Before the trail gnomes

Here is the blow down on the Gussy Trail that is about 50 yards past the double stream armoring section. Paula did a fine job cutting the log into two usable pieces. Only, they are mighty heavy and rolling them into position will be a chore.

Haven't quite decided how to set them up.  A lot depends on how far I can move them.  The larger of the two, which is the heaviest, too, is probably the easiest to maneuver because it will roll.  The other one, with the bough sticking out will not be.

Didn't your drill Sergent ever teach you the proper way to camo something?

Found this deer blind about 30 yards from the corner where salt block was placed. I wonder if that really got the deer to track through here. Fortunately, the orientation is away from the trail and over looks a little clearing (made by the hunter perhaps?). Guess it's perfect for bow hunting and I appreciate the hunters forethought in making the kill zone away from the trail.

Not sure about the legality of this structure, though. If anything, cutting the brush for camo is probably illegal and clearly the person responsible for building this never learned that you don't use dead leaves to camo a structure. Maybe deer can't see it but to me it sticks out like a sore thumb.

I wonder what the DEP will say?

Sunday Observations

Haven't been down the Brody in a while so I road the basic Echo Valley Loop Sunday evening before it got dark. First thing I noticed rolling into the Echo Valley lot was it appears there has been some more ATV usage. It would appear that they are staying on the fire road. Of course if the state did a proper job blocking the opening across from Silver City Lane then there probably wouldn't be a problem at all.

Hippy Stack

Blockage - didn't look like anyone has been using this part where it was logged last year. If they are using it, they usually come in from the intersection with the white trail, so this doesn't make any sense.

Early Morning on the Gussy

While riding the Gussy Trail at Upper Paugussett Wednesday morning I came across an interesting thing - a reflector tab. Looks like hunters are starting to use the trail by putting reflector tabs in the trees. Of course, at 6:30 in the morning I decided to have a little illumination myself.

Rick pointed out in his Trail Ambassador report from last weekend that there was another blowdown and it's between the second and third stream crossings (if headed north). Trail gnomes have already made it into an up-and-over, however, this has great skinny potentional.

Anyone reading this post who has a chainsaw and would like to help, please contact me: eatsleepfish[at]gmail[dot]com.

The Hunter Dumper

Rick submitted this picture of one of the regular hunters at Upper Paugussett State Forest.  This is the guy that I ran across a few years ago taking a dump in his van while parked at the Echo Valley Lot.  I remember riding up into the lot one fine day only to find the side of his van wide open with him in it.  After chatting him up a bit I realized that he was sitting on a bucket and his trousers were bunched at the knees.  I quickly bade him good day and rode off!

Sept 1: Orange Season has begun

Got a note from Rick this morning that said he had a good ride at Oh Dark Thirty on the Gussy but as he was hitting one of the stream crossings he heard a gun shot. At the Wet Spot he encountered a hunter hunting squirrels. Time to break out the Orange!