It's Murphy's Law, I swear. Never fails.

Out on the AT doing trail maintenance a week ago, my crew and I came to the end of my section, near the end of a busy and tiring day, and found one more tree that needed clearing.

It was a 15-inch spruce tree a few feet in from the shore of East Carry Pond. Internal rot had visibly weakened the tree at a point about eye level, and it was starting get a pretty good lean to it. Toward the trail. Not good.

It had to go. So I cranked up the chainsaw and started in on it.

The cutting was going pretty smoothly and I was most of the way through when the chain decided to come flying off, fortunately leaving my exposed hand intact.

Of course, did I happen to pack the tool for opening up the side of the saw and putting the chain back on so I could finish the job? Noooooooooooooo!

So now I have a big spruce tree half sawed through in a more dangerous position than when a I found it a few minutes earlier. And no chainsaw. Two miles from the truck and late in the day.

Great!

What to do?

Well, first off, laugh a little and then curse a little.

Then the MacGyver's in the group started in.

We pushed at it, hoping to knock it over. Uh huh. Right.

We hacked at it with Chris's hand axe.

We sawed at it some more with my buck saw.

We hacked some more.

We pushed some more.

We grumbled a bit more.

But the damn tree wouldn't fall over.

Finally, we hacked and sawed and pushed and shoved til the tree moved off its stump. And ended up standing straight up in the middle of the trail!

And that's right where we left it for the night...

And returned first thing in the morning (in the rain), where John made quick work of it with his big saw. The spruce tree was no more, and my section of trail was now officially clear.

Whew! Trail maintenance is some fun I tell ya.