Our project here is repairing a severely damaged stream crossing over Seely Brook in Goosepond Mountain State Park. The stream crossing is a double arch stone bridge. It is a very old structure and at some point it the past was breached and is now severely damaged. There have been many attempts to keep the passageway open, like adding rubble and fill in the center section or using old telephone poles to span the center gap, then add planking across the poles as a roadway. That worked ok for a while but by now, that wooden roadway had become totally deteriorated and has been removed. We are going to encase the deteriorated stone arches in concrete, fill in the gap and finish up with a gravel trail.
This project has taken a lot of effort and as always, it was all done by volunteers. Our experience crew and crew leaders were eager to teach volunteers of all abilities the skills needed to build hiking trails.
Speaking of volunteers, not everyone could make it everyday and that’s OK with us. Some volunteers come every day while others can only make it to 1 or 2. Don’t feel that you have to commit to an entire project or even a weekend, any help is appreciated and being a volunteer you can come and go as you see fit.
If this looks like the kind of activity you want to be part of, please come on out and join in, we're a community of volunteers who build, protect and maintain hiking trails. We invite you to join us. You’ll be glad you did.
All Photos by Marty Costello unless otherwise noted.
