HIKING & PADDLING NEWS

Contents

• TEHCC Newsletter Going On-Line
• Next Two Months at a Glance
• Hiking
• Paddling
• For The Record

HIKING

A.T. - MASSACHUSETTS, INN-TO-INN
(Scheduled: 2-8 July 95)
Leader: Kevin Edgar (615.229.4396)
Rating: Difficult
We will hike from the northernmost road crossing in Connecticut to the southernmost in Vermont, day hiking and spending each night in a Berkshire country inn.  It will be an unusual combination of heavy sweating and scenic comfort.  The reservations with the inns have long since been made, but you're still welcome to join us if you make your own arrangements for accommodations.  Unless you like good food, lovely scenery, fresh mountain air, healthy exercise, antiques, or good company, there's not much in this trip for you.  Call Kevin Edgar for more details.

MOUNT LECONTE TRAIL HIKE
(Scheduled: 8-9 July 95)
Leader: David Allen (615.239.7802)
Rating: Moderate
Contact trip leader for details.

MOUNT LECONTE CREEK HIKE
(Scheduled: 8-9 July 95)
Leader: Liz West (615.378.5560)
Rating: Difficult
Contact trip leader for details.

TURKEY PEN GAP TO WATAUGA DAM ROAD
(Scheduled: 22 July 95)
Leader: Steve Perri (615.349.5091)
Rating: Moderate
Contact trip leader for details.  (Webmaster's note: access to the A.T. at Turkey Pen Gap has been CLOSED)

KONNAROCK CREW - CLIFF RIDGE RELOCATION
(Scheduled: 27-31 July and 3-7 August 95)
Leader: Joe DeLoach (615.753.7903)
Rating: Fun and Satisfying
The first week of Konnarock, Memorial Day weekend, was very successful.   Fourteen Club members came out and helped us build about 1500 feet of new Trail and open the first of nine relocations planned for the Appalachian Trail south of the Nolichucky River.  This was the first of four weeks of Konnarock for 1995.  The remaining weeks are July 27-31, August 3-7, and August 17-21.  The Konnarock Crew arrives on Thursday afternoon, is camping at Rock Creek Park near Erwin, and stays until Monday afternoon.  We still have a lot of work to do but we're making good progress in an area that badly needs some work.  It's not too late to get five days of work in to earn the Konnarock Crew T-shirt and a free year's membership in ATC!  Please call Joe DeLoach (753-7903) or Ed Oliver (349-6668) if you would like to help.

HIKE NOTICE - FUN FEST MOONLIGHT HIKE
(Scheduled: Thursday, 3 August 95)
Leader: Steve Falling (615.239.5502)
Rating: E
Again this year the club will be helping the Bays Mountain Park staff with the Moonlight Hike around the lake (about 2 miles).  Over 300 hikers turned out last year for this event so it gives the club some good publicity.  Volunteers are needed to walk with the crowd and to keep the hikers on the correct trail.  The hike begins at 8:00 PM and finishes up about 10:00 PM.  If you are willing to help out with this event, please contact Steve Falling at 239-5502 for more information.

PADDLING

NANTAHALA
(Scheduled: Sat, 1 July 95)
Leader: Mike Morrow (615.245.1201)
Rating: II-III
Contact trip leader for details.

FOR THE RECORD

TEHCC NEWSLETTER GOES ON-LINE
(Bob Tonnies reporting)
The conversion to an on-line newsletter has been completed.  At this point, the only people who will be receiving a printed copy of the newsletter are TEHCC members who must receive the newsletter via the U.S. mail (retirees, TEHCC associates, etc.).   These folks will continue to receive the newsletter the same way they always have.

By typing "ERC" at the command prompt in OfficeVision a menu of Recreation publications will be presented.  When you select the Hiking and Canoeing Club item and hit Enter, you'll have access to the following information:

o Current Newsletter
o Last Month's Newsletter
o Activity Schedules
     + Hiking Schedule
     + Maintenance Schedule
     + Paddling Schedule
o Club Activity Information
     + Trail Maintenance Information
     + Trip Leader Guidelines
     + Activity Release Form
o Club Benefits
     + Equipment Rental Information
     + Shops Offering Discounts To Club Members
     + Maps And Publications
o Club Information
     + Mission
     + Officers And Contacts
     + How To Join TEHCC
     + Newsletter Mission And Priorities
     + Newsletter Article Submission Information

You'll also be able to print out hard copies of the newsletter or any of the other items available on-line.

This change is primarily a result of Eastman Recreation's initiative to move all recreation club newsletters to an on-line format.  Benefits include the potential to save a lot of paper and the fact that the newsletter and a lot of other information will be available whenever you want them in OfficeVision.  The main drawback is that the newsletter will no longer show up in the plant mail each month; you'll have to go look at it to see what's going on.

INTRODUCTORY CANOE SCHOOL 1995
18, 20, 21 May 95
(Brad Dayvolt reporting)
The 23rd annual school was a success.  Twenty students and four instructors attended the Thursday evening seminar.  A total of 41 paddlers (27 students and 14 instructors) went on one or both river trips.  On Saturday, instruction was emphasized as the group of 16 solo canoes, 5 tandem canoes and 7 kayaks split into 4 groups and worked their way from the Nolichucky Campground to the "sawmill takeout", about 5 miles.  The Embreeville flow was about 2400 cfs, a very good level; easier than the usual 1000 - 2000 cfs range because more rocks are covered with only a slight increase in difficulty due to water strength.  On Sunday, 13 solo canoes, 3 tandem canoes and 5 kayaks ran the 9 miles from Chestoa to the Chuckey Trading Company.  Safety was strongly emphasized both days.  And the weather was superb!

Many thanks to the instructors this year: Terry Bell, Rick Culbertson, Terry Dougherty, Dewey Fuller, Kurt Kaufman, Dave Ingram, Charley LeBlanc, Ed Montgomery, Mike Morrow, Burchel Pierce, Gordon Porter, Tom Pridgen and Keith Swift.  Special thanks to Burchel Pierce for setting safety rope on every rapid on the Saturday trip.

LAUREL FORK FALLS
20 May 95
(Tim McClain reporting)
We had a very good turnout for this hike from 421 in Hampton along Laurel Fork Creek to the water fall.  Along with 15 hikers in our group, we were accompanied by plenty of sunshine, fair temperatures, and blue sky.  When we arrived at the parking area at Hampton, we were somewhat surprised by the "Greyhound" type travel bus attempting to wedge itself into the parking area.  There were also several other cars indicating that we would not be alone on the trail.  As it turned out the bus was full of people who were going spelunking in the nearby cave.  The creek and falls were flowing heavy from recent rain, providing an excellent backdrop for lunch at the falls.  Entertainment at the falls was also provided by one of our hiker's valiant recovery of a camera dropped in the drink at the top of the falls!  Our greatest challenge of the day faced us back at the parking area: several cars arriving after us were parked such that some of our group could barely squeeze through.  Enjoying the hike were Hugh, Lynn, and Shelton Thompson, David Long, Dawn Cody, Mary Jane Mattern, Don Owens, Steve Woody, Charlotte Floyd, Tessa Simons, Jean Stout, Linda Calhoun, Bart Kincannon, and Susan Haas.  Several of these hikers are from either Holston Valley or Indian Path Hospitals and are very much enjoying the Eastman Hiking Club outings.

A.T. PENNSYLVANIA/MASSACHUSETTS/VERMONT
26 May - 3 June 95
(Steve Banks reporting)
We met after work on May 26 for the long drive north, to dayhike the A.T. in central Pennsylvania, northwestern Massachusetts, and southern Vermont.  The most memorable portion of the hiking in PA, at least for Steve, was the section from Clarks Valley to Duncannon, during which he encountered a rattlesnake amidst the ridge top boulders, and several bolts of lightning which struck less than 100 feet from him.  Fortunately no lasting harm was inflicted.  The highlights of the New England portion of our journey included beautiful Mt. Greylock, the highest in Massachusetts, and grand views along the trail in southern Vermont.  Participants were Gether Irick and Steve Banks.

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY - A.T. OVER POND MOUNTAIN
3 June 95
(Frank Williams reporting)
This was a short leisurely hike from the Shook Branch Recreation Area over Pond Mountain and out to Hampton on the blue blazed trail.  The day started out overcast and threatening, but no rain fell.  We met several through hikers and a group of Eastman Hiking and Canoe Club members cutting a blowdown.  Present to celebrate National Trails Day were Courtney and Amanda Shepard, Gretchen Bentley, Ruth Ketron, Conrad Ottenfeld and Frank Williams.  We thank Mary Cunningham for taking time out from her trail clearing work to shuttle us back to our cars at Shook Branch.

HARDENING THE A.T. ON ROUND BALD
10 June 95
(Joe DeLoach reporting)
In 1991 we installed an Appalachian Trail relocation on the north side of Round Bald, to replace a section that had become deeply eroded.  The relocation was built more closely to current A.T. standards, with a sidehill grade and frequent waterbars and drainage ditches.  Unfortunately the soft soil, heavy use, cold weather, and heavy precipitation combined to cause significant erosion of the new Trail in only three years.   Working with our agency partners, the Forest Service and the Appalachian Trail Conference, a system to harden the Trail and stabilize the tread against further erosion was devised.  This reinforcement involved laying down a fabric over the existing treadway, providing for drainage, putting down a layer of gravel, and installing check dams to keep the gravel in place.  The gravel serves as the treadway as well as to allow the water to percolate through and drain off the Trail instead of to run down the Trail and cause erosion.  This technique is fairly common for trails passing through wet areas, but to our knowledge this is the first time it has been used for the A.T., at least in the south.  First, we had to get the gravel to the site.  For 85 feet of hardened Trail, 10 tons of gravel were required!  The Forest Service contracted with the North Carolina Highway Dept. to use a "halftrack" to haul the rock from Carvers Gap over Round Bald to the work area.  Bruce Cunningham and Jack Young from the Club as well as Morgan Sommerville from ATC and Judy Murray from SAHC "supervised" this operation.  One of the hardest jobs was to load and unload the halftrack, which was done by a trail crew from the Pisgah National Forest.   This was all done Friday, June 9.  On Saturday, June 10 we installed the fabric and gravel.  Taking part in this endeavor were Bruce and Mary Cunningham, Joe DeLoach, Rigby Harvey, Ted Malone, Judy Murray, Ed Oliver, Bryant Owens, Frank Williams, and Jack Young.  We have very high hopes that this experiment will be successful.   There is about 1/4 mile in the entire relocation, most of which needs hardening, so it will be a big job to do it all - it took a good day to put in 85 feet!  We will see how this hardening holds up before proceeding further.  However, if successful this technique could be used for many areas throughout the A.T.  A hearty thanks for all who participated!!!

A.T. - INDIAN GRAVE GAP TO NOLICHUCKY
10 June 95
(Cris Moorehouse reporting)
We meet at B-215 parking lot and left for trails end to drop off a car or two.   We all then crowded into my pickup truck for the drive to Indian Grave Gap where we were to start our hike.  It was a hot day, but cool in the woods which shaded us almost all day.  This hike was one of the most enjoyable hikes I have taken in a long time.  We appreciated all the work that had been done installing the bridges across Jones Branch.  Joining me were Paulette and Joe Hall, Rebecca Hartman-Baker, Nathan Baker, Charles Baker, Mary Jane Mattern, Don Owens, Steve Woody, Kent Wilson, and Theona Moorehouse.

POISON IVY, TEC-NU AND GO-JO
(Bill Tindall reporting)
I am extremely sensitive to poison ivy and my farm is a lush garden of the hateful stuff.  It was not uncommon to have a case every other week before the discovery of Tec-Nu.  This product has been described in various hiking publications and it is now available in local drug stores.  It works!  Its problem is the cost; $4 for a tiny bottle the last time I bought some.

It turns out Tec-Nu is merely emulsified kerosene, which is an excellent solvent for the stuff that triggers a massive immune response in the unfortunate (chemists know these things).  Go-Jo, available from auto parts places, is also emulsified kerosene and I have found it works as effectively for a small fraction of the price.  I would expect similar waterless hand cleaners would be as effective.

Cleaning must occur within a few hours of exposure.  I have had no success abating an attack once symptoms begin.  Within a few hours of suspected exposure, slather a thick coat of Go-Jo on the exposed areas.  Let stand 2-5 minutes and wash it off with water.  Follow up with soap and water to remove the kerosene residue.  In spite of my sensitivity, I have never acquired a reaction from frolicking in the vines when I have followed the above procedure.  There are other waterless cleaners that smell better than Go-Jo, but I have not evaluated them.

ROCKY TOP TRAIL SHOP OFFERS TEHCC DISCOUNT
(Bob Tonnies reporting)
The Rocky Top Trail shop has recently opened in Kingsport and has agreed to give TEHCC members a discount of 10% off camping, backpacking and hiking gear.  The Rocky Top Trail Shop is located at 1001 E. Stone Drive, Kingsport, Tennessee (615-247-4453).