Watching the grass grow taller every passing day, I very much have wanted to get all of the trails cleared, as the longer I waited, the harder it would be.  All that was holding me was the nesting birds; I know that when I am a parent, if Big Bird comes through the nursery with a weed whacker, Oscar and the Snufalupugus will be shy one friend.  As the hatching progressed I was able to get three trails open, but the North Trail, also the longest, remained shut.

Look to the NW, a view not seen yet this summer

 Today I was willing to wait no longer.  I got my gear, Darcy came along to protect me from the vicious gulls, and I went to.  Three hours, one gallon of gas, and about twenty four feet of cutter line later, I had savaged the undergrowth on the north end, and stopped only 50’ short of the termination point, due to an overheating Stihl Weed Cutter.  Darcy & I were covered head to toe in clippings, I was bleeding from thorns coming off the cutter head at 90mph and sticking into my legs, and the gulls were spun into a frenzy.  But the North Trail, for the most part, is open.  The Loop part of it seems to be lost to overgrowth, but I’m gonna find it or cut a new one in the next couple of days.

Aside from trail maintenance we were kept busy entertaining the thirty-odd guests who came to see us today.  One group anchored their 46’ ketch to come ashore, but thoughtfully found a holding ground between the NE point of the island and Seguin Ledges, where they wouldn’t be anywhere near the cable.  If you are reading this, you know who you are, THANK YOU.  That is the way to anchor at Seguin.

At the North Point of the island, watching a fisherman ply his trade

The weather stayed pleasant all day, overcast for the most part, but warm enough I took a swim to wash off the detritus of trail work before lunch.  The wind was NE’ly most of the day, veering to E’ly this evening.  The barometer is holding steady around 29.88”, and we’re expecting clearer weather tomorrow.