Yesterday was about deconstructing the old footbridge that stretched across one arm of the 10 acre pond at Spring Canyon in western Gadsden County, Florida. The pond was created by the Greensboro Baptist Church back in the ‘60s when permits were not needed and folks did whatever they damn well pleased. It’s fed by a series of steephead ravines and seepage streams and becomes Crooked Creek that feeds into Flat Creek that runs in the Apalachicola River midway thru its 112 mile run from the Georgia border to the Gulf of Mexico.
My friends Helen and Tom have been restoring 50 acres of upland to a natural Longleaf pine habitat by cutting back the encroaching hardwoods and thru prescribed burning. They started in 2011, not knowing much, learning tons and working hard, and now it’s recognized and admired by several state and conservation organizations. I’ve been lucky that I got to know them and help.
The location:
Looking at the cover photo, the old footbridge was halfway down the pond on the left (the north side) where a seepage stream fed in to the main current. The new bridge is about 100’ upstream from the old at a crossing Ms. Helen felt would do the least damage. It’s a small stream, about 2-3” deep and one could easily step across it. Bordering the stream in the soggy ground is sphagnum moss, various grasses, ferns and trees like Mountain Laurel, Sourwood, Wild Olive, and Wax Myrtle, among others.
The lumber:
After seeing how fast the big-box treated lumber on the footbridge rotted in only 6 years, Ms. Helen learned about the state prison-run business known as PRIDE. They produce all kinds of items throughout the state. I remember PRIDE binders from my days as a state office worker. It was mandatory to buy from them. So they also have a lumber yard in north FL and deliver all across the state. The pine (probably Slash) is better treated and should last longer. It’s rough cut so a 4x6” board is actually 4x6”, not 3½ by 5½, which makes it much easier to figure the design.
Why a bridge here and why so big?
The pond and streams divide the 100 acres into 4 sections. The access road and parking is NW. Crossing the southside dam and going up one sandhill gets to the SW. Access to the large SE section is thru a neighbors’ property (friends from TNC Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve who are restoring 150 acres of former Sandpines.) The NE section could only be reached by crossing the old footbridge. Getting equipment there for prescribed burns or emergencies is the reason for a UTV-capable puncheon bridge. UTV is basically a work version of ATV — some call them goats or mules depending on brand.
Prepwork:
Once a 20’ path thru the trees was cleared, we started the process of laying out the 6 puncheons. Each are 12’ wide, the length of the 4x6” lumber. The puncheon closest to the stream and lowest point uses two 4x8” on the bottom for stability. Sand was set as a base, then 12” square pavers. Puncheons were spaced 12’ apart and leveled as best as possible. That took several days. Helen and I then carried down a few boards to get an idea of how it will look.
Build day:
December 9 was finally the day. Along with Tom and Helen and their son, there’s the fabulous Mike T, Tom’s work buddy Gary, and a useless sick me that didn’t want to stay home in bed and miss it all. It took 4 guys to carry the heavy timbers down and thru the muck using some antique log handlers. I sat and watched but did do some drilling for the lag bolts.
At this point they sent me home so I missed the rest of the bolting, the way they put in boards at either end to get up and on to planks, the 2x4s that ran along the edges and the chance to sit back and enjoy the completion.
Ok, 10 am already so I’m gonna finish this quick and get it published. Hope it makes sense and see ya in the comments!
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