Bluestone River Trip, May 20-22, 2016, 37th Year, Leader: Terry Dougherty, 423-502-5177. The annual Bluestone River Trip (37th Anniversary) is scheduled for May 20-22, 2016. We will stay at the beautiful Pipestem State Park (Mountain Creek Lodge). We have reserved a block of rooms, please call 800-CALL-WVA (ask for Pipestem State Park / Mountain Creek Lodge) and reserve your room for Friday and Saturday. To secure one of the clubs block rooms, reservations must be made by May 6. Room $ 80/night + taxes. We plan to paddle the scenic Bluestone River both Sat. and Sun. This is a Class III trip the first day and Class I the second day. You can skip the second day, if you like. Other options include family camping at the state park campground and/or driving up on Saturday morning. This is a GREAT trip with a lot of family fun, scenic river and very nice lodging. In addition to the paddling, Ed Montgomery will once again be in charge of HAPPY HOUR and libation coordination on Saturday night and is going to take this one special. Please contact the trip leader (Terry Dougherty, 423-502-5177) if you are planning to attend the trip.
Section hike the TEHCC AT Section This Year
Tim Schaefer is interested in section hiking the TEHCC section of the AT this year (Spivey Gap to the Virginia border). He’s looking for car pooling and hike partner(s). This way he won’t have to do it twice going out and back. It also fits in well with the National Park Service’s program this year to hike 100 miles of trail and earn a pin or decal (see February newsletter). Since time, and more specifically hiking days are limited, he’s looking at possibly doing this in as few as seven outings. If this sounds too aggressive, contact him anyway as he may be encouraged to tone it down to be able to accomplish this. There are also others interested in achieving this same goal in not such an aggressive manner as well and we can get you in contact with them. If interested email Tim at tim@tehcc.org for some discussion, to do some planning, and start to get some events on the calendar.
NPS Hike 100 Challenges
Submitted by Vic Hasler
The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. In celebration of its Centennial, several of the national parks are hosting 100-mile challenges. For the Appalachian Trail, everyone who hikes 100 miles or more — with at least one hike on the A.T. — during 2016 is eligible to receive a limited-edition Hike100 decal. Register by sending your name and email address to AT_Hike100@nps.gov to receive a simple official hiking log. Enter dates, where, and miles to reach the 100-mile goal, and then send it back when you’re done. Other national parks in the region announcing similar challenges include GSMNP and New River Gorge.
Trail Value Assessment Completed for TEHCC Section
Vic Hasler and Carl Fritz reporting
ATC worked collaboratively with the APPA NPS office to develop a system for assessing the value of the A.T. and its associated facilities. The results are to help the APPA (Appalachain National Scenic Trail) better compete for funding relative to other National Parks in our region by accurately accounting for the true worth of the extensive work provided by the volunteer corps. The monies help support A.T. relocations, trail rehab, and facility improvements.
Continue reading “Trail Value Assessment Completed for TEHCC Section”
Wilderness First Aid Course
The APEs and TEHCC will host a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course taught by NOC/SOLO (Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities) on March 19-20. The class will be hosted at the Eastman Lodge and will run from 8:30am – 5:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $115 for WFA and $35 for CPR.
Fast paced and hands-on, this two-day course covers a wide range of wilderness medicine topics for people who travel and work in the outdoors. If you plan to spend time in the backcountry, this training will provide you with the tools to provide patient care in remote settings where assistance may not be readily available. Training will include both classroom instruction and structured scenarios. All levels of training and experience are welcome. Minimum age is 18 years old, or 12 years old if accompanied by a chaperone. This class can be used to recertify WFR for an additional $15.
Class size is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. TEHCC has limited positions available for sponsorship in the form of partial course fee reimbursement (~$50). You must be a TEHCC member to apply. Contact William Werner at wwerner@eastman.com for additional information. Register online at http://www.riverapes.org/registration.html. After submitting your registration you will be directed to http://www.riverapes.org/paypal-1.html to pay for the course using PayPal. APEs (or TEHCC) membership is required to participate and can also be purchased online at http://www.riverapes.org/paypal-1.html for $10. No need to fill out and send in a separate membership form. Your online registration will double for that purpose.
Please Contact Scott Fisher at TFisher1@its.jnj.com for additional information.
Trail Wiki Update
Submitted by Tim Schaefer
The holidays and getting the new year started slowed progress a bit, but we were able to complete tagging every page with its current short comings. Now, if there are improvement needs, the trail page has a banner highlighting the potential improvements, and anyone reading the page can see how they can help. Needs include everything from more pictures, trail description detail, to GPS logs. With that complete, I will now turn my attention to trail searching. I’ve played with it a bit and have a basic working version, but the aesthetics need some improvement before it’s ready for the non-engineer. Beyond that, others have added details about Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area and its trails. There have also been updates to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and several GPS track file updates to trails throughout our area. Progress continues and we hope you find it useful and will one day help out as well.
Hiking through Israel with Bob Peoples
Rebekah’s quote regarding the interview was: “Wish I could have spent the day hearing more of Bob’s stories. When Bob Peoples tells a story, books write themselves.”
Hampton resident and hiking legend Bob Peoples, 72, returned this Fall from a venture of Biblical proportions. Hiking through Israel, he followed the Yam el Yam (Sea to Sea) trail and then took a bus to Nazareth and hiked the Jesus Trail, each of which ended at the Sea of Galilee. He covered about 100 miles by foot and visited over 25 churches and numerous historical sites. The high temperature was below 100 degrees Fahrenheit on only one day of his three-week journey.
3rd Saturday Maintenance – Hiking with Tools!
Contact: Kim Peters, atmaint@tehcc.org, 423-366-0128
Hiking with Tools! is an opportunity to enjoy a day hike on our beautiful section of the A.T. while helping out with some routine maintenance, such as breaking up fire rings, cleaning out waterbars and steps, lopping rhododendron, and painting blazes. All tools will be furnished and no prior experience required! Last year we typically had four to five people on each trip – with eight new volunteers making a contribution. Contact Kim for hike details, including meeting time and place.
Trail Wiki Update
Holidays and getting the new year started slowed progress a bit but we were able to complete tagging every page with its current short comings. Now, if there are improvement needs, the trail page has a banner highlighting its potential improvements of how anyone reading the page could possibly help. Everything from needing more pictures, a trail description detail, to needing GPS logs. With that complete I will now turn my attention to trail searching. I’ve played with it a bit and I have a basic version working, but it will need some improvements for aesthetics before it’s ready for the non-engineer. Beyond that, others have added details about [[Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area]] and its trails. There have also been updates to the [[Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail]], [[Mountains-to-Sea Trail]], and several GPS track file updates to trails throughout our area. Progress continues and we hope you find it useful and hope one day you’ll help out as well.