The other week I got to witness the biggest thing in the forest, a Tigercat mulcher! I had contracted this machine and it's operator to clear a five mile stretch of trail on the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest. This trail, tentatively called the Underground Line Trail, stretches from Rt. 618 all the way across the forest to the new Carter Taylor Parking area near the intersection of Andersonville Road and Francisco Road. The Tigercat performed this task in just a few short hours. Although the trail had some existing cleared areas from when it was maintained as a phone line right of way, it had become vastly overgrown. The machine used it's powerful mulching head to grind grass, trees, and woody debris to make a 10+ foot wide trail.
It was spellbinding to watch this large machine work. I apologize that I could not get a better action shot but this machine required a lot of caution while in operation. Even standing several hundred feet behind the machine, it was not unusual to hear the occasional rock go zinging through the trees nearby.
The trail still needs a bit of work to give proper height clearance for users and to clear around some stream areas where the machine could not cross. Otherwise it is currently passable and open for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. There are no signs or blazing for this trail as of yet but if you stay in a straight line you can hardly go wrong. This is currently a straight line trail but I am working on getting some old logging roads bushhogged so that loops can be made.
I will of course let everyone know when this trail is "officially" open but in the meantime if you are out there, take a chance and check it out, and let me know what you think.
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