Talk:Brew Hut Trail Upgrade

Some Questions that need to be answered by consensus

What sort of trail do we want

• Wide or narrow?
• Should we clear more than the minimum number of trees for better skiing?
• Should it be gently graded or steep?
• Should steep sections have switchbacks?
• Should it be built for summer use, or only for skiing & showshoeing?
• Do we want to put up a big sign at the trailhead?

Sign would be good so more people use the trail, and snowmobiles are less likely to win over the Brew Lake area.

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I think that the new route is best suited to be just a winter route for now. There are some sections that may be boggy or swampy which would make build a good summer trail more difficult. This strategy will also require less trailbuilding work in the near term, allowing the construction of the new hut to take priority. Summer access can continue to be from the existing Brew Lake Trail, although I think hiking that route would take longer than the new route.

Scott Nelson 16:42, 10 Feb 2005 (EST)

What is to be done about marking a route from Brew Lake to the hut

• Should this route be marked at all?
  • Stone cairns are good in summer, but useless in winter

What do we do about access from the existing Trails

• Should they be fixed up, maintained in their current condition or abandonned?
• Should the Brandywine route be upgraded to a proper trail for the section that is presently a bushwack. If this is done, will people actually use it?

What is the best way to access the Brew Hut during construction?

Western Forest Products has offered us a key to the gate on their road for the construction of the hut. However, it's hard to say if this access route would be faster than coming up from Brandywine.

Trail permit and regulations

I suspect that the club doesn't have a trail permit. Under the Forest Practices Code there is a clear distinction between a trail and a route. What we want to build is a route. The MOF has already been after us once (Phelix) when we were talking about building a trail to the cabin and threated a lawsuit. After reading the regulations we realized that we were building a route. Difference? A trail entails moving dirt, cutting live trees (I believe greater than 10 cm in diameter at breast height) and building bridges. These are things the club cannot do when building the route.