Highland Rim's September 7 Hike at Tims Ford State Park

Michael and Stephanie Brice, Joan Hartvigsen, Valerie Galan(Murfreesboro), Jackie and Sidney Sexton attended.

Six volunteers met at the parking lot at SSNA at 9:00AM to work in the park.  Joan Hartsvigsen and Pat Bigbee left and cut brush from the corridor of Machine Falls Trail from the entrance counter clock wise to Adams Fall Trail junction. 

Tom Hartsvigsen, Rob Moreland, Bryan Webb and Wally Bigbee went to 

build some stairs on the Machine Falls Trail steep slope going down 

into the gorge. Wally opened the gate and everyone went with the jeep and a loaded trailer on the Tower Trail to Machine Falls Trail and on just beyond the Connector Trail junction.

We unloaded the equipment and part of the materials and carried them

75 yards down to the first step site.  The largest items were the rented electric generator and the hammer drill.  After applying "Liquid Nails to joints, a stringer was connected to 7 x 8 x 24 inch blocks with nails and deck screws.  The other stringer was applied. 

Rob was our generator operator. Holes had been pre-drilled in the tread blocks and holes were drilled in the rock to match them. It took about 5 minutes to drill each 5" deep 1/2" hole.  Tom mixed  epoxy glue that he placed in the holes and on the rods.  The blocks were put in place and the rods inserted.  A hole was drilled in the upper part of left side stringer and into the side rock.  A rod was coated with epoxy and hammered through the stringer and into the rock. The stair was steady and solid with no motion on testing.  The right side stringer was left long so that newel posts and a hand rail can be added later.  We disconnected the trailer and got the jeep turned around, loaded up and left feeling good about our morning's work.

Wally Bigbee, work day coordinator