Beautiful Blue Balmy February

 It was a beautiful blue morning at Pine Lake.

It was a little crispy before we started working on the Recreation Path, but clear and bright.

Mark was giving the pre- work party objectives and safety spiel before we started.  It was a good turn-out and we had some high school students (Matt and Dominick) and some Trails Committee Alumni (Rich and Sandie) who flew up from Florida to enjoy our balmy February weather.  it was headed to 50's in February.  I bet you won't see that on most Welcome to Connecticut travelogue literature anytime soon.

We divvied up the Implements of Destruction and got started.  I think Graham was trying to offer a hedge trimmer for somebody else or to go full Edward Scissorhands and use both cutters at the same time.  Once we started moving everyone warmed up.

Everyone dove into the first batch of briars.  It was great to watch others working that hard.  I could've done it all day.  We shifted up the RecPath and started using the power tools on the prickly stuff.

Rich stood around like he was a professional working on a public works crew.  We raked off the edges of the RecPath and shoulders; gradually reclaiming Shelton's 12 foot wide path with clear 2' shoulders back from the encroaching forest.

The last few years everything has been one emergency clean up after another, so it was time for a good clearing and debris removal party.  The crew moved north and worked their way up toward Meadow Street and the school campuses.

Sandie and Rich came back on their way to other appointments.  It's wonderful when we get friends and former Shelton residents who just show up in the middle of winter to help out on trail projects because they're in town and want to.

 

The tree that leaning in the background may be a good candidate for the Parks and Rec Dept.  The City can get a bucket truck in there from Wheeler Street, which frees up volunteers to work on the trees hung up back in the woods.

It was a good work party and a lot of things got cut.  Safety Squirrel was on the job warning trails users about trail mayhem and dangers ahead.

Thanks to Dominick, Graham, Matt, Mark, Mike,  Ellen, Val, Sandie, Rich,  & Terry for helping out.  It was nice talking to all the folks using the Recreation Path.  The more people that we have helping maintain the trails the easier it is.  Other trails volunteers may come back during the week to buck up downed logs, that are now briar free.  Some cutting now means less troublesome work in early summer.