Tag: AT

During 2000-2001, the A.T. on Round Bald was relocated and rehabilitated, to eliminate significant erosion problems and replace the former steep route with a more gradual sidehill trail. The project has three distinct phases:

• Phase 1 – Gravel delivery and trail construction from Carvers Gap to a large rock about two-thirds of the way up to the summit of Round Bald – summer of 2000.
• Phase 2 – Gravel delivery between the large rock and Engine Gap – February-March 2001.
• Phase 3 – Spreading the gravel on the existing Trail route between the large rock and Engine Gap – summer of 2001.

Continue reading “Round Bald Relocation / Stairway to Heaven (2000-2001)”

In November 1999, the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club conducted three large Appalachian Trail-maintenance projects with regional volunteers from local colleges and the Boy Scouts. Continue reading “Carvers Gap to Cloudland Waterbar Installation (1999)”

On January 7-8, 1998, torrential rains struck northeast Tennessee and western North Carolina. Carter County, Tennessee was hit especially hard, with widespread flooding and seven deaths caused by ten inches of rain during a 24 hour period. The lower two bridges on the A.T. in Laurel Fork Gorge were completely destroyed. The center span of the upper bridge (the Koonford Bridge) was also destroyed, but temporary repairs were quickly made by TEHCC on January 17, 1998. A temporary blue-blazed route for the A.T. to bypass the two destroyed bridges was completed in May 1998. Continue reading “Laurel Fork Gorge Bridge Replacement (1999)”

On March 20, 1999, a series of bog bridges were installed on the A.T. on Cross Mountain, near Shady Valley, Tennessee. The new bridges replaced a set of old bog bridges that had deteriorated beyond repair. Continue reading “Cross Mountain Bog Bridges (1999)”

The flood of early January, 1998 destroyed the two lower bridges in Laurel Fork Gorge. The center span of the upper bridge (the Koonford Bridge) was also destroyed. For the January third Saturday special project on January 17, 1998, we chose to replace the center span of the Koonford Bridge. Continue reading “Koonford Bridge in Laurel Fork Gorge (1998)”

Thanks to a generous contribution by TEHCC members Bruce and Mary Cunningham, we were able to have a crew work for a second straight year on improving the Appalachian Trail in Laurel Fork Gorge. This is a high use area with lots of loose rock, which makes building and maintaining a stable treadway difficult. Continue reading “Laurel Fork Gorge Rock Steps (1998)”

Fifteen of us ignored the weather forecast and the drizzle to build a bridge. We knew beforehand that the bridge over Laurel Fork, Trail south of Bitter End, was rickety and needed to be replaced. Our timing was good as when we reached the bridge on Saturday morning, we found that it had collapsed! Several Club members had drilled the holes and generally prepared the bridge for installation earlier in the week, so once we got the material to the site, it went up pretty quickly. Continue reading “Laurel Fork Bridge Near Bitter End (1997)”

The Overmountain Shelter is located near Yellow Mountain Gap (4,682 feet) on the Appalachian Trail. The shelter’s name is derived from the Overmountain Men, who passed through the Gap on their way from Sycamore Shoals (now called Elizabethton), Tennessee to defeat the British Army at Kings Mountain, South Carolina during the Revolutionary War. That defeat freed the American South from British domination, and was a turning point in the war. Continue reading “Overmountain Shelter (1993-1997)”