Whew! Did we do some heavy lifting here! The crew of interns was joined by Cameron’s, Theresa’s, and Howard’s able hands to finish a stone staircase and re-vegetate several campsites in the area.
We started the project by harvesting approximately 70 large rocks from nearby Whiteface ski area. However, we moved too quickly and we were forced to harvest an additional 30 more from the surrounding woods, meaning that we planted about 100 rocks in the ground!
Thank goodness for the volunteers who came in for the weekend and helped with the final push. The result was a stunning staircase of 46 steps, anchored on either side, winding and coursing its way up a steep hill. Local fishermen were agog and profuse in their admiration, and 6 thru-paddlers used the staircase as well, passing through our campsite on their way to Maine! We also took a scenic paddle on Franklin Falls Pond, planting pine saplings at several locations.
Beautiful weather and a prime camping locale – rope swing included – made for a wildly successful work trip. Special thanks to our volunteers and to Dan Levy at NYDEC who helped to move many rocks and saplings in preparation for the project.
