The lowest log in each wall sticks out from the rest to
make a seat. Here Ken cuts this off to the proper length. Prior to this,
we'd called it the "shin buster lean-to". Notice the tongues
on the top of this tongue-and-groove log: they have to be removed next.
Ken trims the tongues off the top side of the bottom log.
Margaret and Connie install pegs in the wall beneath the shelves (which they also put up). There are more pegs on the outside walls for hanging packs and other gear. Hikers really appreciate little ammenities like these.
Ray (a rural mailman) installs a homey touch--a mailbox!
He added a flag to it later.
The construction is finished; all that's left is to spray
it with a wood preservative. The group, from left to right, includes Ray,
Matt, Ken, Margaret, Connie, and Howard. Not shown are Mark, Bob, Joe,
Jennifer, Jack, and Dave, who had gone home earlier in the week.
Howard applies a coat of protective sealer. This stuff
was so caustic that it ate right through his rubber gloves and it destroyed
the seals on the sprayer he was using, even though it was made for applying
deck sealers!
Here is the completed lean-to, complete with a fire ring
(on the left).
This would be the first glimpse that a westbound hiker
on the Finger Lakes Trail would get of the lean-to. What a welcome sight
after a long day's hike. Thanks again to Carl States (the landowner) for
his generosity!
