Manual Labor

Last weekend Kent and Lynn, our resident-volunteer neighbors, asked if we would help out on a weekend project. They are maintenance volunteers and were leading a group of volunteer college students to demolish a rotted bridge over a wetland on the Heron Flats Trail. Lynn and Kent needed someone to drive the UTVs that would haul out the debris as well as passengers. Ellen and I were supposed to get UTV training last week, so we agreed to help, even though it was one of our days off. Unfortunately, our UTV training was postponed, so we weren't able to do the driving.

Since we had already volunteered, we would be reassigned to other tasks, mainly manual labor. The students hadn't been checked out on power tools, so I spent the morning behind a reciprocating saw cutting down the bridge stringers, while Kent and another volunteer kept ahead cutting off the deck planking. Ellen was not so lucky, she hauled old and dirty lumber out of the swamp along with the students. It wasn't too swampy for most of the area of the boardwalk but an alligator had taken up residence in a pool about 30 feet away and kept an eye on the comings and goings all day.

After lunch, Kent checked out some of the students on the power saws and they finished cutting down the boardwalk. This meant that both Ellen and I hauled lumber. By the end of the day, we were totally spent. While the students waited for the van to take them back to the residence area, we took a short-cut back along the Rail Trail and beat them to the showers. What's that famous quote? Old age and treachery beats youth and skill every time.

Bridge Demolition Photos