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Shingletown Gap Trail Reroute and Bridge Construction |
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Written by Jim Glover
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Tuesday, 05 February 2002 |
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Details and pictures of the Shingletown Gap reroute and bridge construction done May 13, 2001.
A trail maintenance crew made up of NVC and NMBA members spent most of
Mother's Day (5/13/01) in Shingletown Gap. Weather conditions were ideal. The
goal was to reroute a portion of the singletrack to avoid what had become a
marshy area and then to bridge the small, seasonal stream that feeds the
marsh.
One stipulation from the land managers was that we could only use local
materials. The solution? Don Andrews selected a dry piece of deadfall, about
the size of utility pole, to serve as the bridge's foundation. Don and Jim
Glover spent well over an hour (maybe it was two hours!) making the necessary
three cuts with a 36" bow saw. It took every bit of strength from six of us
to move the two logs down to the stream bed.
At the same time a crew cut the new trail to avoid the original, but now
damp, section. Frank Maguire had mapped the short reroute and directed the
usual suspects - Mike Cerenzia, Mike Biegelski and Chris Heyl - plus a few others
from the NVC roster. The result was a new bit of singletrack with a couple of
rock gardens and a truly massive log bridge. Don devised a wood/sand/clay
"paved" surface for the bridge and an impressive rock ramp for the two foot
drop on one end. Don has taken it upon himself to make repeated visits to
fine tune the structure of the bridge.
In the end, not only was the problem solved, but the new section is great for
biking and hiking. Happily, NVC purchased a chainsaw shortly after this work
day so Don will never have to use the bow saws again.
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