Photos above
Date of work: 1/3/2011
time spent:9 hours, includes commute
number of workers: 1 (Jim de Friess)
Work accomplished: I descended Pinch In trail, having always wanted to walk further down the ridge to the trees. This is beyond where the trail turns and descends into the woods. Winter was the time to do it, no snakes to worry about, and better visibility without leaves. Its about 200 yards from where the trail turns off the ridge down the ridge to the trees. There is actually two low spots with some up hill following the ridge. The brush is about 8' tall and is mostly devil's walking stick.
I finally arrived at the ridge top to find some survey flags laying on the ground, and some stakes with flagging on them- one of those study plots. Its probably 150' above the river and it is steep down all the way around, except back up the ridge. I think the growth to the south might be minimal enough to find an easier path off of it, I continued heading east and it got really steep. I made it down with no problems, there were lots of deer tracks but they mostly side-hilled. There were oaks on top, with acorns all over the ground.
At the bottom, finding LGT was easy. I came out just north of where the river comes back together after splitting in high water. I threw some brush off of LGT and hiked north. Seeing some flagging to the west I investigated, and found another study plot. Since the brush was minimal further west I investigated by heading over the next rise. I found a fire circle on the south east of a cleared circle, maybe 75-100' in diameter. Off to the northwest there appeared to be what looked like a trail. No brush no debris and about 8' wide fairly straight. I ascended this path and finally got to some trees down partially blocking it. Threw them out of the way and it got narrower still. A fresh de-branched pine limb was beside it further up, and about 50' further I popped out on Pinch In. I'm guessing I was about 100-150 yards from the bottom of it, and did not walk to the end to check.
Rather I started ascending. Came to a hemlock across the trail, and de-branched a path around it and back to the trail. There were a few other trees, I made it passable, and not completely clear, certainly back-packable. I found another study plot- well I knew it was there -south of Pinch in and looked for flagging that might lead back to the ridge top, but didn't see anything. At that point I got to the steep section.
I've been re-thinking trees across the trail, I think if angled well they can make waterbars and trap sediment keeping the trail from washing away. I certainly am going to try and keep the step over to less than a foot. A de-branched step over trunk is a good thing. So using tree trunks and some digging I water barred all the way up the steep section- where convenient. Up on the ridge I need about three burned trunks brought down and place across the trail in a couple places in the steep part, there were no trees to use there. I think what I've done has held up well on that steep part.
I worked up the ridge, one brief section had crept off the ridge, and draining it was an issue, so at that point I went up the ridge, but did not block the existing path.
At another point there is a very brief and steep section with stumps. The trail and the water go straight downhill, but the ridge is wide at that point, so I angled up and back to see what a switchback might look like there. It would be easier to channel water off the trail, with it for sure. Again nothing but considering an option. The existing trail almost needs trunks about every two feet
The rest of the way up I think the trail is in marvelous shape, I do want to place some trunks across it at angles to effectively make waterbars. Even though the trail is on the high ground, it has a slight channel maybe an inch or two deep allowing water to run down the trail. I dug out waterbars in a couple places and made some, but fatigue was setting in.
I sat on a stump taking a break and was passed by a hiker heading down. A younger fellow wearing shorts, he came out to Pinch In for exercise evidently, as he said he was going down and back, it was all he had time for. I continued up taking rest breaks frequently. About 200 yards from the top the hiker passed me going up. He said he turned around where the trail left the ridge. That would be about a mile and a half walk all totaled, quite an exercise. When I reached the parking lot he was cooling down, I guess. I drank the half quart of water I left in my truck, and cooled down some myself, but the truck seat was cold.
It was a wonderful day in the woods, too bad I couldn't have gotten more done over my Christmas break.
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