Sunday, November 16, 2014

Upper Goose Pond Cabin, preparing for a new roof

September 13, 2014

In preparation for a 2015 replacement of the roof of Upper Goose Pond Cabin, metal roofing was floated into the Cabin via canoe from our trail neighbors, Leisure Lee.

Jim and Pete discuss the fine points of lashing two canoes into a single barge, while Tom Evans and Sue Spring look on.


14 foot long pieces are stacked onto the canoe "barge".

Squeezing in carefully around the cargo, paddlers prepare to shove off.
Backing water, we're on the way.

Two trips saw all the roof panels landed at the UGPC dock, where they were dried, and carried into the boathouse for storage over the winter.

In the spring and early summer, scaffolding will be constructed alongside the cabin and the old roof covering stripped off.  Any needed repairs to the roof sheathing and chimney will be performed, and the new panels installed.
The Cabin is expected to remain open during the work.

2014 ALDHA Gathering Workparty

October 13, 2014

On a pleasant October day, 15 attendees of ALDHA's 33rd annual Gathering and two volunteers from the Mass AT Committee put their boots to the ground and picked up tools in their hands to build a short relocation north of Massachusetts Ave in North Adams.

While the original trail route went directly up the slope, this new route crosses the same hill transversely, providing a longer, but gentler slope that reduces the velocity of runoff and directs it to the side of the footpath, rather than straight down the hill--making this section more sustainable and eliminating the need for waterbars and rock steps.
Working along a line of pink plastic flagging, "organic" soil--the top layer of leaves, duff and small roots is stripped off.

As the crew removes the top organic layer of soil, the lower layers of "inorganic" soil are exposed.  Without a host of rotting leaves and microorganisms, this subsoil will remain stable under heavy foot traffic and pounding rain.




The treadway is widened, and sloped slightly to the
downhill side (left in this photo).  The uphill edge will be
"laid back" to blend into the slope.





The outslope is fine-tuned to encourage water to run off the trail in sheets,
 rather than down hill in streams

Cindy "Loppers", Class of 2015 thruhiker, adds the
all-important white blazes.




Our first hikers ascend the partially completed trail
Many hands make light the work.  Thank you ALDHA!