Notice: I've taken a part-time job, and it's definitely affecting my blogging time. I'll continue to add content here as often as possible. Pertinent guest posts are always welcome.

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Showing posts with label trail conditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trail conditions. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

New BRT Overview Condition Map

condition map for Border Route Trail
follow link for full size map


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from a posting in NCT Friends

John Garbe has created a map showing the condition of the BRT using Google maps and Ed Solstad's trail condition spreadsheet to serve as a replacement for the old trail conditions maps on the Border Route Trail website:

The color indicates condition of the trail: green = no deadfall and minimal brush, yellow = minimal deadfall and moderate brush, red = moderate deadfall and heavy brush, and grey = road or wide ski trail that isn't regular trail. If you put your mouse over a section of trail (the hand will turn into a pointed finger) and click on it you'll get more detailed information about that section. The usual google maps features (pan, zoom, satellite and terrain overlays) work.

The trail condition information comes from Ed's spreadsheet, which divides the trail into 56 short sections and records the condition of each section and when it was last cleared. Garbe wrote a little program to convert the data in the spreadsheet into a form that google maps can read and combined it with coordinates for each section. Any time somebody updates/edits the spreadsheet (updating trail conditions or adding/modifying trail segments) it just takes a couple minutes for John to update the map.

Garbe plans to add on spur and access trails and incorporate the map into the regular website layout. He welcomes any suggestions or comments.

See Border Route Trail


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Kekekabic Trail Report

burned area of Kekekabic Trail
Surreal scenery in the burn area

from Martin Kubik

As far as the Kekekabic Trail is concerned, I backpacked it November 6-8. The trail is in sorry shape. In the fire burned down area, in east third, I walked off the trail about half a dozen times, the trail disappears in front of ones eyes! At least two times I ended up bushwhacking cross country to the next land mark. One of those places was the same spot where the two women hikers from Duluth got lost. Without visible tread on ground and without marking it is easy

The central blow down segment is heavily overgrown with brush, sometimes in middle of the trail. The west segment has many treefalls and the balsam fir branches extend into the trail.

I came across several areas that were well brushed, and free of treefalls, but majority of the Kek needs a lot of TLC. My hope is that we can rally volunteers to clear it and the USFS to tolerate temporary marking in the no-man's-land of the burned down area until the tread is reestablished.
see more photos