterbars were needed to prevent erosion.
The dirt was proof of a hard day’s work, so let’s get the party started.
Good news. Just as darkness blanketed the park, our odds changed. We learned that 30 percent chance of rain sometimes means you get wet. Why good news? The rain doused the campfires and the partying. Silence reigned even as dark rain poured from the inky sky. Everyone got a good night’s sleep. Amen!
Sunday was another beauty contest winner made extra special by the hot coffee.
We split into three groups. Rebecca Unruh, backcountry ranger and dear friend of the Hoodlums, gave a talk on environmental hazards from poison ivy to heat stroke.
We also offered sessions on string trimmer use and maintenance, and on grade dip construction.
We called it at noon for a delicious lunch.
A sign of happiness.
Boots usually last 500 miles or about a year for me. These are two-year-old miracle boots. The rain last year was easy on the soles. The rocks finally got the uppers.
Straining for a selfie.
Until next year.
Sisu