Trout Brook Bridge - Official Work Thread

[Jeff Schumaker]

That looks like a good size tree laying across the ROW in the last photo.

Jeff S.

[Ed Lecuyer]

I think that tree trunk is there purposefully to (temporarily) prevent accidental access down the embankment into Trout Brook. I suspect Mike will haul it out with the dozer once the cutting is complete.

That pine looks like a monster, even more so now that the scrub is cleared out around it. Good luck!

[Mike Fox]

Actually, we placed that tree across to act as a rub for the trees from the brook to come up over. I did not want to wear into the soil. It worked well. Now, once the pine is down, it can be moved up to the pile.

[Jeff Schumaker]

Thanks for the explanation.

Jeff S.

[James Patten]

Photos from today, taken from the South side of the trestle zone:

Back aways from the edge:


On the lip, looking down at the cleanup:

[Mike Fox]

Well, as per usual, things did not go quite as planned today. Try as hard as we did, the pine wound up in the brook. It had a pretty heavy lean that way, and I had hoped to pull it over and have it land on the grade, but after the chain broke the 3rd time, gravity took over and it landed on the ice.

The guys were all over it quickly, carefully grabbing the limbs and tossing them to shore. The bulk of it was cleaned up by lunch, and after lunch it was decided to make a small burn pile on the bank to get rid of the small stuff.



So, me being me, after the cleanup I hiked for this shot.



Then I got the idea to try for a Masons Wreck shot, Bob C. is on the ice..



Then a shot looking South again..

[John Kokas]

Looking real good guys.  Mike you threw me off with the picture of Bob on the ice with the Mason's shot.  Had to look twice as I thought I saw a baby Trout-Moose standing next to Bob.   

[James Patten]

No, that was Fred's chair.

[Mike Fox]

I went fishing for Moose Trout today. I didn't get a bite, so guessing they don't like size 13 LL Bean boots attached to a leg dangling through the ice. Luckily the boots are waterproof, and the toes stayed dry.

[Bill Reidy]

A few photos from this morning near Trout Brook.

It was a balmy 7 degrees below zero when we arrived.  Here Mike and James P. trudge supplies for the day's activities south from Route 218 along the right-of-way.




A burn pile was set up a little bit south of where the Trout Brook Preserve trail crosses the right-of-way, to clean up slash from tree cutting earlier in the week.  View is looking north toward Route 218.




First attempt with the come-along.  We're looking south along the right-of-way, toward Trout Brook.  The log across the ROW is about where the north abutment for the bridge will go.  The goal was to get the large white pine to fall toward us, even though it had a heavy lean toward the brook.




Second attempt with the come-along.




The third attempt was the charm.  This time when the chain failed, the tree snapped back southward, and toppled over.  It made a big enough bang to scare away all the Mouse Trout.

[John Scott]

Beautiful sky!

[Bill Baskerville]

Of course when it is a balmy 7 degrees below zero the sky usually is beautiful.

[Jeff Schumaker]

I went fishing for Moose Trout today. I didn't get a bite, so guessing they don't like size 13 LL Bean boots attached to a leg dangling through the ice. Luckily the boots are waterproof, and the toes stayed dry.

No danger of being bitten by a moose trout, Mike. They are hibernating this time of year.

Jeff S.

[Mike Fox]

Mother Nature has blessed us again with a fluctuating brook. Ice is still there, but doubt it is safe..





But, we did get all trees cut in the Shorelad Permitted zone that we needed to. Of course it was during this time Jason kept looking at the bottoms of his boots. I had to tell him we had just trimmed up some Dogwood trees, and that was the smell he was smelling. 😁







After lunch, we headed north, and cut the entire length of the proposed siding.

Jason took these before shots..













Looking back south at the Bridge site fire.

And, my pictures at quitting time..







And this is about all we need to cut now, minus a few out by the road, and some large limbs. Hoping Saturday we can burn those piles..not enough time today.

[Jason M Lamontagne]

We had a 10 (!) person crew today!  Good day...