The woods were 'wall-to-wall' with Goldenrod along this section of AT.
Saturday was a beautiful day out on the trail. The weather was cool, a welcome relief after the heat and humidity of summer. No biting little black flying bugs were noticed ..... maybe the nights have been cool enough to knock them back. A lot of the weeds along the trail are looking 'spent' as their green season ends in tones of yellow and rust. The late summer/early fall flowers are blooming - goldenrod was in profusion, a few jewelweeds still had their flowers and the light purple asters were also making a frequent appearance.
We had a terrific crew that was hard working, but in addition to the work, we also had some of the most interesting conversations: bee keeping, copperhead snakes and their skin colors/patterns, the medicinal and other uses of several wildflowers and plants, Boy Scouts on the trail, "styling" the trail, and other topics I'm sure I've left out. Our mission was to tackle the 'infamous' Gully. Most long-time maintainers have done some sort of work in The Gully. Because of the terrain, the AT has to go between a historical rock wall and a large rock feature and the grade is fairly steep which makes water erosion a major problem. Over the years, steps have been put in along with several water bars in an attempt to keep the trail hiker-friendly. Here is some of the work that we got accomplished on Saturday:
A large ditch to divert water was put in off-trail at the head of The Gully several years ago, but had filled in. Some major digging was required to re-establish this ditch. The goal is to keep the water from running down the mountain and continuing on down the AT in The Gully.
Looking down The Gully - this is the first and largest water bar after all of the soil and rocks that had washed in were removed by diggin it out. This was a tough one to dig since gravel was mixed with the soil and it was packed in tight and hard.
This view is from off the AT, looking up the runout ditch. On the right of the ditch is the actual 'bar' - mounded dirt backed by rocks that will stop the water from flowing down the trail and direct it down the ditch.
Crews hard at work cleaning out two more water bars to divert water off the AT.
Yes, we do take lunch breaks! (Photo: Dave G.)
At the top of The Gully, the trail makes a turn to the right and immediately there are these two steps. Hikers were by-passing the first step by going around to the left. The area was "junked up" with unfriendly looking rocks to keep hikers on the trail. Small drainage features were put in above each of the two steps in this picture to try to get water off the trail as soon as possible. Water tends to run down the trail, over these steps, then into The Gully. Leaf matter was tossed on the newly set rocks and fresh dirt so they would blend into the scenery.
A section of trail south of The Gully and before the Humpback Picnic blue-blaze where hikers have made a 'go-around' to avoid rocks that have become exposed in the trail due to erosion. There were several sections like this that we worked on.
The trail is now back to one path with the tread re-defined. The 'junked' section on the right will weather in before long and look more natural.
Pictures below by Richard B. of the drainage ditch and the second water bar on The Gully and I'll let him have the last words on our day in the woods:
"I had a Great time working with Merlot's trail crew. We installed or repaired water breaks on our day of work. Then later we enjoyed a picnic dinner with hamburgers and hotdogs with all the side items. This was my first time out with the club and I'll be back." ~ Richard B.
(All photos by Merlot unless otherwise noted)
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Note: You may have wondered from the descriptions of the work on this section why these water bars are so full of debris .... why the drainage ditch had filled in ..... why so many areas of tread need re-defining, etc. This section is a good example of what happens when there is no dedicated section maintainer to give it some routine maintenance and TLC. We are short on section maintainers and this section has been vacant for almost two years. Folks move away, retire from trail maintenance, circumstances change (family & work obligations for example) and sections become vacant. Currently, in addition to this section, several others are vacant or about to become vacant. When this happens, the monthly work trip crews try to keep up with the routine maintenance, but weed season and dealing with blowdowns and other critical issues often leaves a section wanting. This particular section (Sec. 8) is big with some challenging areas. It is also a beautiful section with a variety of terrain changes, overlooks, some really terrific (and at least one rare) wildflowers, and stone walls. Taking on a section requires a committment (at a minimum, quarterly trips), but chances are you will get to know it well and fall in love with it and trips to 'do the chores' are something you will look forward to doing. As a section maintainer, you are not alone - help and expertise are available. Perhaps a section of your own is a little daunting - volunteer to co-maintain a section which is also very helpful and a good way to become familiar with what needs to be done. If you have an interest in section maintaining, would like more info and to check it out, talk to Lori, the ODATC Trail Supervisor. ~Merlot
And what is the [Appalachian] Trail?… It always was a place for people. People who care for land and tend a simple footpath as if it were their garden.
–APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONFERENCE, Member Handbook, 1988
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