TRAIL MAINTENACE DAY AT MT. OSCEOLA

The day was so much fun for everyone - we had volunteers from all ages, all out enjoying the camaraderie of shared work to help support the trails we love! Mt. Osceola is extremely popular in summer due to its gradual ascent to the highest peak in Waterville Valley, on the NH four thousand footer list at 4,340 feet and has a vast panorama from its summit ledges!

Our group included members of GayOutdoors as well as a crew from Pemi Valley Hikers - we are fortunate to have PVH as a partner, and our trails project fit in well with their own philosophy of getting involved with trail maintenance.

Jon Normand, crew leader, really made the day a fun and educational experience. I'm not sure if anyone in the group will ever be able to pass another water bar again without wanting to clear the debris out of it!

We spent the day cleaning 51 waterbars, removed six step over blowdowns and four overhanging blowdowns; and cleared back encroaching vegetation. Large crowds out today, but everyone, and I mean everyone, was kind and respectful of fellow hikers. We love these kinds of people! And throughout the day, we received a multitude of thanks of hikers passing by. Afterwards, we invited everyone back at Mike’s house along the Mad River for some appetizers/ beverages on the deck followed by a BBQ feast that included grilled marinated chicken and Kielbasa, juicy pork loin, seasoned potato wedges, buttered corn on the cob, fresh garden salsa, and homemade pasta salad. YUM!

As we look back on the day, it really hit home the importance of organizations like GayOutdoors and Pemi Valley Hikers. They are a resource to perform trail maintenance projects around the White Mountain National Forest and to teach their members expert knowledge and guidance to protect our trails by getting involved with sweat equity. It’s really rewarding to be able to look back and see the work we do together. Jon wants to thank everyone who helped out. He cannot even begin to say how much fun he had working with you all. Thank you all so much, for everything. We hope more members help us next year!

The best trail work goes unnoticed, but with some attention to detail, you can begin to appreciate what it takes to maintain a trail in the White Mountains. So next time you take a hike, pay attention to how clean the waterbars are or if there are any trees blocking the trail. Someone took care of that!

We are performing our annual spring clean-up on our adopted trail from Tripoli Road to the summit Mt. Osceola. Mt. Osceola is extremely popular in summer due to its gradual ascent to the highest peak in Waterville Valley, on the NH four thousand footer list at 4,340 feet and has a vast panorama from its summit ledges! We need members to do all sorts of trail maintenance, from cleaning out waterbars, clearing small to medium blowdowns, and clipping brush.

You don't have to be an expert to help and we can easily train you. We’ll have fire rakes, grub hoes, saws and loppers for everyone.  We switch off the tools we use with other members so everyone gets a chance to do something different during the day!  

Members from another group, Pemi Valley Hikers, will be helping us. Meet us at the trailhead at 8:30 and bring snacks, lunch, water and what you normally would carry for a 4,000 footer hike but be sure to bring work gloves. I’ll be driving a blue Toyota Tacoma truck. To say THANK YOU for your help you are invited back at our house near Welch and Dickey trailhead afterwards for cold beverages, appetizers and a BBQ!!!

We hope to work efficiently so we can summit! Plan on a full day and we usually finish around 4PM however if you need to get home earlier you can hike back down to your vehicle at any time. As part of our philosophy, we believe in doing our part to give back to the hiking community!

Everyone is invited to spend a FREE weekend at our house Friday and/or Saturday night with breakfast each morning. We only have 8 bunks so the first 8 guys that contact us to reserve will get one; and let us know which night[s] you’ll be lodging with us. You’re on your own for dinner Friday night but you’re welcome to use our kitchen facilities to cook!