More trees

 On the Pasture trail #9, a dead ash tree fell over a year ago, but got hung up in a big maple and did not fall all the way to the ground. I've been watching it, waiting for it to fall all the way to the ground.  It was suspended, directly over the trail, at the gateway that leads from the pasture into the forest. Finally, in the past few days, it came the rest of the way down.

On a beautiful autumn afternoon with a temperature near 20, I went out and cleared the debris.

After the clean-up

before the clean-up

Whacking Weeds

 One of the things we do in the fall to get ready for skiing is to whack the weeds on trails that have not been maintained over the summer. This afternoon, I cleared the Plateau Extension and part of North Plateau.

Plateau Extension near its junction with Mainline

Near the middle  of Plateau Extension, after whacking the weeds

Another day, another tree to clear

Our work continues as we prepare for the upcoming ski season. This fallen pine tree was cleared from trail #12, near its north junction with the Mainline trail.

Before

After

 

Earth moving

 Work continues as we prepare for the upcoming ski season. Every year, in the off-season, I try to make a few improvements to the trails, which will make for safer and more pleasant skiing. Yesterday, I tackled a small area near the north end of the network, where there were a couple of deep depressions in the trail surface, separated by a tree stump and associated roots. This area generally fills in with drifted snow as the season progresses, but in the early part of the season, it can be a bit tricky. I moved earth from the side of the trail to fill in the low spots.

The photo doesn't show the result very well, because of deep shade and bright patches of sunshine.