FEBRUARY, 1997

• The Next Two Months At A Glance
• TEHCC A.T. Maintainers' Dinner Meeting
• TEHCC Winter Dinner Meeting
• TEHCC Website Stats
• Scheduled Hikes/Activities
• TEHCC 1996 Activity Stats
• Letter from the 1997 Steering Committee Chair
• Activity Reports

TEHCC A.T. Maintainers' Dinner Meeting, February 22nd

The TEHCC A.T. Maintainers' Dinner Meeting will be held February 22 at 5 p.m. at the Eastman Recreation Cabin. Anyone interested in trail maintenance is invited. The meeting will focus on trail maintenance efforts for the year and many other related maintenance topics. Dinner reservations need to be made before February 21st to plan the number of meals to prepare. As many of these meals have been in the past, they are very good and at a low budget! Dinner will be in the $3-4 range with dinner at 5 p.m. and the meeting at 6 p.m. The dinner menu consists of: spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, dessert, and drinks. For more information or to make a dinner reservation, contact Ted Malone.

TEHCC Winter Dinner Meeting, March 8th

TEHCC will be holding the Annual Winter Dinner Meeting March 8th at the Eastman Recreation Cabin. This year's program will be presented by Quentin Bass, who is an archeologist for the Cherokee National Forest. His program will focus on the history of Indian settlements in this area. Highlands Ski and Outdoor Center from Abingdon, Virginia will be on hand to display many of their recreational items for attendees to purchase or to obtain more information about many new products. Social hour with drinks and snacks begins at 5:00 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m., and the program will begin at 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be catered by Wright's Cafeteria with the following menu items:

Fried chicken and roast beef
Potatoes, green beans, and corn
Dinner rolls
Desserts
Tea and coffee

The cost for dinner is $9.50 / person. For more information contact Steve Wilson. All are welcome to attend the program if you choose not to have dinner. To make a reservation for dinner, complete the form above by March 3rd and mail to Steve Wilson.

 Hike the CMC Section in '97!
Kevin Edgar Reporting
As a follow-up to the successful series of anniversary hikes in 1996, which enabled more than a dozen people to hike the entire TEHCC section of the Appalachian Trail from Damascus to Spivey Gap, we are now planning a series in '97 which will cover the scenic Carolina Mt. Club section. These hikes will cover roughly 90 miles of the A.T., beginning at the southern border of our section at Spivey Gap, and stretching south to the edge of the Smokies at Davenport Gap. This section of trail includes the fire towers at Rich Mt. and on Camp Creek Bald, the magnificent open bald at Max Patch, the FAA site atop Snowbird Mt. and its view of the northern Smokies, the gravesites of the Shelton brothers, ambushed by a Confederate patrol on Cold Spring Mt., and the beautiful views from Big Bald, just to name a few highlights. If you have completed the TEHCC Section, and finish these CMC section hikes this year, you will have completed the entire A.T. covered by the Tennessee/North Carolina guidebook except for the Smokies (wait till next year!). There will be at least two options, a series of dayhikes throughout the year, and a pair of backpacking trips led by Emmett Dougherty which will cover the whole section except the Spivey Gap - Sams Gap portion just to the south of TEHCC's A.T. section. See the 6-month schedule and upcoming newsletters for your opportunities to complete this beautiful section of the A.T. which is so nearby. For information, call Kevin Edgar.

South Beyond 6000: Yellow Face, Feb. 8
Leader: G. S. Luttrell, Rating: Difficult
Rating: Difficult
We'll plan a very early departure from Kingsport and we'll eat breakfast in Asheville. Then we'll drive to Addie for the Blackrock Mtn. route to Yellow Face. This will be a difficult hike, and gear for extremely cold conditions will be required, unless we have one of those rare, nice winter days. We will spot a car on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so while we're at it we will also bag Waterrock Knob. We'll have a victory supper on the return, with a late arrival in Kingsport. I plan to try out the Club's new GPS with an altimeter. Contact me if interested, and let me know how many in your group, how many additional hikers you can carpool, and your home phone number for last minute changes due to weather.

A.T. Hike: Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area HQ to I-81, Feb. 8
Leader: Collins Chew, Moderate
This hike will be along the Appalachian Trail from Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters on Virginia 16 over Brushy Mountain and Glade Mountain and down to I-81 at Exit 54, Groseclose, Virginia. The bare trees should provide more distant views than in summer. The hike will be a moderate 11.5 miles with about 1500 ft. of climbing and 2000 feet of descent with the high points at about 4000 feet. We have an excellent chance of making the drive since one end is on I-81. If the roads are icy we will modify or cancel the trip. Bring appropriate clothing, including dark glasses in case we walk over snow, cold and wind gear, lunch, and water. Round trip driving distance - 190 miles including the car shuttle. Meet in Colonial Heights between McDonalds and Burger King at 8:00AM on Saturday, February 8, 1997. For information or alternate meeting points, call Collins Chew.

Third Saturday Maintenance: Special Projects, Feb. 15
Leader: Ed Oliver
The project that we work on will depend on the weather. We will do one or more of the following projects: (1) cut blowdowns (2) work on the bridge either at Shook Branch, Laurel Fork, or Jones Branch, or (3) do trail rehab. If you are interested in helping on these projects, please contact Ed Oliver. If the weather is too bad, we will either cancel the trip or reschedule it for the following Saturday. Plans are to meet at the parking area between McDonalds and Burger King in Colonial Heights at 8:00 a.m. Please contact the trip leader if you are interested so that you can be notified of any changes in plans.

A.T. Hike: Laurel Falls : Saturday, March 1
Leader: Ed Oliver, Easy.
We will hike from the parking area near Hampton, Tennessee to Laurel Falls. We will either continue to Dennis Cove (car shuttle) or return to our cars at Hampton. Total hiking distance will be about 5 miles. This will be a relatively easy hike. If you have been thinking about coming on a hike with the club, this would be a great starter hike. Call the hike leader for additional information. Bring lunch or a snack and water. If the weather is bad the hike will be rescheduled for later in the year. Plan to meet in the parking area between McDonalds and Burger King in Colonial Heights at 8:00 a.m.

A.T. Maintenance: New Roof for Apple House Shelter, Nov. 3rd Sat.
Ed Oliver Reporting
The Third Saturday Maintenance for November originally scheduled for repairs at Roan High Knob Shelter was changed to replace the roof of the Apple House Shelter due to snow. Bruce and Mary Cunningham, Joe Deloach, Jim Mann, Darrol Nickels, and Ed Oliver worked on Saturday, November 16 to replace the 1X4 lathe supports and the eight and ten foot sections of metal roofing. The roof work was completed by 2:00 which was very quick by any standards. This work crew is well adept to roof work since they now have at least six shelters they have revamped in the last 3 years.

A.T. Special Project: Maintenance at Shook Branch - Watauga Lake, Nov. 3
Ed Oliver Reporting
The Third Saturday Special Projects trip for December occurred on the fourth Saturday because the weather was too bad on the Third Saturday. We turnpiked a section of trail located trail south of the old Butler Road. We installed large rocks on each side of the trail and then filled the area in the middle with smaller rocks and gravel. This should eliminate a wet section of trail. We also cribbed a trail over the culvert located about 1/3 mile trail north of Shook Branch Recreation Area. We also moved the trail on the trail north side of the culvert a foot or so towards the road so that it would be high enough that the lake should not cover it when the lake is at the high water level in the spring. We clipped around some of the hemlocks that we set out a few years ago. The last project that we completed was the removal of about seven trees under the power line near where the trail starts the climb up Pond Mountain from the Watauga Lake side. We signed an agreement with the power company that we would maintain the section under the power line in such a manner that none of the trees get too close to the power line. Due to the turnout of so many enthusiastic trail workers, we were able to complete these projects in time to be back in Kingsport by mid-afternoon. Those present for this activity include: John, Ed, Jan, Mike, and Ben Kiefer, Bill and Derick Stowell, Jack Young, Joe Deloach, Ted Mowery, Frank Williams, Carl Fritz and Ed Oliver.

A.T. Special Maintenance Project: Floor Repair in Roan High Knob Shelter, Dec. 16.
Ed Oliver Reporting
Frank Williams and I drove to within about 1/3 mile of the Roan High Knob Shelter, carried in the materials (5 2x4's, a sheet of plywood, two shutters, and numerous tools), and repaired the holes in the floor of the Roan High Knob Shelter. We also installed shutters or windows on the two outside openings at each end of the sleeping loft. Someone had built a fire on the rocks that had been put in the holes to keep anyone from falling into them. We were fortunate in that they had built only a small fire and no damage was done to the shelter. We removed the remains of the camp fire and the rocks, sawed and chiseled out the old plywood, installed 2X4's on 16 inch centers between the 2X6 floor joists, and nailed new plywood on top of this structure. We left Kingsport at 11:00 a.m. We were still working on this project when it started getting dark. We were happy when two hikers with flashlights arrived at the shelter a little after 5 p.m. With their help and the light from their flashlights, we were able to complete the project by a little after 6 p.m. That left us a 1/3 mile walk on a trail covered with numerous ice patches. Frank's small flashlight was about to run out of power but lasted long enough for us to find the car.

A.T. Maintenance Project: Flag Relo at Wildermine Hollow, Jan. 1
Ed Oliver Reporting
Jim Mann, Frank Williams, and Ed Oliver flagged a relocation trail south of Wildermine Hollow in the US19E area. This relocation should complete all the relocation work between Bradley Gap and US19E. This relocation was made possible because the Forest Service was able to purchase a tract of land adjacent to the trail. The relocation will eliminate several problem areas and will move the trail away from private land. We were able to flag a route that does not require any switchbacks. However, we had to cross a cliff, which we were not sure that a trail can be built across. I will contact Morgan Sommerville of the Appalachian Trail Conference and arrange a time to walk the flag line with him. He should be able to give us a good idea as to whether it is possible to use the flag line across the cliff. If we don't cross the cliff, we will need to flag a route below the cliff and install a switchback to get back to the existing flag line.

A.T. Maintenance Project: Adopted Section Watauga Dam Road-Watauga Lake Shelter, Jan. 2
Ed Oliver Reporting
Jim, David and Karen Mann walked from Watauga Dam Road to Watauga Lake Shelter. They cut greenbriars and other growth. They inspected the lake shore near the shelter to see if the materials for the shelter roof can be carried in from the lake. They determined that the materials can be brought over on a boat and carried in to the shelter. Jim said that a short section of the last relocation trail south of Watauga Dam Road needs a little work. He plans to do the work the next time he works on his section.

A.T. Maintenance Project: Trail Rehab, Indian Grave Gap-Curley Maple Shelter, Jan. 4
Ed Oliver Reporting
Ten workers showed up on this spring day in early January (afternoon temperatures near 70 degrees). We worked on trail rehab between Indian Grave Gap and the Curley Maple Shelter. The "leader" had estimated that we might be able to complete the rehab of this section on Saturday. It turned out that his estimate of the amount of work involved with the rehab was about like his estimate of distances on the trail (not always completely accurate). We were able to repair several bad sections of trail. There is about a mile of trail left to rehab. It will take two or more additional trips to complete this work. One person estimated that it could take seven more trips. Lets hope that this estimate is on the high side. The best way to look at it is that every foot of trail that we are able to complete is one more foot that we don't have to do later. Everyone seemed to enjoy the nice weather, the companionship, and quitting time (just kidding). Those present for this trip: Cris and Theona Moorehouse, Bruce and Mary Cunningham, Bill and Derrick Stowell, Joe Deloach, Bill Murdock, Jim Mann, and Ed Oliver.

A.T. Maintenance Project: Bishop Hollow Trail Blazes Repainted, Jan. 12
John Thompson Reporting
Bruce Cunningham, Darrol Nickels, and John Thompson recently repaired the trail blazes in the open pasture of Bishop Hollow which had been poorly marked. Several complaints had been made by several hikers, including Anniversary Hikers, that the trail was difficult to follow at both ends of the pasture since numerous trail paths from cattle were confusing the original A.T. and grass had grown over the rocks where several white blazes had been painted to mark the trail. Two 4X4 posts routed and painted by Ed Oliver were placed at the upper and lower ends of the open pasture. Two iron fence posts were also added with painted blazes to help mark the trail through the open area of the pasture where there are very few trees. The trail blazes were also checked from Sugar Hollow to U.S. 19E to insure that the remaining part of this section was well marked. The trail is now in good shape and should be marked well enough to satisfy all but the blind and inebriated!

A.T. Maintenance Project: Biological Review Conducted in Hughes Gap Area, Nov. 13
Ed Oliver Reporting
Darrol Nickels, Frank Williams and Jamey Donaldson (Biologist) reviewed the proposed relocation route for the A.T. between Hughes Gap and Little Rock Knob. Several rare plants in the area were found so alternate routes were proposed that would protect the plants from significant impact by the proposed trail location routs. A report will be filed on the findings of the review for TEHCC and the US Forest Service. The findings of the review will be used to plan the new trail location to improve the steep and eroding grade that the trail currently offers to hikers between Hughes Gap and Little Rock Knob.