the daydream continues...
the daydream continues
the daydreams always continue
this daydream of the rogue trail maintenance/repair/rehabilitation film project continued today
that same daydream I posted about yesterday
it was the same daydream only this time I was not alone with my dog
this time robert redford was on the hike with me
well... on the hike within the daydream
we walked the trails and the naturalist in robert redford could appreciate the woodedness of it all
no... it is not Sun Valley or outskirts of Park City
but it is beautiful for what it is
it was clear that robert redford could appreciate the beauty of this hardwood forest so close to the Nation's Capital
redford took these short dramatic pauses to soak it all in
during these pauses I took in redford's handsomeness
it was as if each pause was a photo opportunity
robert and I talked
I fought rambling and tried to be short and to the point
there was some Q&A
there was wisdom in roberts understanding of the situation
mr. redford had me in the hotseat
what I thought was an easy sale turned into difficult debate
it was not so much of a task of devil's advocate
but more redford's need to know why
why do these efforts need to be made?
why this... why here... why now
?
there was some discussion of how things may have been and how things may became
issues of sustainability were discussed
as well as the natural state of this national park
things did not get into the specfics of the economic state of the national park service or even the vision/concern of the park service
or lack of vision/concern on the part of the national park service
there just was not enough time to discuss it all
the daydream with robert redford drifted in and out
during some periods there were fantasies where I saw the trail at me feet as it could be
the trail as it could be after some of these rogue trail repairs were done
fertile soil, indigenous plants, and respectful landscape architechure of this enviroment in its assisted yet still very natural state
which may mean sparse planting of one type of fern rather than a dense patch of another ferns as things may appear in a different ecosystem
not the planting of a pine forrest, but a single solitary pine tree as they exist in such an eco system
my mind wandered across the street
there is a crescent loop that is heavily traveled
runners, dog walkers, and who knows what else
oh... if those trails could talk
the tales those trails would tell
there are far less frequent gatherings of el baracho happy hours at sunset
nor is it as common to find crack hoes on the clock earning it the old fashion way
no... these things are less common in the current state of the neighborhood
the dog walking and the trail running has cleaned up the trails in some respects
but the terrain is in disrepair
the crescent trail behind Ingleside terrace is a wasteland
a redish clay piece of earth that is more pebbles than soil
and more road than singletrack
more landfill than national park
broken glass is revealed under the rapidly eroding soil
yes... my mind wandered to this stretch of land
where the difficult effort would be the delivery of earth
lots of earth
this daydream carries that idea of marking the path of the pedestrian with a light brown singletrack trail made of a sandy soil that would pack down nice, not turn muddy when wet, and would not provide good earth for growth
in contrast the singletrack trail would be flanked by deep dark fertil soil
soil filled with the potential of capturing the falling seeds of the old grown trees that will soon fall and will need to be replaced
yes... it would take a great volume of earth
if this were to be a night stealth mission how would the crews get in the earth?
there would have to be multiple soil drops
drops at each trailhead
as it is the trailheads that need the most repair
it would be a quest of connect the trailheads
in my mind I could see the various entrances
the heavily rutted paths that act not only as foot paths but as streambeds to the run off from the surrounding neighborhood of Mount Pleasant on rainy days
these areas alone could demand a great deal of earth
earth to fill the void and earth to fortify things so that the water that feeds into the woods could be controled better instead of just becoming the river wild
in these fantasies I battle between having a large quantity of volunteers with backpacks filled with earth
quickly marching in and depositing the soil where it belongs
then marching out only to return many more times with much more soil
then I fall back on the dump trucks making quick and quiet drops at the various trailheads
the daydreams continue
the detail in the daydream is as vivid as the trail at my feet
my mind leaves the project across the street and returns to the informal meeting with Robert Redford that has me back pedaling a bit
breaking a sweat for what I had felt was going to be a free walk into the endzone
the daydream is cut short as the hike is cut short
some of the time in the woods is spent doing some trail repair
a thin fallen tree can make for a good catch for the run off
I move the tree to a position where it can assist the trail as it continues its life cycle
the tree can fortify the ridge line as it decomposes into earth
although the weather is better than the day prior
I take the dog out for a shorter walk
something closer to the standard walk
my legs are tired and I have not been home yet from work
after work I managed to sneak in a slow but steady hour twenty five on the bike
no particular ambition on the bike
just rode around town
was not getting some intense that there is any real story to tell
not sure if I cussed at any more than two car drivers
felt good about the being on the bike
even if my fitness is low
the daydream continues
the daydreams always continue
this daydream of the rogue trail maintenance/repair/rehabilitation film project continued today
that same daydream I posted about yesterday
it was the same daydream only this time I was not alone with my dog
this time robert redford was on the hike with me
well... on the hike within the daydream
we walked the trails and the naturalist in robert redford could appreciate the woodedness of it all
no... it is not Sun Valley or outskirts of Park City
but it is beautiful for what it is
it was clear that robert redford could appreciate the beauty of this hardwood forest so close to the Nation's Capital
redford took these short dramatic pauses to soak it all in
during these pauses I took in redford's handsomeness
it was as if each pause was a photo opportunity
robert and I talked
I fought rambling and tried to be short and to the point
there was some Q&A
there was wisdom in roberts understanding of the situation
mr. redford had me in the hotseat
what I thought was an easy sale turned into difficult debate
it was not so much of a task of devil's advocate
but more redford's need to know why
why do these efforts need to be made?
why this... why here... why now
?
there was some discussion of how things may have been and how things may became
issues of sustainability were discussed
as well as the natural state of this national park
things did not get into the specfics of the economic state of the national park service or even the vision/concern of the park service
or lack of vision/concern on the part of the national park service
there just was not enough time to discuss it all
the daydream with robert redford drifted in and out
during some periods there were fantasies where I saw the trail at me feet as it could be
the trail as it could be after some of these rogue trail repairs were done
fertile soil, indigenous plants, and respectful landscape architechure of this enviroment in its assisted yet still very natural state
which may mean sparse planting of one type of fern rather than a dense patch of another ferns as things may appear in a different ecosystem
not the planting of a pine forrest, but a single solitary pine tree as they exist in such an eco system
my mind wandered across the street
there is a crescent loop that is heavily traveled
runners, dog walkers, and who knows what else
oh... if those trails could talk
the tales those trails would tell
there are far less frequent gatherings of el baracho happy hours at sunset
nor is it as common to find crack hoes on the clock earning it the old fashion way
no... these things are less common in the current state of the neighborhood
the dog walking and the trail running has cleaned up the trails in some respects
but the terrain is in disrepair
the crescent trail behind Ingleside terrace is a wasteland
a redish clay piece of earth that is more pebbles than soil
and more road than singletrack
more landfill than national park
broken glass is revealed under the rapidly eroding soil
yes... my mind wandered to this stretch of land
where the difficult effort would be the delivery of earth
lots of earth
this daydream carries that idea of marking the path of the pedestrian with a light brown singletrack trail made of a sandy soil that would pack down nice, not turn muddy when wet, and would not provide good earth for growth
in contrast the singletrack trail would be flanked by deep dark fertil soil
soil filled with the potential of capturing the falling seeds of the old grown trees that will soon fall and will need to be replaced
yes... it would take a great volume of earth
if this were to be a night stealth mission how would the crews get in the earth?
there would have to be multiple soil drops
drops at each trailhead
as it is the trailheads that need the most repair
it would be a quest of connect the trailheads
in my mind I could see the various entrances
the heavily rutted paths that act not only as foot paths but as streambeds to the run off from the surrounding neighborhood of Mount Pleasant on rainy days
these areas alone could demand a great deal of earth
earth to fill the void and earth to fortify things so that the water that feeds into the woods could be controled better instead of just becoming the river wild
in these fantasies I battle between having a large quantity of volunteers with backpacks filled with earth
quickly marching in and depositing the soil where it belongs
then marching out only to return many more times with much more soil
then I fall back on the dump trucks making quick and quiet drops at the various trailheads
the daydreams continue
the detail in the daydream is as vivid as the trail at my feet
my mind leaves the project across the street and returns to the informal meeting with Robert Redford that has me back pedaling a bit
breaking a sweat for what I had felt was going to be a free walk into the endzone
the daydream is cut short as the hike is cut short
some of the time in the woods is spent doing some trail repair
a thin fallen tree can make for a good catch for the run off
I move the tree to a position where it can assist the trail as it continues its life cycle
the tree can fortify the ridge line as it decomposes into earth
although the weather is better than the day prior
I take the dog out for a shorter walk
something closer to the standard walk
my legs are tired and I have not been home yet from work
after work I managed to sneak in a slow but steady hour twenty five on the bike
no particular ambition on the bike
just rode around town
was not getting some intense that there is any real story to tell
not sure if I cussed at any more than two car drivers
felt good about the being on the bike
even if my fitness is low