A Problem Solved on the GHT
On our Tuesday morning GHT ride, the Middle Bees encountered a bit of problem at the top of the Hammock. The previous night’s thunderstorm brought down a large laurel oak, which carried with it a second large laurel oak. The two oaks completely blocked the trail.
I figured “Fine. We will just walk our bikes through the woods to get around the trees.” However, it tuned out that the undergrowth along that part of the trail was impassable due to heavy brush and vines.
After a bit of head scratching, we discovered an opening where the large branches flared out from main tree trunks sufficiently to allow a person to walk though. It involved much twisting, turning, and stepping over or between the big branches such that one person would have difficulty getting a bike through the opening. We solved the problem by the bucket brigade method . . . we stationed a person every few feet thoughout the opening and then simply passed our bicycles through hand to hand. Mission accomplished!
We repeated the process on the return from Hawthorne, where we met a park ranger on the other side of the trees. She said the blockage should be cleared of within a day or so.