[at-l] Definition of Trail Maintenance

[shellydhale at earthlink.net (Shelly Hale)]

To everyone, "Great answers!"  I especiallly like Weary's and there was
another, but I accidentally deleted it.  Oops!  I forget who it was from but
it had the same principles as Weary stated.

I would love to have a copy of the Appalachian Trail Fieldbook.  I will have
to check into that.

Thanks, Weary!

Shelly Hale
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob C." <ellen@clinic.net>
To: "Shelly Hale" <shellydhale@earthlink.net>
Cc: <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 9:47 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Definition of Trail Maintenance


> There is no one definition of Trail Maintenance. Maintenance standards
depend on
> the use a trail gets and the desires of the managing agency. The best
guide for
> the Appalachian Trail is the "Appalachian Trail Fieldbook" that was
revised and
> reissued last year. The booklet guides AT volunteers "in the essential
aspects
> of trail design, maintenance and construction."
>
>  The pocket-sized (4X6), spiral bound, 96-page guide is a pretty
comprehensive
> manual for maintainers to evaluate trail conditions and plan and make
> improvements. It has more detail than most casual maintainers will need,
but
> contains essential information needed by those responsible for the
Appalachian
> Trail. The guide is available from the Appalachian Trail Conference. MATC
buys
> copies for distribution to the club's 100 or so maintainers who have been
> assigned specific sections. I forget the price, but it is very nominal.
>
> I'm going to buy copies to give to key maintainers for our town land trust
> lands. As use increases we are going to have to use more care, but for the
most
> part our town trails are far more primitive than the AT. Construction and
> maintenance consists mostly of removing brush and blowdowns and cutting
off
> branches that impede hiker passage. We skirt bogs wherever possible. When
> bypassing is not possible we use planks for bog bridges.
>
> It's my practice also on both the AT and on our town lands to leave an
> occasional log across the trail, small enough for walkers to step over,
but
> large enough to impede the passage of mountain bikes and of ATVs and other
> motorized things.
>
> Weary
>
>
>


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