Special AT Gravel Project on Round Bald, July 9-12

Contact:  Carl Fritz

Starting Monday, July 9 we will begin our probably-last big gravel project for the next decade.  Last summer we moved about 37 tons of gravel to between Round Bald and Engine Gap.  This year we want to move about 90 tons (5 truck loads) between Carver’s Gap and Round Bald.  The concept is to use a tractor with a front end loader to load gravel into Yanmar C-12R rubber tracked vehicles that can haul 2500 Lb.  We will have two transport vehicles.  We will want to keep the machines running constantly during daylight hours and if no problems develop, we should finish on Wednesday, but need to plan for Thursday in case we have a delay.  We will schedule two shifts, 8am to 2pm and 2pm to 8pm.  The tasks per shift will be: 2 people to run Yanmar machines, 1 to run loading tractor, 2 to spot where gravel is dumped and crudely level with rakes so hikers can easily walk, and 1 or 2 to block traffic when the road is crossed with machines.  So we need 6 to 7 people per shift.  It is likely that you can switch jobs during your shift.  About 52 work-slots need to be filled.  Round Bald is such a great place to be that you might want to consider taking a day of vacation to help.  Also, it will solve a lot of headaches if someone can stay with the machines over night.  You can car camp or possibly even tent camp right at Carver’s Gap.  Anyone interested in star gazing from Carver’s Gap for at least a night?  Contact Carl if you are interested in helping with this huge project.