October Trailblazer Report
By Katrinka Westendorf
Over the summer the Trailblazers Committee was out on several trails in the community and addressed light maintenance issues in the more wooded areas . Trails we worked on were in Woodridge , Balmoral / Hamptons , and Pinehurst .
At the July work session , the group visited the Cardinal View trail on the east side of Woodridge Village , and concentrated on the northern / eastern part of the loop . We had worked on the entire trail late last year , but we were not able to completely weed-whack this back section of trail . In July , this section received a good dose of weed-whacking and pruning — the sides of the trail and in the trail bed — including cutting back invasives that were threatening to overtake the pathway . A small tree and attached limb that was overhanging the trail was also removed . “ Litter abatement ” ( aka trash removal ) took place where needed .
In August we took on the Balmoral / Hamptons Trail on a sunny , hot , and humid day . Here again , we concentrated on the back part of the Balmoral Trail — near the stone chimney and foundation — and worked back toward the trailhead off Eaglehead Drive in the front part of Hamptons Village . The foundation area received a heavy-duty amount of weed-whacking and pruning . As the picture shows , the vegetation was tamed and the details of the chimney and foundation area are more visible now . The “ hiker-only ” trail section from the multi-use Hamptons Trail down to signposts # 11 and # 12 was reopened and marked . A small tree that was across the path leading toward Balmoral Overlook ( on the multi-use trail section ) was cut up and removed . We wish to thank the LLA Maintenance Staff for earlier removing a large blowdown on the multi-use trail near the two wooden bridges . It was reported by Trailblazers and quickly disposed of .
October is a great time to get out on the trails and enjoy the fall colors we typically have in our area . After the extremely dry and hot summer we have experienced , it is questionable as to the extent of beautiful and varying hues we will see . Hopefully , we will be treated to a nice array of colors in mid to late October . Suggested trails to visit might be : Aspen Trail , Balmoral / Hamptons Trails , Indian Caves Trail , Pinehurst / Lake Anita Louise Trails and the several trails in the Woodridge area . ENJOY !!
For more information about the Trailblazers Committee and volunteer opportunities helping us maintain the LLA trails , check us out on the Lake Linganore website , or contact Trailblazers vis email at LLATrialblazers @ gmail . com .
____________________________ LakeTalk October 2023 29