Dec 9, 2012

Beware, O'Neill trail beyond Eastside has been skidderized in multiple spots. Logging operation has now spread from Salem's Lot across Summer St and all the way over to O'Neil Trail.

Ryan

This sounds like an emergency.

Trails are all clear, nothing difficult to deal with yet. Two spots needed a little clean up and one area I chose to do a short re-route. The re-route is between the stepping stones and the O'Neil/Eastside intersection. Shortly after the stepping stones bear left, you will pop back out just before the Eastside/O'Neil intersection. It is not raked off, but is clear of debris and fairly visible. It is easily rideable/runable in both directions.
 
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I'm seeing skidder tracks all the way up to at least close to the Town Forest Boundary. I didn't follow them but they go right through O'Neill trail in multiple places and then bisect the Salem's Lot extension which T's into O'Neill trail and continue up towards the Town Forest.

Of course there is a path of carnage in the skidder's wake.

There is also a large tree down on Eastside between the playground and Baptist Hill double track. I also noticed numerous smaller trees down in other places. Looks like most of this stuff came down just before the snow as it wasn't there 2 weeks ago.

Ryan

The scary bridge on Lower Loop was clobbered by three pine trees. One large tree from the upper east side and two smaller trees from lower west side.

I have been envisioning a reroute of Lower Loop area, perhaps spring is the time to implement it. Haven't done a thorough investigation of the exact path but was thinking of something which comes roughly off the intersection of Forest & Cheney Ext and follows the contour line more or less all the way over to the plateau to the North of the Disc Golf 18th hole. Once over there, loops around the plateau and then tries to slowly climb up to North Trail most likely via a series of switch backs. If it's done right it would be good for the races, cross country, and provide a slightly easier path in the lower Town Forest.

I probably don't have time to do it this spring but it's just a thought.

Ryan