Well, back from Koulas and it turned into a quick two hour slug through brush, bittersweet, and vines. As sites go, Koulas is one of the worst for invasives. They are everywhere. Most likely it is because it is mostly open fields with very few trees. It is a perfect invasive habitat.
So what did we find? First, we found that the stream that exits the vernal pool has an outlet to the field across the street. This channel has a bunch of junk in it, and maybe the old bridge is still usable. If so, that saves building a new one. We also found five gates in the stone walls and confirmed that the old farm road runs from Pine Hill all the way to the section we are using for the main trail.
We looked at both the right side and the left side. Countless vines, some up to six inches thick, and a fair amount of metal that will need to be pulled. Good team today with Phil, John, and Dave. We all bring different levels of trail design experience, and that is a good thing. When someone asks why we are doing something one way and not another, it makes you think, and a few times the answer was simply that the other person’s idea was better.
The left side will follow the old farm road from Pine Hill down to the point where it connects to the cleared section. Between that point and the entrance, we will create a weaving path that stays on the high and dry ground and gives a couple of amazing views of the vernal pool and the upper wetland. You can also see a huge stone wall and a set of smaller walls as the path twists and turns from where the old house once stood down to Pine Hill Road.
If things are super wet, the section near the vernal pool might be closed, but the old road will always be open. This design gives all sorts of loop options and makes access much easier and safer for walkers in the area.
This was only step one. Even with that done, we still need a few more ribbon passes, so I figure two to three weeks, and we should have something solid on both sides. After that we start the reviews, input, and adjustments.
All in all, a great day out there.