Rockfish Crew: A Season of Progress (Sec 1 & 2)

 

 Rockfish Crew loads up their tools for the trip to the AT at Rockfish Gap.

The goal on Saturday for the crew on Section 1 was to complete a season-long project to reduce the amount or water running unchecked down the AT, to rehab and maintain the waterbars that had been built this season and in previous years, and to finish removing and rebuilding of section of outdated waterbars built in 1992 when the trail was rerouted.

Removing the old rock waterbars and several old wooden check steps went relatively quickly. The hard part was to install the new log waterbars in the correct locations. Unfortunately, the trail here runs along an old road bed, so there was nothing we could do about the 20% slopes. We finally decided on the correct locations and started digging the trenches which would hold the wooden logs, which would form the support of the waterbars. Each log was first laid across the trail in order to get the correct alignment (45%). The trenches were dug, the logs were laid and then lots of fine soil was tamped around and under the logs to insure that they would stay put. Next came the addition of good clay soil which packed well and would add stability and longevity to the waterbars. Finally, the unused rocks were used to steer hikers and runners to the center of the treadway to make sure the most stabilized portion of the waterbar would get the greatest use.

We rehabbed all the waterbars (44) on Section 1 and even had time to repair a set a stone steps that had needed repair since shortly after the were set in 1993. I was working with the trail construction crew that year and watched them install the original stairs. The rocks were relatively small, but they held up OK. Unfortunately, they had slipped out of alignment due to tree roots growing along one side and had started to slope downhill. We removed the roots, reset the steps in proper alignment to the treadway and made sure that they no longer sloped downhill.

Twenty-one (21) waterbars were built this season. The trail has stabilized and a significant amount of water has been diverted off the AT.  ~Jim S. (Crew leader) 
 

Thanks to the following folks for helping on this project, which started on 

the April 2013 work trip:

Lee, Lisa, Charlotte, Ed, Christina, Mark, Jim, Margaret, 

Dave, Eric, Bob, Craig, Lynn and Bill. 

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(Photo: Merlot)

Rockfish Crew: The 40-Easy-Steps Blowdown

 

Tree #1

After getting the waterbar half of the crew started, Jim S. (crew leader & certified sawyer) and Christina W. headed south down the AT to take care of two blowdowns. The first tree down was a 'stepover' and fairly close to Rockfish Gap. The second blowdown had been reported (as best could be understood) just beyond Naughty Girl Creek. Naughty Girl is the boundary between sections 1 and 2 and is 1.8 miles south of Rockfish Gap. As it turned out, reports of the tree's proximity to the creek were grossly exaggerated ...... the tree was closer to the old cabin/chimney ruins on Sec. 2 which is probably another mile past Naughty Girl. This was quite a hike and Jim and Christina didn't get to the tree until about 2:30.

When the blowdown was finally located, it turned out to be really big and work-intensive due to the way it had fallen ...... here are Christina's comments on it as well as her great series of photos showing how vital a sawyer's work is to keeping the AT clear:

This large tree was lengthwise blocking the trail south of Naughty Girl Creek on Section Two.  The subtitle to this one could be "How to Single-Handedly Dispatch a Large Tree Blocking The Trail Lengthwise in 40 Easy Steps".  Of course I'm kidding, it only appears that way because of the skill and experience of the sawyer.  ~ Christina W.

 

 

Length of tree #2!

 

Evaluating the tree ......

 

...... and evaluating some more.

 

The first cut.

 

Sawing .......

 

 Wedges in use.

 

Mid-section

 

Lower aspect.

 

 Upper aspect.

 

Two-thirds done.

 

 Final touches .......

 

 All done!

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(All Photos & most captions: Christina W.)

Rockfish Crew: Crawling Critters!

 

Buck Moth caterpillar - Hemileuca maia

 

Thanks to Christina W. for the pictures on this post and the following commentary:

The caterpillar was spotted (no pun intended :) ) near one of the waterbars Mark and Lisa were building on Section One.  It appears to be a Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia).  Here's another sighting from Augusta County:  Buck Moth caterpillar  
 
The critter's impressive spines are hollow and are connected to poison glands. Contact with the spines can cause a burning sensation and inflammation as painful as a bee sting. The irritation can last several days and can be accompanied by nausea (I'm sure glad none of us experienced that!).   Here's some advice for anyone unlucky enough to come in direct contact with the spines: a strip of adhesive tape can be used over the affected area to remove the spines by applying and stripping it off repeatedly.  Afterwards, an ice pack may reduce the stinging sensation, and the area also can be treated with a paste of baking soda and water. Some individuals with a history of hay fever, asthma or other allergies may be more susceptible to the sting and should contact a physician.  (This last advice from Florida Poison Control Center).

The rattler was first heard, then seen, a little ways up the trail from Naughty Girl Creek.  The girth was huge, it had obviously dined well recently!

 

Note: This is Christina's second Timber Rattlesnake picture! You can see the first picture (April 2012) at this LINK

(All photos: Christina W.)

A Tale of Two (Difficult) Trees

Checking out a huge tree and a big mess.

 

 

 

After Sandy blew through a couple of weeks ago, there were two difficult trees that needed to be cleared off the trail north of Humpback. Both trees required a sawyer crew and Sawyer Jim S. had his crew out bright and early Saturday morning.  They went in on Section 5 off of the Howardsville Turnpike and hiked all the way to Rockfish Gap, a distance of 7.8 miles, toting a chainsaw, all of the protective gear, fuel, two (heavy!) rock bars and other tools for tread repair. The weather cooperated with cool (lower 50's) temperatures which made for a very pleasant day as long as you kept moving or working and this crew had no trouble doing either!

 

Christina W. took all of the great photos on this post and documented the process of cleaning up a major tree that was on Section 4, just below the 'overlook' on the way to the shelter. As you can see, getting this tree off the trail required some significant, experienced sawyer work and a lot of muscle. The original goal was to see if the stump itself could be moved, but that didn't happen, even with the help of a Boy Scout troop that stopped to lend some 'push power' on their way to the shelter.  The trail tread had to be re-worked around the stump, but that's not an uncommon occurrence when you have a tree this big going down and blowing out all or a portion of the trail tread when the roots give way and pull up the ground all around. Here are the pictures for 'Difficult Tree #1':

 

 

 

 

'Difficult Tree #2', while much smaller, had fallen across the trail high enough for hikers to walk under; however, it was still a hazard because eventually it was going to come all the way down on the trail. Cutting the tree from the 'stump end' was not safe for the sawyer so the tree was cut from the top end (tangled in a lot of vines) piece by piece. As the length of the tree trunk got shorter, the situation became safer and finally the stump end could be cut off.  The first picture in this series was taken on a scouting trip weekend before last and the rest were taken this past Saturday as the tree was taken down.

 Tree as found by the scouting crew Nov. 3.

No, that's not a 'post turtle' on the left .... just confirmation that these folks still have a sense of humor at the end of the day!

 

The hardworking CREW that tackled and cleaned up the two difficult trees (and other work as well):

GREAT JOB!!

 

Scouting Trip After Sandy - Nov. 3, 2012

Saturday, a couple of people scouted the AT (Sections 1,2, & 3) from Rockfish Gap down to the Shelter at Mill Creek ..... a distance of about 5 miles, one way.  Christina W.  took the pictures of the scouting trip that you will see in this post. The views are east on this section of AT and you'll notice that it's beginning to look more like winter with views of Rockfish Valley beginning to reappear as the leaves disappear. The sunlight is not so direct at this time of year, tending to angle in, and this gives a different look to the woods and makes for some beautiful photographic opportunities. Some of the pictures won't have captions and will have to speak for themselves since I don't have any narrative. Thanks again to Christina for the beautiful pictures and all the crew members (Jim, Lori, & Christina) for making sure the AT is passable after Sandy's winds roared through the area and also brought some (now melted) snow at higher elevations. ~ Merlot

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 The 'mess' before ......

The 'clear' after ... a sawyer crew will still have to take the main tree down.

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Long Rock aka Jelly Bean Rock marks the end of Sec. 2 and the beginning of Sec. 3

The view from Long Rock in the fall/winter.

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Mill Creek - a good view of the high water stepping stones and more scenic views below.

 

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The shelter and the 'end of the line' before turning around and hiking back out to Rockfish Gap.