hiking with craig sanborn, might not be fast, but it is definitely rich: in trail work history, "we put those rocks there in 1985...that water bar in 2000...those four steps in 2015...", in trail work jargon: "that's a rbdd, rock bermed drainage dip...that rock spine is 'cake'...that one is 'toast'...", and in wit "i could be a professor of trailology--i may not have an endowed chair, but there are plenty of seats up in the mountains!" the chief of the cardigan higlanders volunteer trail crew took me out cruising today for a lesson on how he approaches trail work.
and indeed, work it is: from spring patrolling cutting out blowdowns and trimming new growth, building water bars or drainage dips, putting in steps, laying barricades or scree, to the regular cleaning of drainage. knowing how to use a shovel, mattock, and rake is basic. learning how to fell, peel, and saw trees to size, not to mention moving them, gets more involved. then learning to move and set stone, without wrecking anything--like your back--is yet another critical skill set. all these things, and more, take putting in solid hours; hiking the system, seeing what needs to be done, and doing it makes for good trails. i am looking forward to bringing MOC out and learning the art!
it was a fine day to be on the mountain, a day after our latest snow. it has been such a funny winter and now spring. we get a few days, a week, of warm--warm enough to get a first planting of peas and some greens in--then it dips down below twenty or snows. yesterday we got 3-5 inches of wet snow. it cleared overnight, the temperature dropped, and today at 1 o'clock when i pulled into the summer parking lot, i got this picture at the trailhead:
craig and i hiked and talked, talked and hiked, to just below the cascades, what i have referred to as the waterfall section in previous posts. a former student and MOC member, emily, stopped and chatted a bit when she passed us headed up. three other groups passed us both on their way up and then down. (like i mentioned earlier, we were not fast!) we had a final little discussion at our high point and arranged to meet next, soon, for a bit of paper work. i continued up and craig turned down. soon enough i ran into emily. she was ruddy cheeked from both the temp and the wind up on the bare rock. i got up there soon enough and snapped this picture of the west side of the tower:
the ice/snow was still fairly thick in the trees whereever the sun was not hitting it. i figured it was about 4 o'clock when i headed down myself. with all the snow i decided to take the upper ski trail and risk the underlying ice rather than slush puddles i slogged through after the upper bridge--i think craig called it clifford's bridge. the snow gave me footing for the most part though i did just 'go for it' at the bulge pictured below along with a shot on the left, of the upper section that leads to it:
if skip had been with me, he would have wanted his skis--i can hear him now, "best skiing ever!" well maybe he wouldn't have gone that far--maybe--but not having much to ski on this winter, it was fun to slide fast down this.
i did not slow much the rest of the way either. only once, when i passed a lone hiker resting atop a rock on her way up, fiddling with her earbuds. running downhill has one trick, which is really two, keep your lead foot in front of you and headed for something fairly solid. as i get older i suppose i am also limiting more the vertical i am willing to drop in a single bound. i have gotten good at just touching briefly with one foot on those big drops before switching quickly to the other foot--essentially speeding up until you can slow using your whole body rather than just your legs. it is invigorating, but don't fall--it hurts.
i made it down to the parking lot and saw craig still there, reading in his car. i thanked him again for my lesson and snapped a 5 o'clock picture of the trailhead, in the sun now and sans snow:
as i drove off mtn. i dreamed of future trail work days...that and dinner--i am always hungry.
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