Some readers may be aware I had been working on carving a fitness trail through some woods near my home. The plan is to create a large loop over varied terrain, suitable to walking, running or cycling, but too narrow for the numerous four-wheeler recreational vehicles out here. They have plenty of fun trails already, and they aren’t suitable for much of anything else.
Our trailer park is situated on the southern edge of this woodland, and rather near the western edge. My son and I had begun clearing on the east side, but ran into a hitch. Our path circled around a pair of lagoons which serve to purify the waste water coming from the trailer park. Some vandals, most likely rowdy punks living here, did some damage to the water flow controls. Because of the legal liabilities, the management of the park was required to forbid all residents “trespassing” on the eastern side of the park. That meant we had to stop working on the trail there.
However, we were free to continue working to the north, since that part begins on the slender portion of land just west of the park. There are three sections of woodland separated by open areas originally plowed down for streets, as the land was at one time slated for development as a pricey little neighborhood. It has been fallow since then, used by deer, squirrels, rabbits and four-wheelers. The first section we had finished some time ago, and the second was started. For awhile really nasty weather made it impractical for us continue our work. However, just recently we had some unseasonably warm days when we weren’t working, and made some progress.
To our surprise, the second wooded section contained some fairly clear areas, so the cutting was quite minimal. In just two days we’ve carved out a very twisting path over 200 yards in length. We are now just a few more yards from clearing the second patch of woods. In the process, I’ve completely worn out the limb-loppers. The steel cutting faces have bent and curved away from each other. Further, the point of contact between them has worn to the point the cinch bolt cannot be tightened any more. I’m down to the methods I have used from the very beginning two decades ago: machete and ax. That is, in order to maintain the “mulch in place” ethic, I simply hold a branch against some dead log or stump and chop it up in little pieces with the machete.
However, the third section on the north end promises to be quite a bit more challenging, as I have clawed my way through it once already without tools. It will also be the most varied terrain so far, since the path I’ve scouted runs in and out of the woods (to keep four-wheelers off of it) and through a couple of very thick thorn bush patches. It will also cross an area where the original clearing called for some cuts through a stone out-cropping.
Perhaps by the time we get that far and start turning east, then back south, the necessity of keeping residents out of the east side can die quietly. Management is completely sympathetic to our project, and they want us to keep it going.
