CATS Return to Duncan Ridge

CATS Return to Duncan Ridge 27 Sep 18
I missed last week at Pineridge Natural Area and heard all good things from that outing/whack. All the work is done and looks great according to reliable sources. Well Done! So we are back to the climbers trail and we met Joel Schwab out there onsite too. He liked the work from two weeks ago except some bonehead pulled all the red flags from the trail and neatly stacked them in a pile on the opposite side of the road. WHAT? If I were a vandal, why would I do that? Not sure what is the issue here, but Joel stayed long enough to re-pin our step assignments and we went to work with pleasure. Dean and Denny went to the top and worked up there all evening producing some really nice steps (seven in fact). The bottom crew is still working our way up and producing some good steps as well. I am amazed by the ‘rock shopping’ skills of our members to find excellent stone for steps. They can clearly see the rise/run on a stone and the overall fit. Some of the step creations we are installing are truly a work of art for sure. Working on this trail is neat as we get a view of the other climbing area (Piano Boulder) across the street, talk to climbers going up for an evening climb, talk to folks in training, converse with just hikers going to the top. All of these people are very friendly and have kind things to say about the work.  With darkness creeping up on us, we whipped out our clear safety glasses and continued work till the sun vanished. It was time to head over to Pitchers for a pint or two and some good warm food. Thanks again for those that are coming out on this particular project of stone work.  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105745169/duncans-ridge



Members:   Bobcat Bob,  Connie, Dean, Denny, Andy, Leigh, Tim  Hours:  4
RESULTS:   20 stone steps of various kinds and functions
ROSES:
o   Tim brought out the camera/video and shot some great scenes
o   Weather is holding and cool enough to work
o   Tool drop by Joel
o   Pin in the steps again by Joel
o   Lots of stone still – always enough here
o   Good rock shopping
o   Good customer relations and feedback
o   Denny’s first time here at Duncan and welcome back from all his travels
o   Trail hikes better and is safer
THORNS:
ð      Dirt scarce and quality of moon dust
ð      Ripped up flagging
ð      Existing steps have higher rise than norms (climbers trail what do you expect?)
ð      Brakes on van need checking
BUDS:    Catching up on my reports and such and glad to be back from the beaches of Myrtle, SC. I am not a beach person, though it was fun to run endlessly on the beach except at night when I ran into a fisherman’s line across my face. Ouch! Back to the mountains – safer here. I have this phobia about being trapped in only three directions. I prefer to go east occasionally and not into the ocean. Besides, Myrtle Beach was spared the wrath of Florence but not to the north of my friend’s house. Horrible flooding and I-95 was closed in several places.
Back to here and now. Duncan Ridge is becoming a fun work site to witness each week our progress and see the improvements of the staircase in general. I think when it is all done the user groups will appreciate the ease of getting up to the top. Since CATS is closure driven, we intend to finish this project in the next two weeks, so if you are planning to come out, best sign up and jump in. We are going back to Loveland this month to finish work at Lake Boedecker.
    Can you smell fall in the air? Can you smell the sparks made by your pick blows to the ground? Can you smell anything with all that dirt up your nose? Being out there and experiencing the smells is another subliminal thing that attracts folks to CATS. Smells bind with the visual memories of the event. I am just hoping my BO does not drive members away?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

CATS move in to new play area, May 24, 2018, City of Loveland Natural Area

CATS assist in new trail on National Trails Day, June 2, 2018, City of Loveland Natural Area

CATS Survive Heat - 19 July 2018 at Lake Boedecker