Building trails on your property - Delaware Gazette

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01-10-2019, 10:10
WhiteBlaze

Building trails on your property - Delaware Gazette

<a href="https://www.delgazette.com/opinion/73760/building-trails-on-your-property" target="_blank">Building trails on your property</a>  <font color="#6f6f6f">Delaware Gazette</font><p>Have you ever hiked the Appalachian Trail or one like it? One of the great pleasures is to enjoy a walk in the woods and fields without having to stumble t.</p>

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01-13-2019, 19:03
The Solemates

I built a disc golf course on my property. One could call it a trail I suppose.
01-13-2019, 19:27
Dogwood

Means well. The landscape designer/installer(that last title description says a lot) must not have heard about LNT Principles or is choosing to ignore them. How natural is the property going to be when humans start building trails for comfort and convenience? As a Landscape Designer myself I've come to recognize some of the best landscape designs and landscape installations are one's designed and undertaken with a light hand that cooperates with the environment instead of imposing man made artifacts and constructs upon it. The best landscape designs, in effect, can be the ones that don't look designed by man but none the less offer functionality and aesthetics.
01-14-2019, 07:03
4eyedbuzzard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogwood

Means well. The landscape designer/installer(that last title description says a lot) must not have heard about LNT Principles or is choosing to ignore them. How natural is the property going to be when humans start building trails for comfort and convenience? As a Landscape Designer myself I've come to recognize some of the best landscape designs and landscape installations are one's designed and undertaken with a light hand that cooperates with the environment instead of imposing man made artifacts and constructs upon it. The best landscape designs, in effect, can be the ones that don't look designed by man but none the less offer functionality and aesthetics.

I don't remember where I heard or read the following snippet regarding land and improvements (it was the pre-internet world): "Rarely is a building truly an aesthetic improvement on what God created." Or something like that. Probably owed to Frank Lloyd Wright (great architect - not so good structural engineer) or someone else from that school of architecture. Too often buildings and landscapes are simply perched or thrust upon the land, rather than integrated into it. On a flat tract lot in a subdivision of other boxes (like we see here in DFW), that's often pretty much all that is possible. But good design of buildings and landscape should "feel" at home with the land they are built on.
01-14-2019, 07:52
soilman

I have several trails on my property. One that I built is a .3 mile loop that I walk with the dogs about 15 times a day. I have constructed two bridges to cross ravines. The other trails follows logging roads and I maintain with the tractor and brush hog. I have named and signed these trails. I don't know how one "certifies" a trail.
01-14-2019, 10:35
soilman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogwood

Means well. The landscape designer/installer(that last title description says a lot) must not have heard about LNT Principles or is choosing to ignore them. How natural is the property going to be when humans start building trails for comfort and convenience? As a Landscape Designer myself I've come to recognize some of the best landscape designs and landscape installations are one's designed and undertaken with a light hand that cooperates with the environment instead of imposing man made artifacts and constructs upon it. The best landscape designs, in effect, can be the ones that don't look designed by man but none the less offer functionality and aesthetics.

I don't understand how you can build a trail and Leave No Trace. By definition a trace is "a path, trail, or road made by the passage of animals, people, or vehicles." If you followed LNT principles when building a trail one would not be able to find the path. The AT is full of man made artifacts; rock steps, water bars, blazes, cribbing, puncheon, etc.
01-14-2019, 12:58
Starchild

Quote:

Originally Posted by soilman

I don't understand how you can build a trail and Leave No Trace. By definition a trace is "a path, trail, or road made by the passage of animals, people, or vehicles." If you followed LNT principles when building a trail one would not be able to find the path. The AT is full of man made artifacts; rock steps, water bars, blazes, cribbing, puncheon, etc. 

Then you don't know what LNT is. It is not what it sounds like, it includes things like trail building and maintenance. Even in backpacking we are allowed to leave traces, such as human waste properly buried. But the larger traces is left for those who have the training and authorization to do so. LNT is not meant to isolate us from the wilderness, it is designed for those who don't know much about how to protect our natural lands to tread as lightly as possible, and those who know more, and have official recognition to do so to be more stewards of the land.
01-14-2019, 16:53
illabelle

I "built" trails on our property - collectively about one mile. But "built" isn't really the right word. About all I did was trim vines and branches out of the way. I didn't dig out trees and rocks or construct any drainage structures. I didn't clear it so that two people can walk side by side, I intentionally routed it up/down some steeper slopes, and I left most obstacles where I found them. Walking my trail requires you to lift your feet over fallen logs, duck under drooping vines or low branches, and turn sideways between two trees to avoid the poison ivy. My intent was to create a trail that we could use for convenient AT prep, while also giving us a way to more fully occupy our land - which I think is an important concept.

Our property is a 12.5 acre roughly square parcel with a mix of mature trees and younger growth in a thick perimeter. About 5 or 6 acres are cleared. My trail meanders in and out of the woods, through the orchard, across the field, and around the pond.

Down at the bottom of the hill is an area of young trees and opportunistic vines and weeds. The trail through this section is my Honeysuckle Wilderness. I even have a couple of warning signs like the HMW has.

Halfway up the hill is a small clump of peaceful pines. Down by the road are historic artifacts (really just trash dumped by someone decades ago). Near the upper fenceline is a large black walnut with a bench to sit in the edge of the woods and contemplate life. Furthest from the road is the remains of a homestead. Nothing there but an old cistern covered over with a piece of tin and a few non-native plants.

If you came to visit, I'd invite you to join me for a walk. :)
01-14-2019, 20:43
Dogwood

I maybe shouldn't have mentioned LNT. My bad. Dont mean to derail the topic. The jury is instructed to disregard the testimony of the witness. :D