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.
The full 134 miles of TEHCC’s A.T. section and side trails were inventoried within three months. The project was split with ATC, with Trail Specialist Chris Binder plus seasonal employees Eric Giebelstein and David Underwood recording GPS information and taking photographs of the Trail and major structures, such as shelters and bridges. Meanwhile, the club completed a tally count and measurements for 56 categories of man-made features. Some inventory highlights include roughly:
- 190 signs
- 3700 rock, wood and concrete steps
- 500 waterbars (which need to be cleaned every year!)
- 34,000 sq ft rock and wood retaining/crib walls
- 1000 sq ft turnpikes
- 8000 sq ft riprap/scree
- 900 ft fencing
For TEHCC, this effort required at least 500 hours of planning and execution. Sincere thanks is expressed to these folks who completed our portion of the assessment: Ken Buchanan, Phyllis Cairnes, Kayla Carter, Jim Chambers, Wes Ford, Carl Fritz, Bill Fuller, Craig Haire, Vic Hasler, Mike Hupko, Kat Johnson, Becky Kinder, Greg Kramer, Karen Loven, Pat Loven, Helga Mitchell, Joe Morris, Bill Murdoch, Ken Murray, Brian Paley, Bob Peoples, Kim Peters, Bekah Price, Gayle Riddervold, and Tim Stewart. Carl Fritz also created a spreadsheet to summarize the information for transfer to the ATC and APPA offices.
At a later date, we will learn the replacement valuation assigned to this section of the Trail and its structures. Other useful information and photographs are anticipated to be another benefit available from this project.