Tecumseh - Nice Rock Work!

While probably not the most scenic or exciting destination in the Whites, Tecumseh was a good choice for day when I needed a quick hike and didn't want an exposed hike. What I did think was impressive was the trail work I saw along the way that wasn't there during my last visit in August.

First, I was clued into a trail relocation due to water damage, most likely Irene-caused, near the beginning of the trail from Big Earl's recent trip report (thank you, Earl!). Knowing it was there, I was careful to look for the blazes and other clues and followed it easily. The relocated section is further away from the stream instead of following it closely.

Turning around and looking back *after* rejoining the old trail - more helpful for the return trip to the trailhead. The old section is brushed out to the left and the new section heads to the right.


Second, partway up the upper portion of trail (the steady one mile ascent section), there was some new rock work. Not only were there some new steps, but also new drainage, too. I could tell there was a lot of work in digging and moving of rocks and dirt. I've since found out that Jeremy and Eric did some of that work, so thank you so much! Not only does it look good, but it looks highly functional - a perfect blend of both.



A closer look at the rock-lined drainage:


More photos and the rest of the story, including an unintentional solo journey by my camera on the blog.

Nice work, Rocket21 and Eric!!

I was very impressed with the quick relocation after the section along the brook was eroded by Irene - the only flaw I found was that the old blazes weren't painted out. Yes, the rock work above was well done and probably took a lot more time but with the sluggish Irene response elsewhere it was nice to see one section handled promptly.

There are a lot of similar eroded areas on other trails - in particular a section of 19MB is on the crest of an overhang and when the soil is saturated next spring will probably land in the brook hopefully with no hikers on it. If this was a lesser-used trail instead of a prime hut access it would probably still be closed. Unfortunately it won't be as easy as Tecumseh to shift the trail away from the brook.

Wow! Really nice work, Jeremy and Eric -- many thanks for all your hard efforts.

This is my favorite mountain and trail in the Whites (for sentimental reasons), but I haven't been there in quite a while. Looking forward to hiking it again soon. That rockwork looks fantastic!

una_dogger said:

Nice work, Rocket21 and Eric!!

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Ditto that! I can only imagine the time it took to do all those steps!

RoySwkr said:

I was very impressed with the quick relocation after the section along the brook was eroded by Irene - the only flaw I found was that the old blazes weren't painted out. Yes, the rock work above was well done and probably took a lot more time but with the sluggish Irene response elsewhere it was nice to see one section handled promptly.

There are a lot of similar eroded areas on other trails - in particular a section of 19MB is on the crest of an overhang and when the soil is saturated next spring will probably land in the brook hopefully with no hikers on it. If this was a lesser-used trail instead of a prime hut access it would probably still be closed. Unfortunately it won't be as easy as Tecumseh to shift the trail away from the brook.

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You mean... this one?

Jeremy goes above and beyond level I maintenance, which is what adopters are responsible for. ;-) big pat on the back, J!

Thank you for all of the kind words here and elsewhere. Eric deserves a lot of credit in putting in quite a few days on the project, despite a good 4-5 hours roundtrip in driving.

10 of the lower steps of the stairway in the above photo were built by the Forest Service years ago. The section had some waterflow issues during spring thaws and rain events, resulting in a cascade of sorts down the stairs and onto the flats below it.

I scouted out the relo the day the forest reopened after Irene, attempting to keep the distance similar, footbed good, and environmental impact minimal. The Forest Service responded very quickly and had it cut within 3 days. I was hoping to put the finishing touches on it this fall but ran out of time.

TrishandAlex said:

Wow! Really nice work, Jeremy and Eric -- many thanks for all your hard efforts.

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Agreed -- quite impressive. Nice, prompt post-Irene trail relo, too, Jeremy.

rocket21 said:

Thank you for all of the kind words here and elsewhere. Eric deserves a lot of credit in putting in quite a few days on the project, despite a good 4-5 hours roundtrip in driving.

10 of the lower steps of the stairway in the above photo were built by the Forest Service years ago. The section had some waterflow issues during spring thaws and rain events, resulting in a cascade of sorts down the stairs and onto the flats below it.

I scouted out the relo the day the forest reopened after Irene, attempting to keep the distance similar, footbed good, and environmental impact minimal. The Forest Service responded very quickly and had it cut within 3 days. I was hoping to put the finishing touches on it this fall but ran out of time.

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Jeremy and Eric . . . take credit where credit is due . . . ya' done good!!

Nice job all. So lucky to have all that rock available. Rocket21, do you know how to build cairns? Chocorua could use some.

I admire the rock work on the Mt. Tecumseh Trail as much as anyone, but would like to point to a smaller but very significant (for old folks like me) job that Jeremy did. There is a large blowdown across the trail at around 2,400 feet ... no problem for the young and agile but difficult for those with rusty joints


Not only did he cut a step into it, but he carefully placed the cut where two rocks, one on each side, led to it:


I was going to send him a "thank you" email, but no need ... the ever helpful Jeremy met me near the summit!

Mohammed - I saw that tree, too, lower down on the trail. I didn't know if it would be fully removed eventually. Being short of leg, having the step notched in was a tremendous help - otherwise it would have been an awkward straddle or a BIG step up onto it and then down.

Fantastic

Jeremy and Eric and anyone else that helped, a JOB WELL DONE !!
I am very much impressed with that quality of rock work. I bet it was a lot of fun as well as rewarding. Keep up the good work!!!