Fall RecPath Maintenance - Part 2

 We met on Wesley Drive on a bright Fall morning to continue maintenance on the Recreation Path.

It was a good turnout of volunteers.  Our main objective was to clear drainage and repair storm damage.

The Loading Crew was shoveling processed stone into the Gator at Lane St.

Mark then delivered it to the Spreading Crew filling in the washouts going down the hill toward Lane Street.

Neighbors came over to help out too!  Will & Scott even brought their own power tools - bonus!

We even had Trail Committee Alumni drive up from Florida just for the work party.  Well, that and to visit family too.  Sandie was cutting brush along the sides of the RecPath.  What a wonderful surprise.

Another Alum, Rich Skudlarek, was also helping out and offering safety advice.  "Keep walking backward, you're not going to fall off the cliff yet".  

Helpful Trail Safety Tip:  Don't listen to Rich.

The high school volunteers were doing a fine job with the crushed stone repairs.

Several culverts and drainage ditches were cleaned out and cleared along the way.  It's not the most exciting work, but it's important for long-term management.

The RecPath and ditches were blown off and cleaned down to the Lane Street entrance.  

The next work party may be from Wesley Drive North to Great Ledge.  Stay tuned for updates on future work parties.

Thanks to Harry, Zach, Jahneil, Mil, Eli, Luis, Mark, Graham, Will, Scott, Betsey, Val, Ellen, Sandie, Rich, Bill & Terry.  We got a lot done with all the help.

Lovely Fall Day on the RecPath

 It was a lovely Fall day on the Shelton Lakes Recreation Path with a lot of folks out enjoying the trails.  People were strolling, dog walking, mountain biking, jogging, family hiking, you name it.  Some people were even getting chauffeured up and down the RecPath.

Some people have it made.  If only they realized it.

The rest of us were walking about, or planning for upcoming work parties.   There is a volunteer work party next Saturday, October 23rd to fix eroded portions of the RecPath near Lane St., cut brush, clean ditches, un-clog culverts, and other not-so-glamorous maintenance stuff that make it easier to enjoy Shelton's trails.  Check the Events Page for additional information if you're interested in helping out.  And now onto the nice afternoon.

The Shelton Land Trust Meadow at Lane St. was splendid.  Can't say much more than that.  It's amazing how much much natural habitat there is just a few footsteps away from the busy streets in Huntington Center.  People were out hiking, biking, jogging, bird watching, walking their dogs, walking their families, possibly walking other families dogs, the combinations are endless.

This very nice couple was out enjoying the RecPath by the Little Meadow near Lane Street.  Thanks for the update on the bridge conditions at Oak Valley Trail.

This is the processed stone that we're going to use next Saturday to fix some of the ruts on the RecPath. 

This is one of the eroded sections of the RecPath that will be worked on.  We will blow off the leaves, place and compact processed stone in the eroded gullies, clean culverts and drainage ditches, cut grass and brush, and improve sightlines along the trail.  We might even pick up some trash (which looks small at this time).

Here's another spot along Wesley Drive that need erosion repair and clearing to get back to the original 8 foot wide RecPath with 2 foot wide shoulders that were originally built.  

It was really good to chat and see everyone out enjoying the RecPath this Sunday .  Feel free to come out Saturday and help with trail maintenance if you can fit that into your schedules.  Visit the Trails Events Page for additional information about upcoming events and work parties.

 

Repairin' Ruts on the RecPath

We had some heavy storms in late summer that caused flooding, clogged culverts, and eroded portions of the RecPath.   The ruts were a tripping and biking hazard so they needed to be repaired.  

Recently the Shelton Highways and Bridges Department was able to get a couple of truckloads of processed stone and drop them at various locations along the RecPath for our use.  Some of the stone was a little larger than we typically use for topping the RecPath, but it was good for the repairs.

It was a beautiful Fall Saturday for moving and raking stone.  

One crew loaded crushed stone into the Gator.

Another crew was preparing the washed out areas and spreading the stone when it arrived.  The hydraulic bed on the Gator was a big backsaver.  They also cleaned out the drainage ditches and clogged culverts along the way.  The storms blocked some of those up with debris, which caused the runoff to wash out the gravel surface of the RecPath.  Gotta maintain drainage.

Various spots along the RecPath were exposed down to the filter fabric.  We used up the pile down by the Dog Park & Red Barn parking lot fixing the worst problems.  We'll probably have to come back with material from some of the other piles.

Various spots were filled in out thru the mountain laurels along the powerlines.

We had a great crew of experienced trailkeepers and new volunteers.  Thanks to Ellen, Zach, Jahneil, Mil, Eli, Mark, Graham, Bob, Bill & Terry.  A lot of help makes it easier to move a lot of crushed stone.  There's more to do; probably in 2 weeks down at the Lane Street end of the RecPath, but this was a good start.  Check the Trails Events Page for more information.