Log 2013100401

I haven't written a log in 6 days.  With out looking, I'd say my entries have probably been sparse.  I check out of Basecamp Golf and am now checked back in at Basecamp Foxtrot at Mary Jane Thurston State Park in Grand Rapids of Wood County.  There is some question as to how long I can stay here because the park is scheduled to fill up sometime around the Apple Butter Festival on 13 October.

I may be loosing brake fluid in squirts.  I noticed this on gravel when I pulled in to a parking area earlier.

On my way down from Harrison Lake, I stopped to reinspect the lower Defiance segment of the Defiance Section. This is some road and three portions of off-road along the old Miami and Erie Canal.  I've done a bunch of work on it already, but with those 9 fallen trees in the way and having to cut them with a hand saw, it's making the work come out to be a bit lengthy.  And like the work done in the Athens Unit, it's difficult to plan and prioritize the work load in a way that I can perform it in one sweeping motion.  Today on the Lower Defiance Segment,  I made a note of every thing that still needs to be done and I hope that I can do it more quickly.

I think I have about 5 downed trees left.  A couple days ago, I groomed the on to off-road aperture.  There was two or three young growth apple trees, whose canopy's had crashed and impeded the trail's 7 foot ceiling.  I had to clear quite a bit of them.

Otherwise, I'm seeing pruning and blazing on about two miles or so of the off-road Buckeye/ North Country National Scenic Trail.  The north portion looks the best.  It's worst is about 0.5mi of overgrowth in the center. 

Log 2013090501

There's a couple sources of light polution, but so it seems like all the stars are clustered over my head.  Like someone put it there as chandelier. The big dipper is directly north across the Maumee River just above the horizon.
I established Basecamp Foxtrot today at Mary Jane Thurston State Park.  I think this is my second time here. And amenity wise, it's more like my least favorite campground so far. There are porta potties and one outdoor shower. I guess I can consier myself lucky to have electric at all.  But it has a great view of the Maumee.
I set the tent up, but I'm really not liking how the poles have no side clips and the bow when I try to put the rain cover on.  I have plastic steaks at the moment and they're not doing a good job at keeping the tent walls straight. And even when the poles are through their sleeves, the top tie must be secure before they  stabilize.
I drove to the unincorporated community of Junction in Paulding County to an intersection known as Defiance Section - Buckeye Trail, pt. 1 and started using my smartphone to plot waypoints for opportunities to park my car and trailer. 
So this is upcoming on my addenda for the next 9 days... First is to fix my GPS Records and organize them for upload.  The Defiance Section has just recently been rerouted.  So, I have adjust its point numbers and hand draw the trail on my paper map.  Second is finish 20 miles of the near by North Country Trail on its way to Michigan.  Once I get that done, when I sweep the BT, which the portions remaining are NCT concurrent, I'll get my BT Circuit Hike and North Country Ohio patch.  Right now, the plan is for that to happen in Mt. Orab of Brown County.
The third is to maintain 40 miles of the Defiance Section. I'm not sure if I'll get all of it done, but I'm authorized to perform mantenance in Defiance and Henry Counties on said section.  Now, I've been advised to stay out of Lucas County.  Apparently Toledo Metroparks doesn't let Buckeye maintain the trail through its jurisdiction without supervision from one of their employees.
The Defiance runs almost entirely off-road on the heel and towpath of the Miami & Erie Canal.  They are not within the jurisdiction of the Miami & Erie State Trail (MEST).  Who actually owns these... I don't know.