With the snow mostly gone at lower elevations, it was time to check out my adopted Kettles Path in Waterville Valley to see how it fared through a winter and early spring during which widespread blowdown had been reported across the Whites. I would soon find out that Kettles Path had more than its share of blowdown.
There were still some icy stretches on Livermore Trail where the snow had been compacted by the groomer through the winter.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the first 100 yards of the trail, which is often a running stream in early spring, was bone dry, though severely eroded.
A short distance in was the first and worst blowdown mess of the day.
This one took multiple saw cuts to clear.
Fallen spruce.
Cleared.
Broken tree.
Cut.
A white pine blowdown by the third Kettle.
Done.
I didn't mess with this big, dangerous yellow birch widowmaker. Left it for the pro crew.
A short distance beyond was this broken treetop precariously suspended in the top of a slender beech, right above the trail.
I carefully cut into the little beech and dropped it and the hanging treetop onto the trail (atop another blowdown that was lying parallel to the edge of the trail).
It took a while to clean that up.
The main trunk of this large beech I left for the pros.
I cleared out the tangle of limbs beyond.
I call this natural sculpture "Dude with Sunglasses."
I was happy to see that Waterville's champion white ash had survived another winter.
Compared to the blowdown removal, cleaning the trail's 15 drainages was easy.
It took 5 1/2 hours to cover the mile of trail up to The Scaur. The tally was 23 blowdowns removed, 13 by saw and 10 by hauling off. My Silky tickled six tree species: red maple, yellow birch, beech, white pine, balsam fir and red spruce.
As always, the view was ample reward. Sandwich Dome in the distance.
Mount Tecumseh and its partly snow-covered ski trails.
Middle and South Tripyramid and parts of The Sleepers.
I went a short way along Irene's Path to admire the Rock of Gibraltar.
I explored the dark woods above that massive rock, where more ledges lurk.
From Irene's I made a familiar bushwhack descent below The Scaur through open hardwoods. Mixed in this forest are a few black cherry trees, not a common species in the Whites.
A profile staring into the woods.
Evening sun in the hardwoods, with the spruce-topped Scaur looming above.
This towering maple is prominent when peering down from the eastern edge of The Scaur.
The rock face of The Scaur.
Following the base of a ledge wall back to the trail.
No comments:
Post a Comment