HIKING & PADDLING NEWS

Contents

• Next Two Months at a Glance
• Hiking
• Paddling
• For The Record

HIKING

BAYS MOUNTAIN PARK - CANCELLED
Leader: Jerry Cunningham
Difficulty: Easy

A.T. DAYHIKES - NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
(Scheduled for 12 - 22 May 94)
Leader: Kevin Edgar (615.239.5742)
Rating: Difficult
This will be a series of moderate to long day hikes covering nearly the entire New York/New Jersey section of the A.T., from the scenic Delaware Water Gap to N.Y. 22, near the Connecticut border.  At this time of year we should enjoy spring flowers and pleasant temperatures as we cover this portion of the mid-Atlantic A.T.  The grades will be mostly moderate, but we'll cover between 13 and 20 miles each day.  Though population presses close to the trail in parts of this section, the trail also passes through exceptionally pretty spots like High Point State Park in northwest New Jersey, above Greenwood Lake on the New York/New Jersey border, and through Harriman State Park in southern New York state.  The views from Bear Mountain include New York City (from a safe distance) on clear days.  Join us for some enjoyable hiking in the wilds of New Jersey and the outback of New York!  Call Kevin Edgar for further info.

BIKE HIKE - VIRGINIA CREEPER -POSTPONED
(Scheduled for 14 May 94)
Leader: E. Montgomery (615.357.8721)
Contact trip leader for details.

DAMASCUS A.T. DAYS
(Schedule for Sat, 14 May 94)
Leader: Steve Perri
Damascus A.T. Days will be held on Saturday May 14 in Damascus, Virginia.  This is the 8th annual celebration of the festival which is to celebrate the arrival of through-hikers from Springer Mountain.  A number of activities will be held in town including: crafts and art demonstrations, storytelling, hikers' talent show, and other contests.  Food and music is also a common place at the festival.  At 1:30 PM, everyone meets at the town hall to prepare for the hikers parade which is routed through the town of Damascus.  Our club has been asked to lead a hike which will be led by me from Damascus to Backbone Rock.  The meeting location for the hike at 9:00 AM will be at the town hall as we will be setting up the club display there.

A.T. MAINTENANCE - U.S. 421 TO TENN. 91
(Scheduled for Sat, 16 April 94)
Leader: Kevin Edgar (615.239.5742)
We will be maintaining a moderate 6.9 mile section northeast of Elizabethton.   The section has some open fields and views, and includes the intersection with the Holston Mountain Trail.  We will be blazing, clipping, removing a few blowdowns, cleaning up the shelter area, and other assorted chores.  The wildflowers should be beautiful, the work worthwhile, and the company is always a joy as well.  Come join us if you can.  Old clothes, work gloves, lunch, water, and rain gear are highly recommended.  Call Kevin at if you plan to come so that we can arrange to have enough tools for everyone.  For more information on A.T. Days call the town hall at 703-475-3831 or 703-475-3405.  For more information on the hike or participation in the hikers parade, contact Steve Perri at 349-5091.

TEHCC THIRD SATURDAY MAINTENANCE
(Scheduled 3rd Saturday in each month)
Leader: Ted Malone (615.477.2222)
Rating: Safe and at a comfortable pace
We would like to complete two projects this weekend.  One is some easy trail rehab near Backbone Rock Trail intersection just south of the Tenn./Va. state line.   The soil in this area is soft and erosion has caused the trail to become narrow and unsafe to walk on so we need to restore it to the original width.  It's a nice hike to the work area and we'll probably be hiking more than working so we could call this a hike/work trip.  The other thing we need to do is a little repair work on one of our 15 shelters.  A five year project to get all of our shelters in good shape will end this year with a new roof on the Laurel Fork Shelter and the little project on the 21st.   Call me or Ed Oliver (615.349.6668) for details and don't forget.....if you can't make the Third Saturday and want to burn some calories or just want to get out, someone from the Club goes out almost every weekend.

A.T. - GRAYSON HIGHLANDS TO ELK GARDEN
(Scheduled for Sat, 21 May 94)
Leader: W. Jenkins (615.245.1932)
Rating: Moderate
Contact trip leader for details.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND TRIP ACROSS MARYLAND
(Scheduled for 27-30 May 94)
Leaders: C. Chew and G. Luttrell (615.239.9854)
This will be a 40 mile backpack on the Appalachian Trail covering Maryland from Pen Mar, Pennsylvania to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  This section is on even ridges of quartzite and greenstone with little up and down.  We will drive up Friday evening, 5/27, to stay in Harpers Ferry, and probably be driven to the trail at Pen Mar on Saturday morning.  We will backpack south for three days to Harpers Ferry and then drive home on Monday evening.  We will arrange cars and furnish food on a cost share basis.   We will stay in shelters and/or tents.  If interested, call Collins Chew or Garry Luttrell 615.239.9854.

A.T. - Pa. 501 to U.S. 11 - CANCELLED
(Scheduled for May 27 - June 3)
Leader: S. Banks (615.288.2646)
Anyone interested in hiking this section of the A.T. in 1994/1995 please contact Steve Banks.

WARRIORS PATH STATE PARK - POSTPONED
(Scheduled for Sat, 28 May 94)
Leader: John Thompson
Postponed to October 22.

MOUNT LECONTE (SMOKIES)
(Scheduled for Sat & Sun, 9-10 July 94)
Leader: Cris Moorehouse (615.246.7283)
The Hiking Club will repeat its annual assault of Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  We will hike up on Saturday, spend the night in two small cabins and hike back down on Sunday.  The distance is 5.5 to 7.8 miles one-way depending on the route.  The cost per person is $63.47.  This price covers supper on Saturday, lodging for the night and breakfast on Sunday.  The hike is rated moderate.  We only have reservations for eight so call in your request for reservations.  Because there are usually more people desiring to take this trip than there is room for, we will take reservation requests for one month then have a drawing to choose the winners.  Also, first chance will go to hikers who have attended a trail maintenance trip within the last year.  Contact the leader (246.7283) with your reservation request before June 1.

HIKE AND CANOE TRIP LEADERS NEEDED
(Steve Banks reporting)
It's time to prepare the TEHC schedule of hikes and canoe trips for the second half of 1994.  To continue our long tradition of offering a wide variety of outings, we need volunteer leaders.  Send your list of hikes to Steve Banks, B-284, and your list of paddling trips to Dewey Fuller, B-150B.  Include the name of the trip, date, rating (easy, moderate, or difficult), and your name and phone number.   It's not difficult to lead an outing - contact Steve or any member of the Steering Committee if you have any questions.

PADDLING

BLUESTONE RIVER-- XVI
(Scheduled for 7-8 May 94)
Rooms Reserved for 6-7 May
Leader: Terry Dougherty (615.323.2647)
Rating: Class I-II
This is a chance to enjoy Class I-II+ whitewater under very scenic conditions with overnight accommodations on the river at Mt. Creek Lodge.  Rooms are $45/night single and $6 for additional person.  Two night minimum required.  We'll canoe Sat. and Sun. and be off the river by about 2 PM.

LOWER NOLICHUCKY RIVER CLEAN UP
(Scheduled for Sat, 14 May 94)
Leader: Ed Montgomery (615.357.8721)
We'll hold our annual river cleanup on the Lower Nolichucky River on May 14.   We'll start at the Chestoa Recreation Area and finish at the Old U.S. 23 Sandy Bottom Bridge.  This is a 3 mile run; we may go longer if time allows.  We hope to concentrate on general river clean up and tire removal below Chestoa Bridge.  The free-flowing Nolichucky River is very special and we're lucky to have it in our backyard.  Please join us for this worth while activity.  Contact Ed Montgomery for details and sign up.

Canoe School 1994
(Scheduled for 19, 21-22 May 94)
Leader: Brad Dayvolt
The 22nd annual School of River Canoeing, sponsored by the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club in association with the APEs, will be held May 19, 21, 22.  The school is targeted for beginner/intermediate solo and tandem whitewater canoeists, and consists of an evening of lecture and video plus two river trips.  As in the past there will continue to be a strong emphasis on river safety.  Participants will be responsible for providing their own gear and transportation.  Refreshments will be provided at the end of both river trips.  The text for the course is BASIC RIVER CANOEING by McNair ($7.85 incl. tax).  This is an excellent book and can be purchased at the school or in advance at the Eastman Employee Center.

Minimum required gear: Whitewater canoe; one paddle per paddler plus one spare per boat; 1 life jacket per person; bow and stern lines.  Rain jacket.  Knee pads.   Lunch.  Change of clothes in a waterproof bag.

Schedule: May 19 (Thur): Lecture and films.  6:30-9:30 PM.  Eastman Employee Center, room 115.  May 21 (Sat): River Trip, class I-II.  9:00AM, B215 parking lot.  May 22 (Sun): River Trip, class I-II.  9:00AM, B215 parking lot.   Cost: $3 per student plus cost of text.  For additional information contact Brad Dayvolt.  To register complete and return the form below.

FOR THE RECORD

KEEPING THE TRAIL OPEN
(Ted Malone reporting)
1993 total hours: 7400 (Best Year Ever!!)
1994 hours to 12 March: 1267
1994 total hours to April 11: 2184 (includes 370 hours from Trail Adopters)
The hours just keep on going up and as you would expect, the results are proportional.   As Maintainers and Adopters send their reports to me I pass along the hours to Jeff Siirola who comes up with some interesting stats.  This year, 119 members have made 71 trips to either work on or plan for a maintenance trip.  For a total, we have had 307 members go out on the 71 events.  Another interesting stat Jeff sent me was that by this time last year we had spent 1750 hours on maintenance, we're 430 hours over that figure this year.  We have cleared all 125 miles of blowdowns except for a five mile section that will be taken care of by the time this is published.  The Bear Branch Bridge at Tull Oaks/Hwy 91 is finished.  We have a report of some tires and an old refrigerator just above it that needs to be removed.  Some members worked on the Oglesby Branch relocation.  The LAC meetings for the Pond Mountain Wilderness are almost over and I feel good about what we have accomplished there.  A lot of Maintenance Teams have been out and have reported new 'opportunity areas of improvement' and almost all have mentioned bringing back lots of trash....also in the reports are EXCELLENT comments from hikers they meet.

VIRGINIA CREEPER HIKE
6 March 94
(Ray Hunt reporting)
On this hike we went seven miles on the Virginia Creeper Trail from Watauga to Delmar, which is between Abingdon and Damascus.  Being on an old railroad bed, the trail is virtually flat, although it took eleven trestles to make it that way.  We walked through a mixture of woods and fields, and now and then close to a home.  The big town is Alvarado: three houses.  We were often near the Middle and South forks of the Holston River and the headwaters of South Holston Lake.

Six of us went on this hike: R. Hunt, B. Miller, W. Parham, K. Hall, E. and R. Dougherty.  The weather favored us.  It was cool and clear, with plain signs that spring was just ahead.  Other people liked it too.  We saw approximately 50 others on the trail, more bikers than hikers.  In spite of this, we did not see much litter.  That, plus the absence of obstructing growth and blowdowns, says that somebody is taking care of that trail.

WATAUGA LAKE HIKE
12 March 94
(Jim Mann reporting)
This 4 1/2 mile hike started at Watauga Dam Road and proceeded around the lake to Shook Branch Recreation Area on Highway 321.  The weather was cool and breezy at the first, but later warmed up and everyone seemed to have a good time.  Some of the hikers were treated to an unexpected surprise towards the end of the hike.  As they emerged from the woods, the came upon a fellow walking along the shore of Watauga Lake wearing nothing but his birthday suit!  Enjoying this hike were C. and S. Blankenbecker, S. Cadle, N. Eckert, A. Bachelor, C. Floyd, K., D., P., and J. Mann.

SOUTH BEYOND 6000 HIKE, PLOTT BALSAMS
26 Mar 93
(G. S. Luttrell reporting)
We spotted a car at Waterrock Knob parking lot, then returned to Soco Gap to begin the hike up a new route for qualifying the Plott Balsams.  The new route begins on a gated jeep road .3 mile east of Soco Gap on Highway 19.  The jeep road follows the ridge that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 3.0 miles, then ends.  The last .5 mile climb to the summit of Waterrock Knob is a bushwhack through briars.  After enjoying the views, lunch, and rest on Waterrock Knob, we followed a trail east toward Jones Knob.  On the east side of Browning Knob, the trail faded, and we again bushwhacked through briars for a short distance, until we regained a faint trail on the ridgeline to Jones Knob.  The trail opens up to a jeep road, then just before reaching Jones Knob, we saw the no trespassing signs that the Carolina Mountain Club mentioned in a recent newsletter.  By the time we reached the cross at Mt. Lyn Lowry, it was late afternoon, so we did not have enough time to go on to Plott Balsam.  We retraced our route across Jones Knob, then bushwhacked one last time to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to the car.  Those that qualified Waterrock Knob and Jones Knob as South Beyond 6000 peaks on this hike: G. Irick, D. Baker, E. Dougherty, O. Holbrook, L. West, D. Blakely, and G. Luttrell.

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN
9 April 94
(Rick Lott reporting)
We had nine folks who ventured out on this hike.  The original plans were aborted when we found the Highland Ski House at the Profile/Hwy 105 trailhead closed.   Instead of hiking west to east, we spotted two cars at the Profile trail head , went to the main entrance of Grandfather Mountain to purchase our permits and hiked east to west up the Daniel Boone Scout trail.  As we started, the weather was cool and fairly clear.  We had some nice views up to Flat Rock and then started getting into the clouds.  We ate lunch a couple hundred yards short of the Calloway peak summit, fearing that the summit would be too cold and Windy (good choice).  When we reached the summit, we were rewarded with a "could hardly see your hand in front of your face view" and a pretty stiff cold breeze.  Ice was still present along the trail at the top.  After savoring the summit for a few seconds, we headed down.  The descent on this side was steep and rocky.  We were all glad we had chosen the east west direction.  Going up the mountain we had the trail to ourselves, but on the way down we passed numerous folks.  At one point we passed an Outward Bound group of young backpackers, who had 60 lb + packs and were really struggling up the mountain.   One poor young girl had a stream of sweat pouring off her nose.  On the way down this stretch, I was scared that one of the young ladies wearing just Tennis Shoes would twist an ankle for sure.  She made it all the way down OK, but one of the other young ladies with us who had just laced her hiking boots up tight, twisted an ankle on a fairly level stretch of the trail, about a mile from the cars.  After a brief rest, a loaned hiking stick for support and a little slower pace, we all made it to the car fine.   About the time we got to the cars, the sun popped back out.  I offered to go back up to the top to see if the view was better now, but had no takers.  We all had a good time.  It was everyone's maiden voyage over this part of Grandfather Mountain, including me.  Participants were R. and L. Robinson, C. Floyd, B. McGuire, J. Musser, V. Wolf, S. Cadle, and A. Bachelor.

UPDATE ON EAGLE HACKING
(Collins Chew reporting)
About four years ago, the TEHCC was one of many organizations and individuals which contributed to a matching grant program with the U.S. Forest Service where the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) sponsored eagle "hacking" to reintroduce bald eagles to Upper East Tennessee by releasing fledgling birds at South Holston Lake.   Tennessee Tech did the work and contributed some money.  I saw Sam Broccatto of the USFS at a recent Tennessee Conservation League Meeting and he gave me an update.   It was intended to release 36 birds at a rate of 12 per year for three years.   This was done as planned the first two years but only six birds were released in 1993.  One reason for the small number was the decision to get birds only from Wisconsin, partly because some birds from Alaska were injured during capture the prior year.  Another may have been money.  The USFS did find funding for 6 birds in 1993 and we have just learned that TWRA and, perhaps, Tennessee Tech are going to fund the last 6 birds in 1994 to complete the program.

It's tough on a juvenile living alone in the woods and the young birds have found it so.  In the second year, several of the injured birds ended up at Dollywood or under human care because they were unable to fend for themselves due to injuries.  A few have been killed or died.  Of the 1993 birds, I believe two are dead, two are in zoos and two haven't been heard from.  Some birds have been sighted in different parts of the country and one of the earlier ones may have already returned to Tennessee to nest.

A certain amount of attrition was expected although we have had a little more than expected.  I think we can be proud of the accomplishments and there will probably be some bald eagles in the area which otherwise would not have been.  Nationwide, eagles are making a strong comeback partly through programs like this, education of hunters, and fewer pesticides in the environment which were particularly hard on birds at the top of the food chain.  I know that last year was the first time I saw a wild bald eagle on a trip when that was not one of the specific goals of the trip.

MAY'S DELAYED NEWSLETTER
(Bob Tonnies reporting)
Unfortunately, it appears that we still have some kinks in the TEHCC newsletter publication process.  Our goal is to ensure the newsletter is published, mailed and received by outside members before the 1st of each month.  Several circumstances combined to delay this month's newsletter: some last minute copy changes, the work schedule in Recreation and a miscommunication with the Print Shop all conspired to make for a late distribution.  We have made some changes to the publication process to streamline things and hope this will ensure more timely and reliable distribution in the future.