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Friday Hikers: Doe River Gorge, May 6

Collins Chew reporting

We had occasional misty rain part of the time for our hike through the [[Doe River Gorge]], but it did not interfere with our enjoyment of the day.  After signing releases to the landowners, a Christian Camp, we hiked along the old Tweetsie railroad grade for about 2.5 miles and then returned.  Several geologic features were noted to be of interest.  There were quite a few wildflowers.  The showiest were purple phacelia and fire pink, but there were many others.  We were back in time to picnic at the camp tables.  Hikers were Olin Babb, Kathy and Jerry Case, Anne Cosby, Jan and Chuck Mather, Brian Paley, Susie Seiler, Jerry Sluder, and Collins Chew.

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Konnarock Crew – Hughes Gap to Cloudland Relocations

Scheduled for June 3-5, June 17-19, July 8-10, and July 29-31, 2011

Leaders: Joe DeLoach (423-753-7263) and Carl Fritz (423-477-4669)

Last year, we began one of our most ambitious Appalachian Trail relocations ever, from Hughes Gap to Cloudland atop Roan Mountain.  This formerly 2.6-mile section of Trail ascends 2200′, with a 0.4-mile slight descent along the way, making it possibly the steepest section of the A. T. in the South.  We don’t always relocate a Trail section just because it’s steep, but steep trails that run on a ridgeline are very prone to erosion, with only the rockiness of parts of this section retarding that erosion.  It is also a treacherous descent, especially in the icy or rainy conditions that are prevalent at those elevations.  We’ve flagged numerous relocations to climb the mountain at a sustainable 10-12% side-hill grade, and built the first four with Hard Core, student groups, and Club outings in 2010.  This year, we’ll tackle some sections higher on the mountain with all our resources, including the Konnarock Crew, which will work near the midpoint of the section.  The Konnarock Crew, in its 29th year, is managed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and works with the 12 southern clubs.  We are fortunate to have them for five weeks this year, with plans to devote the first four weeks to these relocations and the final week of August 11-15 to putting more gravel on Round Bald.  The Crew arrives on a Thursday afternoon, has three full days of work Friday-Sunday, and departs Monday afternoon.  So the best days to work with them are Friday-Sunday.  Volunteers who work at least 40 hours with the Crew receive a Konnarock T-shirt for their efforts.  Please contact Joe DeLoach or Carl Fritz if you’re interested in helping.

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From the Chair – June

Ian Powell, Steering Committee Chair

The Thru-Hiking Season is definitely in full swing.  With Trail Days the second week of May, I am sure if you have been anywhere near the A.T. in our area, you have seen thru-hikers all around.  Keep in mind what these individuals are undertaking and please do what you can to help them out.  The Friday before Trail Days I got a call on my office phone from a couple of thru-hikers that had found my name on the website.  They had gotten into Johnson City to resupply and rest and didn’t have a way back to the trail.  Though it was definitely busy at work and an unscheduled trip to Johnson City was the furthest thing from my mind, I conceded to give them a ride after I got off work.  I picked them up at their hotel and after a quick trip to Mahoney’s, we were on the way to Erwin to drop them trailside.  The drive to Erwin was filled with great conversation and the diversion from the daily grind was ultimately rewarding and welcome.  So if you get a chance to help out a thru-hiker, count yourself lucky and enjoy the departure from your daily tasks and remember, the south-bounders will be here before long.

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2011 Spring Storms

As everybody who lives in this area is aware, we’ve been pummeled with storms over the last couple of months. This of course has caused its share of blowdowns on the trail. We’ve had hikers reporting blowdowns throughout various parts of the trail. Combined with it being around the same time our crew of regular maintainers planning and executing our big maintenance projects of HardCore and Konnarock Crew and gearing up for the biennial AT conference, it’s been a rough spring. If you are aware of any, we always appreciate a warning. Send messages to atmaint@tehcc.org or use our contact form.

Pond Mountain should now be clear. We’ve got some unconfirmed reports of blowdowns between Moreland Gap and Mountaineer Falls Shelter. Here’s some pictures of clearing out some blowdowns near Temple Hill Gap.

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The Week Ahead – June 1st

Holy Cow! Summer is here. Did you miss out on HardCore? Want to give back to the community this weekend? Well then we have lots of chances for you.

  • Konnarock Crew is working a trail relocation on Roan Mountain
  • Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts will be hosting the Nolichucky River Cleanup

As always the Schedule has the details. Plus Saturday is National Trails Day so get out, give back, and have fun this weekend!

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Nolichucky River Cleanup and Celebration, June 4

Contact: Debbie Briscoe

Participants will be assigned to Clean Teams, provided maps of clean-up locations, and given trash bags and gloves.

There are plenty of clean-up opportunities of key areas for non-boaters as well as areas designated for individuals with their own boats or rafts.

FREE FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!  For cleanup participants, after the clean-up, Hickory Smoked Bar-B-Q and the all the fixings will be served-up by the APEs in the Pavilion while you enjoy one of the area’s finest bands.

Bring a lawn chair, kick back with a cold tasty beverage, and know that you did something good for the river we all enjoy so much!

WIN PRIZES FROM OUR SPONSORS!!!!  During the entertainment we will be drawing tickets for fantastic prizes.

Helpful information:  Showers and restrooms are on the premises.  Be prepared with appropriate footwear, sunscreen, bug repellant, etc.  Rafts, pickup trucks, and trailers will be helpful and appreciated.  Consider bringing a packed lunch, boating equipment, rain gear, chairs, family, and friends.

For Camping Info:  Bruce and Nancy Gantenbein, 423-753-5359, http://www.riverparkcampground.net/

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GSMNP S.W.E.A.T. Crew Needs Volunteers

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has just put out a press release looking for volunteers to help out with their trail maintenance efforts in the Smokies. It sounds a lot like their version of Damascus Hard Core, so if you’re looking for more, or missed out on this year, here’s chance to do more AT maintenance. SWEAT Crew ATC Press Release has all of the details.

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The Week Ahead – May 23rd

Yet another week and we have you covered on all fronts. Hiking, flat water paddling, rapids paddling, and backpacking trips abound! Have a great Memorial Weekend.

  • 4 days of backpacking in the Smokies
  • Annual Bluestone River trip (camp and CL I-III paddling)
  • Flat water day trip exploring the Holston River
  • Buffalo Mountain Park Day

As usual check our schedule for the details.