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MST Falls Lake - Day 4
Starting with 138.9 miles, 19,250 ft. ascent
Bayleaf Church Rd. to Falls of the Neuse - 12.3 miles 1,050 ft. ascent
We started out in the rain and finished in a downpour but in the middle we had some great sunshine. The mist really helped to make the above picture of the lake.
We started at the dead end on Bayleaf Church Road, a tourist attraction in itself. The high-end Carlyle housing development had some huge McMansions. With our section hiking, we end up on the same road three times so this area really made an impression on me. Three times - when we place a car the day before, when we drive there in the morning to start the hike and when we pick up the car at the end of the hike.
We moved in and out of the Wildlife Management Area. The cut areas were very obvious. In the mountains, they may not keep up the mowing and tree removal as much but here, some areas were as smooth as a baby's bottom. Plenty of beech trees and loblolly pines. The fungus around the bark made a green pattern.
The Falls Lake trail crew had worked on replacing a bridge but didn't finish the job. So we ended up walking in the water a little to get across the creek - the first time that we needed to really step in the water. When the bridge is finished it's going to be a beauty.
When we reached the Falls of the Neuse area, we could hear the traffic and see a boardwalk and buildings but somehow the trail just kept on going. A line of longleaf pine trees had been planted along the trail.
We got to our cars at about 2:30 P.M. in a downpour. We had done 50 miles in three and a half days. We were wet but felt great!
Cumulative after Day 11 - 151.2 miles, 20,300 ft. ascent
Bridge on Falls Lake Trail Section 1
After 20 years (or so I'm told) the earlier bridge washed out in a huge rain in November. It might have been the most substantial bridge on the whole Falls Lake Trail. The old bridge used to go under water by as much as two feet and large logs and debris would get hung up in the railings. So the bridge turned into a dam and finally gave way and was swept downstream coming to rest in the middle of the creek with debris piled up on it.
On January 6 a volunteer crew led by John French came in and sawed apart the old bridge and got it out of the creek. You perhaps saw the wreckage on the side of the trail.
Meanwhile, I did a new design that raised the bridge by two feet and was as sturdy as possible. The Corps paid for the materials and after three days of transporting wood and concrete (four round trips due to weight), and lots of measuring, drilling and sawing, it was time for the first phase of construction - the end piers and the beams.
On the MST workday on January 16, a volunteer crew and I walked in the materials (including 1,100 lbs of concrete!) and got started. What you saw is the conclusion of the first day's construction. Quite an undertaking.
I'm currently drilling, sawing and transporting the remaining materials. There is another workday a week from now to finish up. Here is a little photo essay on the project so far.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576144181SfHuXd
It will be added to until the project is finished so check back.
On February 3, John French will be back with his crew to haul out the remains of the old bridge and dispose of it properly. Anyone got a big truck they want to loan?
Thanks for your work
Thank you to you and your crew for all your hard work. We, hikers, depend on you folks to keep us hiking.
Danny Bernstein
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