Two New Benches on Section 8 – September 24, 2014
Wednesday’s weather provided a perfect day to be out on the Trail again. We had five Traildog volunteers gather today at the Brady Mountain Road Trailhead parking area to assist with the installation of two new benches along LOViT’s Section 8, which runs from Brady Mountain Road to its easternmost trailhead at the Avery Recreation Area below Blakely Mountain Dam.
Before starting the bench installation, we worked on flagging a spur from the parking area over to the Trail some 100 feet away. There currently is no connector from the Trailhead parking to the Trail; users must hike or bike down the busy Brady Mountain roadway to enter the Trail. Is is our plan to construct this short spur to limit having to utilize the busy roadway.
Today, we loaded up the bench frames and slates with their hardware, along with 80 lb. bags of concrete and gallon bottles of water necessary for installing the benches. The team hand-dug the two holes for the frames, then installed the frames, ensuring they were level before mixing the concrete into the holes. We then created a stone patio in front of each bench utilizing the native stone found nearby.
The first bench was installed 1/2 mile from the Brady Mountain Road trailhead on the north side of the small stream that cuts across the Trail. The second bench was installed at the base of Blakely Mountain where the trail crosses a rocky drainage. Both sites provide a quite scenic seating area along the trail.
We would also like to report some good news on improving our trail signage. The US Forest Service is providing Trailhead signs for some of our Trailheads. These large signs are of first quality and will greatly enhance the the affected trailheads. We will be installing these signs in the next couple of weeks.
We are planning another workday next Wednesday, October 1, meeting at 9:00 am at the point where the LOViT crosses Spillway Road.
Thanks,
Jerry