Hitch #7 White Lake State Park

For hitch #7 I returned to White Lake State Park, where I spent Spring hitch. This time our task was to re-route a section of the trail that goes around the lake. The problem with the current trail was that it edged a campsite and most hikers entered the campsite because they didn't see that the trail turned. So we closed out the old trail and built a new section of trail that was easily separated from the campsite. Our new section of trail ended up going through a fairly wet area and over a stream bed. So we knew that our main project would be to build a bridge and ramps over the stream.

(Bridge with foundations and sills)

(Bridge with stringers)

(Completed bridge)

Over the course of 6 full days we set the foundation for the bridge using 4 concrete blocks, notched and set 10 cedar logs as as sills (the supporting logs) , set our stringers (the logs that sit on the sills and hold the decking), built 2 ramps on either side of the bridge, set our decking and trip rails, and built 2 turnpikes on either end of the bridge that equaled 46 ft to raise the trail out of the wet area.

(36 ft turnpike)

(10 ft turnpike)

(Bridge side view. Bottom to top: Cedar stringers, pressure treated and cedar stringers, pressure treated decking, 2x4 trip rails)

In the end our bridge was a total of 41 ft. We brushed in 170 ft of old trail and built 156 ft of new trail. While the stream bed under our bridge was mostly dry except for a small bit of mud, we did get to see the area wet when we experienced a downpour of rain for nearly 24 hours. We worked that morning of the rainy day and watched the water under our nearly completed bridge rise from inches to several feet. By lunch we decided the possibly of flash flooding was too high for us to continue working. But we all agreed that it was nice to actually see water in the previously dry area and see the need for our bridge.

(White Lake Hitch #7 crew)

I now have one hitch left before my season here is complete. Then one week to close out the program and I'll be headed back south. The weather here has quickly changed from warm summer to chilly fall and I keep hoping that I'll see at least a few snowflakes before I leave.