Photos: Wildwood Park trail repair work

Posted September 20, 2012

Charlie Dundas watches another crew member use a chain saw to cut up a tree during trail repair work at Wildwood Park. Photo by Nancy Kent

Nancy Kent of Radford shares these photos and writes:

This roving photographer just happened to be in Wildwood Park yesterday when Charlie Dundas and his Tri State Company crew were working to repair damage to an upper trail.

While keeping a close eye on the work and lending a hand when necessary, Charlie explained that the Caterpillar Excavator was just the right size and had just the right attachments to get the job done. It is small enough to drive along the trail and powerful enough to drill through rock and to uproot small trees. I saw the bucket being used to scoop out and level dirt and covered my ears as the jack-hammer chunked out rock. Mr. Dundas is just the right man for the job because he supervised and built the upper trails in the Park and constructed the Middle Footbridge, the Grand Staircase and other steps and paths.

In the first photo, Charlie Dundas (white beard) watches from behind the Excavator as its operator uses the bucket to fell a small tree. In the next photo, he watches another crew member use a chain saw to cut up the tree. In the last photo, the Excavator has been fitted with a jack-hammer to cut out rock. Charlie had come across the trail to stand beside me and provide explanations of the progress. These workers try to protect the natural beauty of the slope while making it accessible to hikers. And I learned a lot about how they manage to make it happen.