Portland NEMBA has assisted the layout and cutting of a new trail in the Blackstrap Hill Community Forest off of Hurricane Road. The current trail is only 0.7 mi long, but the first section of this cuts through ledge and took a bit of rock hauling and bench cutting. The trail is accessed via the powerline and immediately moves along the ledge, then crosses a beautiful little creek. The trail then swings down low before rising again to cut through more ledge. A tight series of switchbacks carries the trail back down the hill. The trail then follows a shallow ravine moving through patches of deciduous and hemlock, before crossing the ravine using an old skidder trail. The trail then turns back uphill, snakes through a striped maple patch ad makes a sharp U-turn to flow back downhill on the edge of a deeper ravine. The trail ends at another skidder trail crossing. The goal is to cross this ravine then meander back uphill before intersecting with an old logging road that will return the hiker/runner/biker/snowshoer back to the trailhead. The last section will be completed this weekend or next. Then next summer there is another section of the forest that we will add a loop of trail. Hooking up the two loops will be difficult as there is a very, very deep ravine between the sections of forest.
For those running Blackstrap Hell II, the race will end using this new trail.
Sweeeeeeeeeet.
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