Rick Brackett, land manager for the Conservancy, recently got a call that a bridge had partially collapsed on one of our most popular trails. A log had rotted from the inside out. What to do? Rick rearranged his calendar and set to work.
This new bridge is the first major project of the season. Rick hired Lew Shelley of SnowHawk LLC, an independent trail design and construction firm, and the two of them were hard at work this April and early May to design and build a replacement bridge at “Porky Falls” on the Porcupine Falls Trail at our Calhoun Family Forest.
“This bridge should last us at least 30 years. Hopefully, I’ll be a retiree volunteering on the next replacement and not leading the project,” commented Rick.
The bridge features red cedar railings, black locust sills, and timbers and decking made of white oak (harvested in Winchester, New Hampshire, and milled in Putney, Vermont). The new bridge is open and ready for public use. You’re invited to follow in the footsteps of the Calhoun family and walk to the falls this spring for a waterside picnic.
Related Links
Learn more about the property.
Download the Porcupine Falls Trail guide.
View more photos.