Icebergs in August! (Sec 10/12)

 

The view from Cedar Cliffs.

I know it’s always a bit dangerous to miss the ODATC Trail Maintenance Planning Meeting, but I had a busy week and just couldn’t be there. So, I wasn’t too surprised that my crew had been assigned a section of thick weeds to tackle. I had hoped that my slow progress and broken swing blade on the June trip would be sufficient evidence that clearing weeds is not my forte. I hadn’t considered that someone might think that I’d improve with more practice! At least this time it was just the short section from Reeds Gap to Three Ridges Overlook and there was the promise of more interesting work if we completed that task early.

 

 Many wildflowers are still blooming.

Our five-man crew split into three groups to tackle the section. Mark H fired up the weedeater and tackled the grass at Reeds Gap. The Parkway had mowed it not too long ago, so it wasn’t bad. John and Karl started swing blading and trimming northbound while Mark F and I walked to Three Ridges Overlook to start from the other direction. At the overlook, we began by crossing the road and clearing enough foliage to expose the blaze headed north. This spot really needs a marker along the road, perhaps an official NPS A.T. road crossing highway marker. That done, we headed back south, swinging and clipping the jewelweed and stinging nettles. I clearly need additional practice since I managed to ding my shin pretty nicely with the blade, bloodying my pant leg and requiring a little first aid! We met the other crew before noon and happily returned to the car to move on to our next project.

 

 Lopping .... Mark F getting the job done!

 

 The 'aftermath' .... a nicely cleared, hiker-friendly trail.

 

 More 'aftermath' .... and why every crew carries a FAB (First Aid Bag)!

 

 Queen Anne's Lace along the AT

 

 Some healthy poison ivy .... some maintainer-types refer to it as the Virginia State 'flower'.

 Black-eyed Susan and Staghorn Sumac

 

 Wildflowers in the 'daisy' family (?)

Both Mark H and I had noted some places on Section 10, which he and John maintain, that could use some work. So, we swapped our swing blades and loppers for rock and soil moving tools, and headed in south at Dripping Rock. We examined two spots that were eroding and could use water bars, but continued on to Cedar Cliffs. We enjoyed the view and lunch on the cliff and talked about what we could do to minimize the impact from fires and camping. The “No Camping or Fires” sign was missing, but the USFS will be replacing it soon. Mark F told us about the experience that TATC has had with “iceberging” the area around Maupin Field Shelter and creating individual dispersed tent sites. It has really reduced the impact around that shelter and greatly improved conditions.

 The crew breaks for lunch on Cedar Cliffs, a pretty place to be - see also below: 

We started by breaking up the soil that had been destroyed by a fire ring and mixing in some fresh soil to encourage new growth. We also buried a rock in the middle of the area with the bulk underground and only a small pointy bit sticking up. These “icebergs” are designed to discourage tenting and be relatively hard to remove without digging tools. We placed “icebergs” about three feet apart in areas where tents had been setup with the goal of eliminating as many seven foot smooth flat areas as possible. In addition, we followed the beaten trails up the hill to a second site and buried more rocks there. A few very small, isolated spots much farther up were left that could accommodate a single small tent. Mark H and John will keep an eye on the site and add more “icebergs” as necessary.

 

Removing a fire pit and planting iceberg rocks to discourage camping

 

 Another camping spot to eliminate

 

 A nicely pointed "iceberg" rock.

That project done, we headed another ¾ mile south, passing several rocky sections that could use some heavy work at some time, to a short section of trail that needed redefinition. Over time the uphill side of the trail had filled with debris, dirt and rocks. This was encouraging hikers onto the downhill edge causing it to decay. We used our picks and pulaskis to remove the debris from the uphill side and redefine the full width of the trail with an appropriate 45 degree back slope and slight downhill slope on the tread surface so that it will drain. The fire rake was handy for leveling out the rough spots and leaving a nice finished product.

 Redefining the top edge of a section of AT and the much improved final result.

With that section completed, we headed back north with enough time to take a close look at the drainage issues on the north side of Cedar Cliffs. We examined a large slab that gets very slick when wet or icy and decided that a determined crew with a full day could build a rock crib starting on the small amount of dirt at the low end of the slab and build up to form a more secure tread surface on top of the slab. Next we took a good look at a section of eroding trail and decided that a water bar and perhaps a check step would be a good idea. We didn’t have time to actually start digging, but we did start hunting for appropriate rocks. We had located a couple of rocks and moved them over to the trail when John called me over to take a look at a rock that had about 4 inches sticking out of the ground. It looked promising so we dug around it and slowly exposed it. The rock was a thin slab a little over three feet long and about 16 inches wide, perfect for a water bar, but embedded in the ground at a sharp angle and seemed to have someone hanging onto it from below. The time was getting late, but we had invested so much energy on it that it was now personal. Finally just before 5pm, we broke its grip and yanked it out. Next work trip we’ll have many of the materials handy to complete the water bars and check dams.  It was a beautiful day on the mountain!

 ~ Dave W. (crew leader)

 

 Dave W. looking pretty happy while pulling a stubborn rock

 out to use for a waterbar on a future trip.

Thanks to Dave W, Mark F, Mark H, John S & Karl H

  for a great day of trail maintenance and some very critical work to help reduce damage and preserve beautiful Cedar Cliffs!

[Even though Dave missed the planning meeting, the rest of the work trip planners demonstrated they knew what they were doing when they put together this high-energy, multi-project crew!! ~Merlot]

(All photos and narrative: Dave W.)