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Clearing New Trails In Brandon Gap With RASTA!

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trail work hard hat

This past weekend on Saturday and Sunday, September 17th & 18th, we traveled down to Brandon Gap to help the Rochester Area Sports Trails Alliance (RASTA) clear some new terrain. The area we were working in is part of the Green Mountain National Forest. This project received full approval late last fall and since then RASTA has been working in stages to clear out a variety of backcountry skiing and riding lines. Previously, volunteer work crews had cleared trails in Bear Brook Bowl, and this past weekend we worked in teams to clear some new lines in Sunrise Bowl. At the time we left things were looking really amazing, and we can’t wait for the snow to fly. Check out the map below for a better idea of where these new zones are located. 

 

holly knox, green mountain national forest
The day started off with Holly Knox, from the Green Mountain National Forest, addressing everyone about the planned work, going over some safety considerations, and thanking some of the very hard working RASTA volunteers for their help and involvement in this project.
rasta dream team
RASTA’s glade development dream team! Karl (in blue) and Larry (2nd from right) are RASTA Volunteers that have contributed a significant amount of time helping push this project through, planning lines, logging hours with the chainsaw, and now managing volunteers to help clear the trails. Without these guys and the many other RASTA volunteers like them projects like this would not be possible.
The man, the myth, the legened… Zac Freeman! If you’re familiar with the Braintree Mountain Forest Trails and Glades you should know this guy. He led the charge on that project, which can be argued, started the whole glading on public lands trend here in VT. If you ever see this guy when out and about buy him a beer!
On Saturday roughly 30 people showed up to help clear multiple lines in the Sunrise Bowl area in Brandon Gap.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The day started with a short hike in on the Long Trail.
Before we arrived RASTA volunteers had already been busy in the area flagging and dropping any of the larger trees on the designated lines. Our job was to remove and distribute the brush and to do some of the fine clean up with loppers and hand saws.
Volunteers came from all over. There was a small team from the VYCC, and groups from as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. People are excited about what’s happening here in VT, and it’s great to see them out in the woods lending a hand.
Not every tree is removed from the designated lines, but lower branches are removed to improve visibility and to protect faces and eyes.
Things are starting to look pretty good!
Here you can see Zac working at the head of our group. The initial pass required removing any of the larger downed trees and brush. Then the crew in the rear would follow up with additional trimming and brush pile dispersion.

Watch Video Of Trail Work Here!

 

Lunch Time!
rasta glade
Here’s a pre-snow look at one of the lines…
Another look at the line we were working on. This area in Sunrise Bowl was a little mellower than some of the other areas which is great. In the end there should be a variety of terrain available so that everyone, no matter how experienced they are, should be able to come out and have a great time.

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