Caution: AMC Volunteer Trail Crew Hard at Work

Well that's what the sign said! 

We arrived at our National Trails Day event after 9 am this Saturday morning, a bit late and missing out on project descriptions and work teams being assembled. It appeared to us they had more than enough people to handle the days work, and we didn't want to just stand watching, but then thought, "better to have volunteers available and not needed, than to have them needed and not available". So we stood by eagerly waiting to find out where the project leader could use us. Cristy used this time effectively and grabbed a few reps with the 50 lb pry bar!

Cristy grabbing a few reps!

We're not much for carrying lumber, tried it during past projects and it's just not one of our best abilities. I was relieved to see there where plenty of other capable volunteers to 'strap carry' the 16 foot lengths of pressure treated beams down trail. Trail hardening, trail re-location, brushing, fetching tools, de-barking and a maximum of 10 total effective swings with any tool are our specialties, carrying heavy lumber, not so much.

Fortunately Chris Shafer, the AMC project leader knows our abilities since today was our 2nd National Trails Day and fifth time volunteering with him. Volunteer work is great! You can never be late or leave too early and your work is always awesome. He directed us to an additional work-site on the Narragansett Trail where a team was already working and there would be soft spot trail hardening to be done. Once at the site, we began pulling the 'swamp sucked' stones the new bridge would be replacing up and out of the mud, while other volunteers were placing & digging in two supports for the base of the bridge. The work was really moving along quickly, that is until we encountered roots! There seemed to be a large root in every spot we wanted to place those supports. No way around it. Volunteers began whacking and chipping away, this was the only time I began to feel the heat of the day. As volunteers tired, they handed off the pick ax and the pressure began to build. Cristy cycled through, Scott Jr was swinging and I was on deck. Those 10 effective swings were going to be needed today. Ultimately we broke through, dug in the supports, placed the beams (with the curve of the grain facing down, called cupping, for better drainage) spiked down leaving a 6" hangover on each end. Lastly, we re-assembled those rocks we first removed from the swamp, placing them at both ends of the bridge in case of puddling and for ease of footing on and off the bridge. Volunteers built a total of 4 bridges at two locations in Camp Yawgoog on this National Trails Day.

Pulling roots & digging the supports

Scotty's 10 effective swings! Spiking in the beams.

Bridge done!

18 volunteers today!

For more pics of this event, check out Rhode Island Hiking Club on Meetup.com