Sec 7 Crew: Setting The (Water) Bar High

One of the most beautiful sights on the hike to the project area.

 I believe this is witch hazel. Notice that very blue sky, too!

Section 7 is the top half of the AT going up the back side of Humpback Mountain. It is part of the relo that took place in the late '90's so the trail is starting to get some age on it .... almost 15 years or so. There is a stretch of trail close to the top, where the incline is a bit steeper, that we've been concerned about and within the last year, it became apparent that at least two water bars were going to be needed due to the erosion that was showing on the tread. The tread dirt had washed off and smaller rocks were coming to the surface where they were loose and cluttered the trail. This situation caused hikers to take 'the path of least resistance' and walk beside the trail tread, thus widening it considerably and causing more damage - not a good situation.

 

The top of the erosion problem begins where the crew member on the right is on the trail. The first water bar (WB #1) is going to be close to this area to get water off the trail as soon as possible ..... it will be below the stump and just above the big rock on the left and the runoff ditch will be where the crew member on the left is standing. The big rock was used in the actual WB.

This project has been on the work trip list for quite a while; however, there have been issues that have caused it to "not happen" until Saturday. Here are some of those issues that had to be considered:

• There is a considerable hike (close to 3 miles if not a little more) to get to the work site so you need a long day ..... late fall, after the end of daylight savings time, or before daylight savings time in the spring, just wasn't enough daylight and the crew would have been walking out in the dark.
• The project site is in the middle of a 'fern field' so when the ferns are out, it hampers the ability to scout/find good rocks for the water bars. This means late fall/early spring timing is the best, but then you run into having enough daylight issues again.
• This is a very technical project - the crew leader needed a lot of experience and expertise. 
• The crew members needed to be able to hike in a long distance carrying tools & gear, do some fairly intense physical labor for most of the day, and then hike back out .... carrying everything they hiked in with.

The project was planned for last November ..... with plans being made to carry flashlights, etc. and hike out in the dark; however, it turned out the crew leader couldn't make it .... so, the project carried over to 2013. January was the potluck, February and March were bad weather, and finally all systems looked like a "go" for Section 7 this work trip. A very ambitious day was planned - do both water bars on the same trip. If this project could be accomplished, requiring only one hike in/out and tool/gear carry, it would be quite an achievement for the crew.

So ..... how did the project go? Was the crew able to find suitable rocks for the water bar(s)? Did they run into lots of rock that hampered their efforts while digging out the trenches across the tread for the water bar rocks? Were there problems setting the rocks? How do the water bar(s) impact hikers on the trail? Here are the answers:

 

Part of the critical planning/siting phase: laying out the trench for the second water bar (WB #2), about midway down the eroded area. The outside tread edge of the erosion area was somewhat "burmed up" so getting the ditches in place to run the water out of the WBs required plenty of digging and moving loose rock.

Water Bar #1 (upper bar):

Lots and lots of trench digging ..... and it got much deeper than this! Fortunately, the digging was mostly dirt - no large rocks were encountered.

 

How big a rock do you use in a water bar you might ask?  You're kidding, right? THAT big? More digging needed back at the trench!!!

Yes, the enormous rock is in the trench on the right and is a great anchor for the rest of the rocks. A smaller, but still substantial second rock is also in place, shingled behind rock #1 so water coming downhill will run from one rock to the other (this works just like roof shingles and the way they overlap).

 

Another view of WB #1 with the first two rocks in place looking down the trail. With some expert rock bar work and lots of team work from the crew, even the biggest rock(s) were set in the trench without too much difficulty. Working with rocks as big as #1, you only have one chance to get everything right (trench depth in particular) because you can't pull it back out and try again!

 (Photo: Dave W.)

 

Continuing to trench out for rock #3 in WB #1 .... starting to get towards the end of the actual WB and where the runoff ditch area begins. (Photo: Dave W.)

 

Completed WB #1 .... you can see the three rocks and the WB goes at about a 45 degree angle across the trail, running the water off to the right. The WB is a minimal step-over for hikers and blends in fairly well already, even before any 'weathering' has taken place. The lower bar (WB #2) location is where the two crew members are standing in the trail. (Photo: Dave W.)

Water bar #2 (lower bar):

Long story short, mainly because there aren't any pictures for putting the rocks in WB #2 (crew was too busy working!) .... more of the same ..... lots of trenching, BIG rocks, and finally ...... 

 

Water bar #2 .... finished!!! (Photo: Dave W.)

 

Another view of WB #2 with the WB rocks more apparent & the runoff ditch to the right. Dave is especially happy .... in addition to getting the two WBs in, he also got to break in a new rock bar (he's holding it), a new pair of gloves, and a new pack! (Photo: Dave W.)

Two very large water bars completed in one day, which included a long hike in with lots of tools and gear - that is quite an achievement. Several factors were helpful on this project: good WB rocks, trench locations that weren't loaded with big rocks to interfere with digging, and no unexpected major problems encountered. The crew put in an amazing amount of work .... and even more amazing, none of the (non-leader) crew members had any experience constructing water bars! They gained a lot of valuable knowledge and experience Saturday. With a 'can do' crew attitude, plus an experienced crew leader, who is also a good teacher, this is a wonderful example of the important trail maintenance volunteers are capable of doing on AT work trips and what they can get accomplished! 

The Section 7 Maintainer is a very, very "happy camper" today with that big double water bar project finally completed and says THANKS to the crew for all of their hard work, good spirits, team work and dedication to getting the job done: Dave W. (crew leader), Craig H., Lynne F., and Bob C.

(Photos: Merlot, unless otherwise noted)