Last friday, a few friends and myself drove out to RASTA which is a network of backcountry trail systems located at Brandon Gap in the Green Mountains. We took on the expedition in search of possible areas to backcountry ski near the college.  This particular mountain spot is going to be perfect. With roughly 1,500 ft of elevation gain, an impressive temperature change, and several wide glade style downhill trails, Brandon Gap could be a gamechanger.  Backcountry skiing, while requiring a hefty initial investment, ends up saving hundreds of dollars throughout a season due to pricy lift tickets.  Having a place so near to skin up is an incredible resource, but it begs the question, how do trails affect the topography of an area?  As we hiked up I noticed two major faults in the construction and maintenance of the trail.  Before I go on I want to say I am by no means complaining about such a valuable resource-just iterating two issues that may cause issues in the future. These issues also happen to be extremely problematic in the Adirondacks.  Both the trail network at Brandon Gap and trails in the Adirondacks can have negative effects on the surrounding ecosystems if the trails are built straight upward instead of a traverse style, and if large obstacles such as fallen trees are not promptly removed.  

In some of the early sections of the hike, we encountered some very steep uphill trails.  These sections were all narrow, but clear of any natural obstacles.  The first thing we noticed was that water was running down these trails, even though it was not raining.  On days when it does rain, these trails turn into narrow streams of gushing water. This quickly becomes an issue during the warmer months because the trail and its immediate surroundings experience significant erosion.  The erosion on this trail was especially evident toward the bottom where we started.  Large pools of water and piles of soil meant that the running water was carrying soil and nutrients to the bottom of the trail from where they had nowhere to go.  In the upper sections of the trail however, we encountered mostly traverses.  Traverses are better not only for the topography of an ecosystem, but they also last much longer without need of repair.  This is because the amount of erosion is much lower. When erosion is not as much of an issue, trailbuilders are able to spend much less time adding soil and rocks to the trail bed so that hikers can get footholds.  

While trees or rocks falling onto a trail are not a huge issue by themselves, the problems are compounded by human laziness. Instead of walking over the tree and therefore staying on the created trail, people walk around falled trees.  In doing so, a new side trail is created around the obstacle. Over time, this is a major cause of trail widening. This becomes an issue because a trail that only needs to be six feet wide ends up being twenty feet across, thus encroaching on wildlife territory.  Over time, trail systems begin to take up way too much space for no good reason.  Fallen trees can be especially bad during the winter because uphill skiers cannot go over, they must travel around, and in the process destroy wildlife. When trailbuilders keep these issues in mind, they can not only preserve more wildlife, but also decrease the necessity for constant trail maintenance. 

Council, Adirondack. “Overuse Degrades Adirondack High Peaks Trails: Redesigning and Rebuilding Trails Can Help Solve Problem.” Adirondack Council, https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/blog-139/news/overuse-degrades-adirondack-high-peaks-trails–redesigning-and-rebuilding-trails-can-help-solve-problem-1166.html. 

USGS. “Sustainably Designed Trails: Recent Recreation Ecology Findings on Design Factors Affecting Soil Loss.” Sustainably Designed Trails: Recent Recreation Ecology Findings on Design Factors Affecting Soil Loss, https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pwrc/science/sustainably-designed-trails-recent-recreation-ecology-findings-design-factors.