Walking With Winter

AT in Winter

After being off the trail for almost two months (since the November work trip) due to holidays and weather, Sunday (Jan. 12) was too good an opportunity to miss to get out and do some blowdown scouting and maintaining. In deciding where to go, we had a couple of factors to consider. Primarily, the concern was for sections of the trail that are the most heavily used and those would be between Rockfish Gap and the Humpback Rocks area. The Club's annual "Freezeree" was taking place over the weekend so those folks could be counted on to check out the five miles between Rockfish and the Shelter. Maintainers had been on the Albright (trees down) and Section 5 (looking good!). The decision was made to hike Sections 6 and 7 which would take us down the Howardsville Turnpike and up the back side of Humpback Mountain to the blue blaze that goes down to The Rocks. This section of AT is frequently used as part of a circuit hike that includes Humpback Rocks.

It was a gorgeous day - sunny, extremely windy at Humpback Gap/Parking, but much calmer once we dropped out of the Gap and got into the woods. Lots of layers going on and coming off were the key to staying comfortable during the day. The winter woods, with the sunlight angling in and illuminating the bark on the bare trees, plus the visibility through the woods makes for a beautiful hike, an entirely different experience from when the trees are leafed out and the underbrush is thick and green.

We got a lot of work done, mainly diverting melt/rain water, as you will see, and we cleaned out all the water bars. Tree debris was also removed and some sawyer work was noted for future trips. Leaves were cleared off of the steps so hikers could see them. It was a very satisfying day because we got so much work done while enjoying a great hike.  The pictures below tell the story of our day:

Small patch of ice on the Howardsville - took this pic just to show it had been icy .... little did I know!

Lots and lots of water running down Howardsville - almost a creek.

The water bars on Howardsville were doing a good job.

 BIG ice! I felt silly after taking that picture of the ice in the puddle.

 One of many ice formations along the Howardsville Turnpike/AT - makes for an interesting, beautiful hike ..... and lots of melt water on the trail!

The woodpeckers have been working on this tree ... the upper portion is also riddled with holes.

 A sawyer-size blowdown on the Howardsville/AT.

 We hiked by the former 'Big Tree Jr' .... still marveling at the size of the root ball and the work the sawyers did to remove the rest of the blowdown from the AT.

Winter view, just up the trail from Big Tree Jr.  Views like this, that you don't see any other time of year, make winter hiking special. No bugs makes it extra-special!

 

We got to Bear Spring and found a LOT of water! Photos of water, due to shadows, etc. don't turn out well so here's a video. You will see how much difference it makes when leaves are removed from channels and water bars. If you're familiar with this spot on the trail, you might be surprised at the amount of water in the rock channel across the trail - usually it is dry! This was our lunch spot, while watching and listening to the water run.

This is the water bar we put in above Bear Spring in July and it is working like a champ! I confess to doing a "happy dance" to see this. The trail below, which was formerly an eroded mess and had to be rehabbed, is in great shape - no erosion found, due to the new water bar.

In the 'Alpines' above Bear Spring, the rhodies are getting ready for spring already.

 Another spot where water was flowing across and down the trail. We got it diverted, but the footing isn't great with a lot of loose rocks. This will likely be the site of a work trip project in 2014. There is some side hill tread repair that needs doing just below the water problem - since it is quite a hike in, two issues that can be dealt with by the same crew will make the longer trip in worth while.

Our destination, before we turned around and hiked back out. After talking to a single hiker coming up the blue-blaze from HB Rocks and a couple coming back from having missed turning on to the AT north (to make the loop back to the parking lot), we realized just how much confusion there is at this spot. Plus ... this is the view of the sign that people have when coming up from the Rocks ..... many walk right on by and up the hill, heading south (not north!) on the AT. This confusing situation will have to be remedied in the near future with better directional signage.

 Nature's winter garden.

Melt water, rolling off the mossy rocks.

 We noticed, once we got above Yellow Jacket Ridge, that the trail was getting a little "crunchy" as it was then getting cold enough again at the higher elevations for the muddy trail to refreeze.  As we hiked back to the parking lot and got to lower elevations, the trail became soft again. When we reached Howardsville, we noticed that with all the melting that had occurred during the day, there was even MORE water on the trail. We could also hear the sound of water rushing, far off down the hillside .... some place where we did not know there was a creek. As we got higher in the drainage, the sound diminished. Fortunately, the weather was warm enough that it was water and not ice on the trail, otherwise it would have been a skating rink.

It was quite a wonderful day on the trail. We were on the trail in January of 2013, too - that was also a good day. This time however, despite the BRP showing closed Saturday night, it was open Sunday morning which saved us about 1.6 miles of road walking ...... no road walk was a terrific way to start our day! Walking with winter ..... we highly recommend it.

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Note: Flickr has changed the way pictures are embedded so you will notice some differences from previous posts. Personally, I'm not a happy camper with some of the changes, but it is what it is.

(All photos: Merlot)

2013 Volunteer Hours

 

(Photo: Christina W.)

ATC had a post earlier this week on their Facebook page (love the picture!) regarding volunteer hours:

A record number of hours - 245,548 - was reported by volunteers for the A.T. during the federal fiscal year that ended 9/30/13. Those hours are roughly the equivalent of 118 full-time workers. Special thanks to all the volunteers who help to maintain and protect the #AppalachianTrail. THANK YOU!

It has been a remarkable year for our maintainers, beginning with a good dose of adversity .... the shelter fire. You can click on "shelter" in the label cloud to pull up all the posts. Dealing with the shelter fire damage turned out to be a good indication of how the rest of the year would go:  lots of volunteers turning out, tremendous effort by everyone, and some very major projects completed.

In 2012, Fran L, who had been collecting the volunteer hours, helped transition John O. into the position. John has kept up with everything on a big spreadsheet during 2013, a necessary and important job since hours are broken down between the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service (thank you, John!). Additionally, time is broken down further into categories for ATC.  Here is a summary of the Club's hours that are included in the 245,548 hours reported by ATC above:

AT Parks		1,539.40
AT Forest		499.60
Total		2,039.00

Some of the tasks, broken into hours:

Description	Hours
Trail Maintenance	1,021.50
Shelter	110.00
Boundary	74.00
Chainsaw	24.00

Planning projects has already started for 2014 so we have another wonderful year of trail maintenance to look forward to ..... coming up just around the New Year's corner!

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Volunteer trail maintainers ...... those who maintain individual sections, sawyers, those who turn out on work trips and anyone who contributes their time and effort, in whatever capacity to the Appalachian Trail ...... your work is important, your time and effort matter, and your dedication is remarkable. 

THANK YOU for a terrific year of AT Trail Maintaining!

Late Fall On The AT

 

 On the AT just below Battery Cliffs

One of the joys of maintaining on the AT is just being in the woods and on the trail. When you get to know a particular section of trail really well by working on it regularly, you notice in detail how it changes with the seasons .... particular flowers in a certain place, trees that stand out, rocks that have 'personality'. In late fall and during the winter, with little foliage, views are more apparent and the trunks of the trees with their different barks, lichens and fungus, are front and center. The light slants in at a lower angle and everything changes, just as it will change again when the days begin to lengthen and spring returns. This is a collection of pictures taken by the 6-Mile Crew on Saturday ..... colors, shapes, patterns and views that caught our eye(s).

 

Entrance to The Gully, hiking north. 

 

 A distinctive rock face in The Gully .... in the summer, it's like a little garden.

 

Another feature of The Gully's rock 'garden' ... probably smooth rock tripe.

  

 Chestnut

 

 White bracket fungus on a tree trunk.

 

Mountain Laurel

 

An interesting contrast

 

 Rhododendron

 

 A rock with a 'blanket' of rock tripe and moss.

(Photo: Lori A.)

 

 

 Rock sloughing off a cliff face near the top of Humpback Mountain.

(Photo: Lori A.)

 

The remains of Big Tree, just above Bear Spring. 

(Photo: Lori A.)

 

 

The view from Humpback Mountain Overlook, just off the AT - fog bank to the east

(Photo: Lori A.)

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For more scenic pictures taken on the work trip Saturday, Nov. 16:

Humpback Rocks Farm In Fog

The Fog Comes On .... And Stays

Stone Wall History

(Photos: Merlot, unless otherwise noted)

Cedar Cliffs Sign Update

 

Fall flowers blooming on Cedar Cliffs

On our June work trip, the crew that was weed-whipping Section 10, noticed that the "Camping and campfires prohibited along trail next 1 mile" sign was missing. Yes, that's right .... missing. How does a sign like this go missing? The best we can surmise is that some human pulled it out of the ground and did away with it. The woods are a little grown up right now so it's hard to see if it's been thrown down in the brush somewhere, but maybe we'll be able to spot it once the vegetation dies back this winter.

Why was the sign installed in the first place and why was it likely removed? The Cliffs originally were not posted and folks would build fire rings with rocks and spend the night. Initially, it was primarily one fire ring; however, as time went on, more and more fire rings were started. The ground around the original, large fire ring was worn to dirt as the grass was killed. Removing the fire rings (pitching the rocks off the Cliffs) was a constant chore .... and they were built back almost as quickly as they were destroyed. Folks were spotted carrying coolers, hammocks, even hatchets, heading down the trail from Dripping Rock to Cedar Cliffs. Litter was left on the Cliffs .... food wrappings, foil, bottles, cans, and some unusual items, such as a pair of male underpants (briefs, not boxers ... in case you were wondering). The last straw was when a large group camped on the cliffs and chopped limbs off of live cedar trees for firewood (one tree was totally down) and also carried in bags of charcoal briquets and used them to build fires all over the rocks. It was a real mess and bad enough to make the Section 10 maintainer at the time cry (that would be me!). After reporting this damage to the Forest Service, they made the decision to post the Cliffs and the area around it as a no campfires or camping zone.

Over the years (a decade, at least) since the Cliffs were posted, they have been making a comeback of sorts. Grass has grown back slowly over most of the area where the large fire ring used to be and some of the smaller campsites are re-vegetating. Sadly, the Turk's Cap that used to bloom on the Cliffs has not reappeared, but for the most part, the vegetation and trees have been looking pretty good. Then recently, the sign disappeared and what has reappeared on the Cliffs? A large fire ring, where the old one used to be. You can draw your own conclusions as to why someone would want that sign to 'go away', but this is mine:  "Gee willikers, Mr. Ranger ..... I had NO idea campfires/camping weren't allowed here! I didn't see a sign or anything ...... how was I supposed to know?" You get my drift.

Our trail maintenance supervisor was recently notified by the Forest Service that they have replaced the sign. It's farther down the trail towards the Cliffs than the original sign, but it is just before a flat area in the woods right off the AT that has been used as a camp site in times past. The sign's closer proximity to the Cliffs also should leave no doubt that "next 1 mile" includes Cedar Cliffs. Construction techniques have been used to make this sign difficult, if not impossible, to pull out of the ground. We'll keep an eye on it and monitor it for vandalism.

 

After locating the sign and checking it out, we hiked on to take a look at Cedar Cliffs and see if there were any new fire rings.  No new fire rings, thank goodness ...... but guess what we found?

 

Yes, that would be a hole where the maintainers on the August work trip had buried one of several 'iceberg' rocks to discourage people from using that area and killing the nice grass that has regrown. It didn't take a month and people are digging them out. The rock in the picture below was lying close by ... it is probably the iceberg rock. It looks like bigger, deeper icebergs are needed, however the bedrock is close to the surface so the rocks can only be buried so deep, which is problematic.

 

As a nice contrast to the vandalizing of the maintainer work from August, there were beautiful fall wildflowers blooming all over the cliffs. It was a gorgeous day to enjoy the views and the hike down was a nice leg-stretcher after spending the day at Farm Fest. The beauty of the Cliffs is certainly something you want to share with people and most folks 'leave no trace', but the people who do build fire rings, kill the grass, cut live trees, litter, and generally vandalize places like Cedar Cliffs, ruin this wild beauty for everybody. These 'nature vandals' are also a determined bunch as evidenced by the missing sign and the uprooted iceberg rocks ....... but maintainers are equally determined and "we'll be back" with renewed efforts to protect the beautiful Cedar Cliffs!

 

 

(Photos: Merlot, Sept. 15, 2013)

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More Mountain Farm (BRP)

 

 First view of the Mountain Farm

A few more pictures taken during the Farm Fest at the Mountain Farm at Humpback (BRP milepost 5.8):

 

 Flowers along the garden fence.

 

Plant with unusual flowers that grows in the field near the cabin.

 

 Lots of dulcimers for .....

 

......... visitors to use while having a lesson on how to play.

 

 The Dogwoods have a message: "Fall is coming!"

 

 A handsome chicken .... Dominicker.

 

A partridge Cochin rooster (he has feathered feet!).

Wildflowers along the edge of the field (next 3 pictures):

 

 

 

 

Ending as we began ...... under the beautiful old tree at the main farm gate.

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(All photos:  Merlot)

Farm Fest Day at Humpback (Sept. 15, 2013)

 

 Some of the crowd at the Mountain Farm, listening to Blue Mountain Sunrise.

It was a beautiful day for the Farm Fest at the Humpback Mountain Farm ..... sunny skies, no humidity, and mild temperatures. With no trail maintenance on the agenda for the day, we wandered around, took in the sights, visited old friends and met some interesting new folks. A nice crowd also turned out to tour the farm and see the displays.  The bluegrass group Blue Mountain Sunrise entertained everybody from 2:00 - 4:00. The friendly Blue Ridge Parkway folks, responsible for planning and organizing the day's events at the Mountain Farm, did a wonderful job. We had a grand time! 

 

The garden.

 

 An old push plow .... it's hard work!

 

The cabin porch.

 

The bedroom corner of the cabin.

 

Kitchen corner .... starting the fire for some cooking later on.

 

 Summer produce preserved for winter use.

 

 Tools used during the cabin era.

 

 Cabin's stone chimney.

 

A wagon set up for trading.

 

Open for business!

 

Just like the sign says ...... whittling!

 

 The quilt block design was taken from a churn base. The blocks were found in an old trunk and were sewn together and backed, so they can now be quilted.

 

Blacksmithing.

 

Crocheting rag rugs.

 

Making music with dulcimers (and one guitar).

 

View of one of the outbuildings from the cabin.

 

 Blue Mountain Sunrise

 

 More crowd scenes .... folks were all around, even sitting up along the road and under trees behind the band .... heads were nodding and toes were tapping in time to the music. Great bluegrass and gospel music plus some funny stories and jokes as well.

 

 This young man has been dancing (clogging) for four years .... he could move those feet!

 

 The Farm Fest is over .... 

after a wonderful day, folks are heading back to their cars in the parking lot.

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(All photos: Merlot)