August, 1997

Contents

• Next Two Months
• AmeriCorps Crew
• Frank Oglesby - Tennessee Volunteer of the Year!
• Konnarock Crew Work Schedule with TEHCC
• Scheduled Hikes/Activities
• For the Record - Little Rock Knob Relocation
• Activity Reports

AmeriCorps Crew
Joe Deloach Reporting
This summer we were able to participate in a unique program, AmeriCorps. This is a national service program where students work for 1700 hours in exchange for money to be applied to college tuition. The students generally work on several projects to accumulate the 1700 hours. There had never been a project involving the Appalachian Trail until this year, and it was on our section! A crew of eight students worked for six weeks on the Little Rock Knob Relocation. This project was recommended by ATC because of its size. The Crew camped at Elk River Campground for the six weeks, which alone is cause for high commendation! The AmeriCorps Crew started with the Konnarock Crew on June 5 and finished with the second week of Konnarock on July 14. They did an outstanding job not only on the project but in keeping in good spirits throughout this period for what amounted to an ordeal. They did manage to have some fun while they here though. Included in this category were:

• a rafting trip down the Nolichuckey River; special thanks to Nolichuckey Expeditions for giving them a discount and to LuAnn Mack-Drinkard for obtaining it
• a sailing trip on Watauga Lake, courtesy of the Watauga Lake Sailing Club; special thanks to John Kiefer, Clark Lucas, and John and Billy Midaugh
• a tour of Eastman, which thoroughly impressed them; special thanks to Ed Oliver, Steve Wilson, Bernice Woods, Sue Burns, Liz Blakely, and others along the tour
• the picnic on July 12; special thanks to Ted Malone, Steve Wilson, and Steve Perri for preparing the Frogmore stew which they really liked
• several hikes, and a memorable trip to hear bluegrass music

This was the final project for this crew, and probably their most challenging. However, I'm sure they will always remember it and I believe their memories will be fond ones. They learned a lot about our area and did a lot of good work at the same time. Many thanks to those above as well as to the several TEHCC volunteers that worked with them. We especially thank Ed Oliver and Morgan Sommerville who each worked with the Crew one day each week and checked on their progress. It was a great experience, and we hope to get an AmeriCorps Crew next year!

Frank Oglesby - Tennessee Volunteer of the Year!
Steve Wilson Reporting
Each year the American Hiking Society seeks nominations for outstanding volunteers to honor. This year, the steering committee nominated one of the club's founders, Frank Oglesby, since he has been a club leader and active trail maintainer for over 50 years. We are proud to announce that Frank won this year's award and is being honored as the Vibram Volunteer for the year for the State of Tennessee. The gift packet includes: the award plaque, Thorlo hiking socks, trail book from Backpacker Magazine, Cordura gear bag, EMS fleese hat, insect repellent from Tender Corp. and a Vibram key chain. Congratulations Frank!

A.T. Day Hikes - Vermont, August 1-3
Leader: Kevin Edgar, Rating: Difficult
This will be a series of three Vermont dayhikes from River Rd., near Sherburne Pass, to the Connecticut River and the border with New Hampshire. The distance is 40 miles and will be broken up into a fairly lengthy middle day and two moderate hikes to begin and finish. Although this stretch of A.T. does not include the high mountains of Vermont, it does nonetheless contain considerable elevation change. This occurs as the Trail runs perpendicular to multiple ridge lines as it makes the connection between the Green Mountains of Vermont in the west and the Whites in New Hampshire to the east. This will complete Vermont and the Trail north of Virginia for the leader if all goes as planned. Join us if you can for a pleasant hiking long weekend in eastern Vermont.

Konnarock Crew - Laurel Fork Gorge Rehab, August 14-18
Leader: Joe DeLoach
The fourth and final week we have with the Konnarock Crew this year will be spent continuing the rehab work in Laurel Fork Gorge. Thanks to the two weeks of Fred Lashley's crew in the spring and the first week of Konnarock in July, in addition to Club work, much progess has been made on this Trail section. But, there is still plenty to do. This project involves mostly rock work which is not as hard as it sounds and is fun. You'll never hire anyone to build a rock wall again if you come work this weekend. As a bonus, those who work at least five days with the Konnarock Crew get a year's free membership in ATC and a T-shirt that can only be earned, not bought. This is your last chance in 1997! Volunteers are welcome any of these days but we'll have trips meeting in the parking lot between Burger King and McDonald's in Colonial Heights at 8:00am on Saturday and Sunday morning. Bring lunch, water, and work gloves. Hope to see you there, and please call Joe for more information.

Nolichucky Gorge First Timers Trip, August 23
Leader: Dewey Fuller, Rating: Class III-IV
The Noli Gorge is a spectacularly scenic class III-IV run through mostly National Forest. This time of year, barring any heavy rains from hurricane activity, the river should be at a nice (lower) level suitable for those looking for something a little more challenging than class III water. The "first timers" designation for this trip indicates a first time run on the Nolichucky Gorge and not a trip for those who have never paddled before. Experienced gorge runners are of course also welcome. Please call Dewey Fuller for details.

Annual Multiclub Meeting - Stony Fork Campground, Virginia, Aug. 29- Sep. 1.
Leader: Collins Chew, Rating: Fun
The annual Multiclub Meeting of the Southern Appalachian Trail Maintaining Clubs will be held at Stony Fork Campground near Wytheville, Virginia on August 29 through September 1, 1997. Come join with other Southern hikers to enjoy the fellowship, good hiking and camping for this weekend. The June newsletter reviewed several of the activities. Registration fees are $10 plus $5 per night of camping for each adult. On site registration is available but preregistration is available and necessary by August 1, if you wish to enjoy a prepared meal, for $6.50, on Saturday night. Call Collins Chew for reservation forms, maps, brochures, and other pertinent information.

A.T. Section Maintenance and Special Projects

• April 25: Trail Clearing - Section 17
  Sandra Perry, Wayman Mumpower and Wayne Sparks cleared blowdowns between Cherry Gap and the top of Unaka Mountain.
• April 25: Shelter Cleanup - Section 18
  Bob Spencer, Malcolm Wolf and Clyde Taylor buried roofing from the old privy and worked on the spring. They found a limb had broken two rafters on Cherry Gap Shelter.  The damage isn't discernable from inside and caused no leakage.
• June 9: Weeding and Clipping Maintenance - Section 18
  C.B. Willis, Malcolm Wolf, Sandra Perry, Wayne Sparks and Wayman Mumpower weeded and clipped this section, renewed white blazes and removed a blowdown.
• June 15: Blowdown Clearing - Section 19
  This trail section from Chestoa Bridge to Nolichucky Expeditions was cleared by LuAnn MackDrinkard and Dee Drinkard. The wind storm really made a mess in the Chestoa area. Dee and LuAnn cleared blowdowns from the bridge along the cliff to Nolichucky Expeditions. One hiker was reported to leave Nolichucky Expeditions heading north only to return hours later. Most of the damage on this side of the river seems to be from the Curley Maple shelter south to the river. Damage is reported on the other side of the river from No Business shelter north to the river.
• June 15: Blowdown Clearing - Section 20
  Fred and Dixie Hoilman had heard about the blowdowns in that area (38 by one of our reports) and went out on their adopted section to see how much damage was done. They cleared 11 blowdowns between Temple Hill Gap and No Business Knob Shelter.
• June 11: Weeding and Clipping Maintenance - Section 17
  Bob Miller, Wayman Mumpower, Neil Ottenfeld, Sandra Perry, Ed Schell, Wayne Sparks, Bob Spencer, Rita Taylor, Clyde Taylor, Malcolm Wolf, and C.B. Willis weeded, clipped, cleared one recent blowdown, repainted blazes from Iron Mountain Gap south to the switchback on the south side of Unaka Mountain.
• June 17: Blowdown Clearing - Section 18
  Derrick Stowell, Ed Oliver, Frank Williams, John Kiefer, and John Thompson cut blow downs after the storm the previous Friday since many blow downs were reported. Starting at Nolichucky Expeditions they cut 30 blowdowns to just past the last bridge going towards Curley Maple shelter.
• June 18: Flag Relocation - Carvers Gap
  Ed Oliver, Derrick Stowell, and Morgan Sommerville met at Carvers Gap to do more flagging on the relocation planned for Round Bald. They started at Carvers Gap and flagged to where they finished the previous trip. Ed spotted a fawn lying in the grass and Morgan took a picture. They also started flagging on the other side of the road.
• June 21: Trail Relocation - Laurel Fork Gorge
  Ed Oliver, Bill Stowell, Derrick Stowell, Neal Dotson, Frank Williams, and Steve Piontkowski completed each end to tie the trail section into the A.T.  The new trail was blazed as the first hikers tried out the new section. This bypasses the slippery rock along the stream. A sign post was placed to direct people to the A.T. and to Laurel Falls.
• June 22: Trail Relocation with AmeriCorp - Little Rock Knob Relocation
  Ed Oliver worked with the AmeriCorp crew to continue the Little Rock Knob relocation. They had caught up with the previously limb cleared section and Ed prepared more trail for them to dig.
• June 24: Blowdown Clearing - Section 19
  Derrick Stowell, Ed Oliver, Frank Williams, and John Keifer started cutting blowdowns at the Nolichucky and headed up Cliff Ridge. They cut to the end of the new relocations after cutting 20 blowdowns and repairing 3 sections of trail.
• June 26: Trail Relocation Flagging - Carvers Gap
  Ed Oliver, Derrick Stowell, David Smith (seasonal ecologist) continued flagging for the proposed trail relocations in the Carvers Gap area. They flagged a section from the Grassy Ridge trail to improve the grade. One more trip will be needed to finish up this effort.
• June 28: Weeding and Trail Clearing - Dennis Cove
  Bob and Pat Peoples adopted this section from Dennis Cove Road to the fire tower. They have been clipping and clearing the trail and hauling off a lot of party trash from the fire tower.
• June 29: Blowdown Clearing - Section 16
  Dixie and Fred Hoilman cut out three blowdowns with their small saw but left one 10" locust about 1 mile south of the Clyde Smith Shelter. They reported a lot of horse and ORV evidence around the shelter and on the trail in that area. They seem to be coming in from the North Carolina side using Greasy Creek as access. Dixie and Fred also carried out a lot of day use garbage from around the shelter.
• July 2: Trail Relocation Flagging - Roan High Knob
  Ed Oliver, Frank Williams, and Derrick Stowell went back to finish the flagging at Carvers Gap going towards Roan High Knob. This trip completes all the proposed trail relocations on Roan Mountain. The Forest Service people have been notified and will try to have the flag lines surveyed by the end of July.
• July 4: Blowdown Clearing - Section 8
  Neal Dotson, Frank Williams, Derrick Stowell, and Bill Stowell carried out blow down removal, lopping, and weeding of the Shook Branch to Laurel Fork Gorge section across Pond Mountain.
• July 5: Trail Relocation with AmeriCorp - Little Rock Knob Relocation
  Bill and Derrick Stowell, Ed Oliver, and Steve Perri worked with the AmeriCorp Crew on the far end of the Little Rock Knob relo. They continued the side-hill trail digging and completed about 250 feet based on Ed's measurements by pacing.

A.T. Dayhikes: Pennsylvania, May 31 - June 4
Kevin Edgar Reporting
This series of dayhikes spanned a section of the Trail which was mostly atop Blue Mountain in eastern Pennsylvania. We hiked from Pa. 501 to Lehigh Gap in a series of dayhikes, and also picked up a section the leader had missed between Shippensburg Road and Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania. The first day included nearly 20 miles of hiking in two sections. We enjoyed sunny and warm weather, and all agreed that the new relo from Pa 501 to Pa 183 was pretty but seemed much longer than advertised. The next day was a pleasant ridge hike on Blue Mountain approaching the Lehigh River from the south, passing above the defunct zinc smelter near Lehigh Gap. The ridge there is slowly recovering but still nearly denuded of trees for quite a distance north and south of the smelter site; one must guiltily admit that the views there are terrific. For the next couple of days the highlights included views of the valley below and surrounding peaks from the Pinnacle and Pulpit Rock, then spotting deer and other wildlife through the mist and rain between Port Clinton and Pa 183. The trail was well-maintained, and there were still some early summer wildflowers to be seen. Those famous Pennsylvania rocks were present in abundance in certain areas, but apparently it was too warm for the rattlers to be out on them sunning themselves. Always a disappointment when you don't get to see all the local wildlife... Joining in the entire search for wildlife were Gether Irick and Owen Holbrook. Along for part of the safari was Eric Dowty. This completes the Pennsylvania A.T. for the trip leader; only Vermont and a piece of Virginia to go.

AmeriCorp Sailing Outing, June 27
John Kiefer Reporting
Friday morning at 0830, six of the AmeriCorp workers constructing trail south on Little Rock Knob met with four Watauga Lake Sailing Club members at Lakeshore Marina on Watauga Lake. After a short orientation by Clark Lucas (USPS sailing instructor), Sue Errico, Nkosinkulu Zulu, and David Brown boarded John and Billy Midaugh's sailboat. Janna Ellsworth, Freddy Dumloa, and Samantha Hagstrom along with Clark climbed aboard John Kiefer's boat and the crew on both boats set sail. The light northeast wind, ideal for learning the basics of sailing, was very cooperative and freshened obligingly as the crews became more proficient. By 1200 when we returned to the dock for lunch, it had built to 15 knots, but everyone hung in there. During lunch another WLSC member came by with a personal water craft and gave rides to those adventurous to ride. After lunch the two groups again set sail. The wind was now 15-20 knots, healing the boats almost to the rail and pushing them close to hull speed. However, both crews coped with conditions well, controling the tillers and working the sheets like America Cup sailors - well almost! The boats returned to the dock about 1445. Both contained their full compliment of crew.

The AmeriCorp workers appeared to enjoy the outing. It expanded their appreciation of the Southern Appalachians. The view of our beautiful mountains from the middle of Watauga Lake is quite different from the view enjoyed from the end of a mattock.

A.T. Dayhikes: Vermont, June 29 - July 5
Kevin Edgar Reporting
A band of intrepid TEHC folk hiked the A.T. from just north of the Massachusetts border to just north of Sherburne Pass, Vermont (River Road, to be exact) over the course of a week. We enjoyed a variety of conditions, which included 90 degree temperatures, downpours, lightning, cold winds, and the dreaded black flies. We had excellent views during a hot 22 mile day over Glastenbury Mountain, including the sight of a nearby high-tech wind farm. We had few views but lots of balsam scent and cool temperatures as we climbed above the ski areas and near the respective peaks of Pico and Killington, near Sherburne Pass on the north end of the hike. Skeeters and black flies were bad enough some days to turn even lunch stops into the briefest of affairs. The spectacular bridge over Clarendon Gorge, as well as the views from the overlook just to the north of it of the gorge and bridge, Rutland airport, and the surrounding mountains, were enough to take your breath away. We restored our energy with caloric delights including Ben and Jerry's, and a Fourth of July Maine lobster feast. Roughing it all the way were Taylor Pickard, Kevin Edgar, and Zach Hamm. Those who hiked part of the distance and/or tolerated lugging sweaty hikers to and from the trailheads included Jean and Beth Pickard, Marilyn and Emma Edgar, and Steve and Mary Banks. Only 50 A.T. miles to go (40 in Vermont) for the trip leader...