Submitted by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance
The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance would like to thank Xander Michaels (top middle, green shirt) for building a beautiful Adirondack style lean-to at the Grafton Forest as his Eagle Scout project. Xander did a tremendous amount of work on research, planning, finding donations of materials and help, and managing the work on this project. Rynard Gundrum (bottom middle) of Gundrum Lumber not only donated the specially cut logs and lumber but allowed the scouts from Troop 526 of Averill Park to first fabricate the lean-to at his mill and then transported all the materials to the site a mile into the woods. Rynard also invited his friends, Trevor Jewett, Tom Kiely (bottom left) and Alan Hasbrouck.
Trevor, owner of Stone Mountain Builders, came to help fabricate the lean-to. “I told Rynard I could only stay for the morning because I had other things to do but I was so impressed by Xander and the Scouts I wound up staying all day.” We are very grateful to have people like Rynard and Trevor in the community. We thank them, Xander, Troop 526, and all others that donated or helped build this beautiful lean-to.
The lean-to is located about a mile in from the parking area at the end of Stuffle Street in Grafton. The Grafton Forest is open to the public for hiking, skiing, biking, hunting, fishing, bird watching and snowmobiling. For more information, including a trail map, go to http://www.rensselaerplateau.org/gundrum-land.