MAY, 1997

Contents


• Next Two Months at a Glance
• Watauga Lake Shelter Receives New Roof by Sea
• Mount LeConte Creek Trip, July 12-13
• Collection Fee Pilot Program to Begin on Roan Mountain
• Scheduled Hikes/Activities
• Activity Reports

Watauga Lake Shelter Receives New Roof by Sea, March 28
Steve Perri Reporting
We replaced the shelter roof on the Watauga Lake shelter on Friday before the heavy rain storms in the afternoon. The original plan was to have Jim Mann and Joe Deloach load up Jim's boat and float the material from the launch area to the other side of the lake with a close access point to the shelter. This would minimize carrying all the material from Shook Branch. Jim's steering linkage in the boat broke that morning after all the material had been loaded before crossing the lake. Fortunately, John Kiefer had a sailboat on the lake and so all the material was transferred to John's boat and was floated across the lake by Captain Kiefer and First Mate Deloach. The material was then carried only a short distance to the shelter location. The steel roofing was placed over the existing shingles after the shingles had been cleaned up with metal scrub brushes to remove the moss. The installation took less than 4 hours after the materials reached the shelter. We were able to complete the installation quickly and safely even with considerable shower activity. Those participating in this activity include: Bruce Cunningham, Frank Williams, Joe Deloach, Darrol Nickels, Jim Mann, John Thompson, John Kiefer, Betty, Charlotte, Graham and Greg Kramer, and Steve Perri.

Mount LeConte Creek Trip, July 12-13
Dewey Fuller Reporting
LeConte Lodge sits atop Mount LeConte at an elevation of over 6,000 feet and is not accessible by road. There are a number of foot trails to the lodge but for the more adventuresome, it can be reached by scrambling up one of several creeks which flow off the mountain. Ascending a LeConte creek is more of a climb than a hike. Due to the difficulty of negotiating around waterfalls and crawling through thick rhododendron and stinging nettles, the trip often takes over 12 hours with only short rest periods. This trip is extremely difficult. However, once we reach the top (hopefully, before the dining hall shuts down) we will be served a hot dinner in the rustic dining room at the lodge and have a clean, dry bed to sleep in. We will take one of the foot trails down on Sunday. The cost of the trip is $72.15 per person and includes lodging Saturday night with dinner and breakfast included. Contact Dewey Fuller for details.

Collection Fee Pilot Program to Begin on Roan Mountain
Steve Perri Reporting
The Appalachian Ranger District has approved the collection of parking fees at Roan Mountain as part of a three year pilot program beginning in May. The proposed site for collection is at Toll House Gap, between Carvers Gap and the rhododendron gardens. The parking fee will be $3.00 per day or $15.00 for a season pass for cars, trucks and family vans. No fees will be charged to groups visiting the site as part of their studies for education, research or volunteers engaged in maintenance activities. The collection period will take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day and 80% of the fees collected will be returned directly to the District under the pilot program. Concerns of the cost effectiveness of the program and impact of such a collection system has been raised by several organizations including TEHCC. Although the USFS estimates a cost of $16,000 for the first year of operation, projections for fees collected have been estimated at $40,000-60,000. The impact of the collection station on visitors to the area and users of the AT have been expressed as a major concern for the peak periods of visitation. The booth location is the closest to the AT above Carvers Gap and is currently highly visible from the trail, although the USFS has indicated that only previously disturbed areas would be impacted by the site. During high visitation, a line of idling cars creating noise and exhaust fumes may be anticipated.

Bluestone River Overnight Trip XIX, Sat. & Sun. May 3 & 4
Leader: Terry Dougherty, Rating: Class II/III
This will be the 19th year we have made the Bluestone overnight canoe trip. Come and enjoy this paddling tradition on a very scenic and sometimes challenging river. As usual, I have made reservations for rooms for us at the Mt. Creek Lodge for Friday and Saturday night. Camping is also available in the Park. Please call me for reservations, information, or to tell me if you plan to go on the trip. Rooms are about $54/night. Plan to meet at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Mt. Creek parking lot to start the trip.

AT Day Hikes: Pennsylvania May 29 - June 1
Leader: Kevin Edgar, Rating: Difficult
This will be a series of four dayhikes over the AT atop Blue Mountain in eastern Pennsylvania between Harrisburg and Allentown. We will traverse the high, broad, rocky ridge from the PA 501 crossing near Harrisburg to the open ridge at Lehigh Gap (open not due to any natural process but as a result of the effluent from a nearby zinc smelter, now shut down). The total distance will be about 60 miles, so the hikes are rated difficult due to length, though there is not much elevation change. Pennsylvania this time of year should be lush and beautiful, and the nearby Amish country is a treat. Join us for a fun series of walks through the Pennsylvania countryside. Call the leader to preregister or to get more details.

Third Saturday Maintenance: Trail Rehab Near Curley Maple Gap, Saturday, May 17
Leader: Joe DeLoach
The special project for May will be to complete the trail rehab between Indian Grave Gap and Curley Maple Shelter. People are needed to repair sidehill trail, and to cut and clip the growth on the uphill side of the trail. For additional information contact Joe Deloach. Plan to meet at the parking area between Burger King and McDonalds in Colonial Heights at 8:00 a.m.

Introductory Canoe School 1997, May 15-18
Leader: Brad Dayvolt
The 25th annual School of River Canoeing, sponsored by the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club in association with the APEs, will be held May 15, 17, and 18. The school is targeted for beginner to intermediate solo and tandem whitewater canoeists and kayakers, and consists of an evening of lecture and videos 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 recommended reference book is BASIC RIVER CANOEING by McNair ($7.85 including 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 w/one paddle per paddler plus one spare per boat or a whitewater kayak w/paddle and sprayskirt, one life jacket per person. Canoes should have bow and stern lines. Individuals will need a rain jacket, knee pads, lunch, and change of clothes in a waterproof bag.

Cost: $4.00 per student plus cost of text.

For additional information or to register, contact Brad Dayvolt.

AT Hike: Allen Gap to Hot Springs, May 24
Leader: Steve Banks, Difficult
This hike is rated difficult because of the distance (14.7 miles). Let's meet at the parking area between McDonalds and Burger King in Colonial Heights at 8:00 a.m. Because of the long hiking and driving distances, we will probably not get back until 7 p.m. or later. Contact the trip leader for further information.

Hike: Hensley Settlement in Virginia, May 24
Leader: Steve Perri, Rating: Moderate
This hike is rated moderate since there is significant elevation gain (1,000 ft). We will be hiking up Chadwell Gap Trail, a 3.5 mi. hike from Caylor, VA. The hike runs trail-north up the side of Cumberland Mt. to the settlement which is currently operated by the National Park Service. Let's meet at the parking area between McDonalds and Burger King in Colonial Heights at 8:00 a.m. For more information, contact the trip leader.

Hike: Virgin Falls, June 6-7
Leader: Collins Chew, Rating: Moderate
This hike will explore the trails and caves of the Virgin Falls pocket wilderness provided by Bowaters Corporation at the Cumberland Plateau. In order to have a full day of exploring, we will drive to Crossvile, Tennessee on Friday night and stay in a motel. Then we will drive 25 miles to the trail head on Saturday morning and hike to the various caves and overlooks of this fascinating area at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. The scenery should be spectacular with cliffs and the Caney Fork River to view along the way to the beds of limestone which contain the caves. Virgin Falls refers to a creek which issues from a cave to directly plunge over a 110 foot cliff and then reenter another cave. We will return to Kingsport on Saturday night. Bring what you need for the motel, appropriate clothing for the weather, good shoes or boots, lunch, water (from Motel, actually), good flashlights for peeking in the caves (not serious spelunking at all). One way driving distance from Kingsport, 185 miles Friday to Crossville and 25 miles Saturday to the pocket wilderness. I need to know if you are going by May 28 to get Motel reservations. Let me know if you wish to skip the motel and meet us somewhere else and I will arrange it. Hiking distance is between 8 and 12 miles, depending on which brochure you read. There are several side trails so some of the distance is optional. Call Collins Chew for reservations, information or details.

AT Maintenance: Blowdown Clearing

• March 8: Spivey Gap to No Business Knob Shelter. Bill Berry maintained his adopted section from Spivey Gap to No Business Knob Shelter. He removed six or more blowdowns and rehabed several short sections of trail. He reported that we may need to work on the bridge at the second crossing of Oglesby's Branch (going trail north from Spivey Gap).
• March 8: Nolichucky Expeditions to Curley Maple Gap Shelter. Dee Drinkard removed several large branches, cut out three minor blowdowns, cleared most of debris from a major blowdown of a2 ft diameter hemlock one mile north of the Nolichucky Campground. Also he picked up some trash at shelter.
• March 13: Nolichucky Expeditions to Curley Maple Gap Shelter. Dee Drinkard and Justin Plumlee cut a 24 inch section out of the hemlock for hikers to walk through. Eventually, an additional foot or two needs to be cut out to make it wider.
• March 15: Dennis Cove to White Rocks Firetower. Gether Irick and Eric Middlemas hiked up to the firetower from Dennis Cove and cleared several small blowdowns with a bow saw, or by dragging.
• March 15: Turkey Pen Gap to Watauga Dam Road. Phyllis Cairnes, Joe DeLoach, Emmett Dougherty, Jim Mann, Steve Perri, Frank Williams, Steve Wilson cut all the blowdowns on this ten mile stretch of the AT. Chainsaws were used to cut from Turkey Pen Gap to the northern boundary of Big Laurel Branch Wilderness. The rest of the group trudged up from Watauga Dam Road and used crosscuts and bow saws within the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness. There were numerous blowdowns on both sections but we got them all out. Vandeventer Shelter was in good shape and the gutters were cleaned out.  (Webmaster's note: access to the A.T. at Turkey Pen Gap has been CLOSED)

AT Annual Section Maintenance

• March 9: Tree Removal Above Abingdon Gap Shelter. Robi Phillitpi and Mike Rice from the USFS removed a tree hanging over the Abingdon Gap Shelter. The picnic table was slightly damaged during the process. The real story on how Robi broke the legs on the picnic table was that when Robi moved the picnic table away from the shelter and put his coat and the rest of their tools on it, the tree fell, it bounced up and sprang toward the table breaking the legs. Robi said pride was hurt but he has recovered.
• March 13, US 19E to Campbell Hollow Road. Frank Williams, John Kiefer, and Darrol Nickels cut briars and painted the blazes between Campbell Hollow Road and US 19E. They reported that this section is now in good shape but will need attention when the weeds start to grow in the late spring.
• March 20, Tenn. 91 to Turkey Pen Gap. John Thompson, Bruce Cunningham, Jim Mann, and Darrol Nickels did the annual maintenance on the section between Tenn. 91 and Turkey Pen Gap. They removed blowdowns and severely clipped back the growth along the trail. They also painted any blazes needing painting. They were able to complete about 2.5 miles of the trail.  (Webmaster's note: access to the A.T. at Turkey Pen Gap has been CLOSED)
• March 22: Temple Hill Gap to Nolichucky River. Bill Fritsch (Team Leader), John Evans, Roger and Pat Boggs, John and Gail Goldsmith blazed both directions, removed all blowdowns.
• March 22: Bitter End to Dennis Cove. Cris and Theona Moorehouse, Frank Williams, Gether Irick, and Bruce Cunningham did annual maintenance on the section of trail between Bitter End and Dennis Cove. They removed all the blowdowns (a total of 20), clipped, and painted blazes. Additional clipping is needed on part of this section. The Moreland Gap Shelter is in good condition. The blue blazed trail to the water at the shelter and at the Canute Place were painted.
• March 22: Shook Branch to Pond Flats. Derrick and Bill Stowell hiked from Shook Branch across Pond Flats. They trimmed brush and cut 7 blow downs. There was one blow down too large for their bow saws so, they will need to go back with a crosscut saw.
• March 22: Yellow Mt. Gap to Stan Murray Shelter. Ted Mowery cleaned up trash at the Yellow Mountain Barn and at the Stan Murray Shelter. He clipped and removed all blowdowns except one which he says should stay because it prevents people from cutting across the trail. This section is clear. Some of the slats that were installed on the barn to prevent wind and rain from entering are gone.
• March 23: Tenn. 91 to Turkey Pen Gap. Bruce and Mary Cunningham completed the annual maintenance of the section between Tenn. 91 and Turkey Pen Gap. They did extensive clipping to the Grindstaff Monument and sufficient clipping on the remainder of the section. They removed two blowdowns.  (Webmaster's note: access to the A.T. at Turkey Pen Gap has been CLOSED)
• March 29: No Business Knob Shelter. Bill Fritsch and son William met Adopter Bill Berry and together they hiked to the shelter and gave it a fresh coat of paint. The interior seems to have attracted a lot of modern hieroglyphics.
• March 29: Carvers Gap to Hughes Gap.
• Waylon Jenkins, John Dombroski, Scott George, Carol Jenkins and Lynn Ferguson painted blue blazes at Ash Gap and Roan High Knob shelter. The shelter is in good shape but a few shingles are missing from the front (not the roof). Some errosion in places were noted; clipped, blazed and put up signs.
• March 29: Bitter End to Laurel Creek. Bruce and Mary Cunningham and Ed Oliver cut back the rhodendrons and other growth on each side of the trail for about 1 mile trail south of Bitter End. They removed all blowdowns (3) on this part of the trail. They measured for a couple of bog bridges between Bitter End and Laurel Creek.
• April 5: Bitter End to 19 E. David and Jim Mann, Frank Williams, and Bruce Cunningham installed a new design of bog bridge across a small stream trail south of Bitter End. The bridge consists of 2X4's placed on edge and nailed together. Bruce said that the bridge can support over 400 pounds without significant bending. They also repaired a short section of trail where a tree had uprooted. They then clipped for about 1/3 mile trail north of Bitter End.

Joyce Kilmer Backpack Trip, March 22-23
G. S. Luttrell Reporting
After spending Friday night at Arvell's house in Knoxville, we drove down curvy Highway 129 to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville, NC. We hiked up the Naked Ground Trail, 5 1/2 mi., following Little Santeetlah Creek to the campsite at Naked Ground. It was good that we got there early, because later, the campsite was filled by college kids on spring break, and a scout troop. That afternoon, we hiked over to see the outstanding view of the Smokies from Hangover. After breaking camp on Sunday, we hiked up to Stratton Bald, then followed the Stratton Bald Trail down Horse Cove Ridge to complete the loop. We found this area to be very rewarding for hiking, with many trails, and lots of opportunities for some very interesting sights. Although the trails are not blazed, most of the junctions have signs. Those enjoying the gorgeous weekend were R. B. Miller II, Dr. Arvell Luttrell, and Garry Luttrell.

Paddling Trip: Clinch/Doe/WhiteTop/SF South Holston, March 22 Ed Montgomery Reporting
This trip was listed in our schedule for March 22, 1997 on the Clinch River, but the group decided to switch rivers due to high water levels on the Clinch, and Dane Faulkner not wanting to paddle on such a fine day. The spring rains have been good to us and the paddling choices were abundant. We met at BK in JC to discuss our options and circle the wagons. Several wagons were no-shows, but they were not missed. Dave "Ivanhoe" Ingram had strategically located Mike Matthews in E-town on the Doe to ensure that we would have the Doe as one of our choices. Rick "Conehead" Culbertson decided to join Dave in order to get home early and play tennis with his better half. Can you picture Ricky dressed in white cotton shorts and tee shirt running around clay courts? Speaking of evening activities, Paul "Doc" Savarese had a HOT Saturday evening date and was also concerned with the river trip schedule. The rest of the group opted for the White Top Laurel / South Fork of the South Holston below Damascus "I need an acronym for this run" WTLSFSH. This run provided "Big" Brad Dayvolt and I an opportunity to backtrack near our homes resulting in driving 40 miles to get within 4 miles of our house. Super planning and extra coordination by the trip leader resulted in an opportunity to scout I181 and I81 for future runs. We arrived at our put-in to find the water level looking good and running at 1090cfs according to the net. Damn, I love the Internet. I just wish you could take it to bed with you on a cold winter's night. The run is from Damascus to Alvarado and is about 8 miles. This scenic stretch offers many class II rapids, excellent scenery, great water quality, and one broken dam. All paddlers except the trip leader ran the dam, he did the famous "T chicken" dance and portaged this baby. Our fourth paddler was Dave "Perception" Dixon. He had just purchased a new Perception paddle due to advice from our Fashion Coordinator (Snake). Dave used this paddle well and looked good on the river. He even used it once to crown Doc Savarese during our only upset. Doc was playing a hole and Dave thought he was a NASCAR driver and took him out. Doc caught a roll and tested his new dry suit in the process. The weather was GREAT and our lunch spot was very nice. Doc did have a little problem with moisture build up under his dry suit and was forced to borrow a sweater from Dave and do a little drying out; it was not a pretty picture. The take-out was Class III and is in need of a river cleanup. We hope Matthews will get these rivers clean during 1997. Be sure to help him when he calls for assistance. You all be careful, cool, and courteous out on the rivers!

AT Hike Trip: Allen Gap to Devil's Fork Gap, March 28
Emmett Dougherty reporting
On Friday March 28, we started our backpacking trip from Allen Gap with rain coming down. At Allen Gap we met several Thru Hikers who were going to the same shelter where we had planned to spend the night (Jerry's Shelter). It rained on us the whole day. We arrived at Jerry's Shelter around 3:30 and found 11 thru Hikers already there. So, we put up Robert Easser's new tent to spend the night. Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day of hiking. Enjoying this 20.2 mile trip were Robert Easser and Emmett Dougherty.

A.T. - Kimberling Creek to Pearisburg, Virginia, April 4-7
Collins Chew reporting
This 23 mile section of the A.T. provided pleasant hiking and nice views, particularly of Dismal Creek Falls and from the sandstone ledges.