Re: Exploring more of the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Grades...

I've come across several box culverts still working after 90+ years unattended in the woods. I'd say the ones you find are more likely usable than failed.

Continuing our trip: I followed the grade around a curve and discovered a huge Red Fir tree left behind by the logging operation:


This is by far the biggest tree out in this area of the forest. I'd guess it was struck by lightning and stunted and thus would not provide enough usable timber, but has since grown out two main trunks.

Just beyond the huge Red Fir tree was the largest rock wall I've seen on any of the MSP grades:

It's a little hard to see in the shadows, but the wall is about 15 feet tall and about 50 feet long.You could call it the Pallisades of the MSP.

Just beyond the rock wall was an area where a shelf and cut were blasted out of the hillside:

This is probably where all of the material for the rock wall originated.

Interestingly, there are no blasting powder cans left behind. In other parts of the MSP woods the black powder cans are the most abundant artifact. In this area there's very little in the nature of debris. One possibility is the MSP was chided in the early 1920's by the Forest Service for leaving a mess behind when they completed their logging operations so maybe this was their attempt at being a little cleaner...

Hiking about 1/4 mile further, the grade curved around to the west and then entered a saddle:


To be continued...