Early this fall following our summer retreats, the Tsegyalgar Gakyil initiated the first phase of clearing the proposed road between Lower and Upper Khandroling. A small crew including Joe Zurylo, Nary Mitchell, Vern and Ben Harrington, our geko, David Hayes chain sawed away the perimeter of the road through the forest and then chipped the debris, thus saving thousands of dollars of additional costs before the road excavation even began. This preliminary work took about 6 weekends for the crew to finish. Most of the crew also worked during the week on the Vajra Hall.
Recently, I managed to catch the excavators on a gorgeous day in early December as they finalized the road especially a steep portion which required dump truck loads of gravel and earth. The road itself is stunning with a wide gentle slope through a fine hardwood forested area. Traversing this road allows individuals to experience the beauty of the forest on Lower Khandoling.There is something magical about these parts as anyone knows who has been here.
Midway up the road, there is a divergence to the RIGHT if you are walking UP from East Buckland Road on Lower Khandroling or to the LEFT if you are walking down from Barnes Road near Upper Khandroling (across from the Colonel's pond). At this juncture, a path or old logging road leads one to the Mary Lyon parking lot or to another path that heads down to the Lower Khandroling farmhouse.
One of the most important aspects of this project is to have a road that does not disturb our Khandroling neighbors on Barnes Road leading up to the retreat land. During high impact times like organized retreats, the neighbors in the past have been subjected to dust and traffic on a road they generally covet as being very low impact. Now we are able to come and go without disturbing them during high impact times. Although slow to develop, it's been worthwhile to consider carefully the location of this road for maximum use such as allowing for additional parking areas along the way and rest places to enjoy the woods.
As ever, thank you to all those who offered their energy to make this project happen!
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