With 3 inches of snow on the ground and more falling, IATNL Chairperson Paul Wylezol and trail workers Caroline Swan, Katie Broadhurst, Curtis Payne, Tyler Grant, David Simms and Trent Foster set out late one October afternoon across Parsons Pond for a week of trail work inside Western Brook Gulch and Parsons Pond Inner Pond. Their intrepid ferrymen were Randy Parsons and Victor Goosney, who ferried them to their cabins at Middle Brook, Parsons Pond.
Day Two began with a beautiful sunrise across a full blue October sky, and a short paddle around the mouth of Middle Brook to reach the Devil Bite Trail’s southern trailhead, which leads into Western Brook Gulch of Parsons Pond.
By the end of the week the crew had cut within 2 days of their ultimate destination: “Piss Pot Pond” above the inside valley, where last year’s crew finished up after being flown into Five Island Pond.
In addition to Western Brook Gulch, the trail crew took advantage of a dreary drizzly day to stay close to camp and work above Parsons Pond Inner Pond, using brushcutters to trim back low growth along barren sections of trail.
The fall foliage was a blaze of orange and gold, with the distant snow covered mountaintops serving as a dramatic backdrop for both flora and fauna.
All in all it was a fantastic week in the wilds, with that rare blend of full autumn foliage and early winter snow.
To view more photos from Western Brook Gulch and Parsons Pond Inner Pond go to IATNL Flickr…
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