We were planning to work water control on the various trails at Connemara on Friday. However, I understand that most of the trails have lots of timber down and the park is closed. D.R. says that they plan to do a damage assessment and then farm out the work. Therefore, I plan to go to the Fish Hatchery and work Cat Gap with saws only. We will meet at the Ranger Station on Friday at 8am. Normally, we only return emails to the originator if you are going to be out. However, since some of you may not have email service due to the storm, please let me know asap if you received this message whether or not you know if you will be out on Friday. Those that I do not hear from by Wednesday, I will assume that you do not have email service and I will call. This applies to regular crew members only. I am writing this as Bill may or may not be out on Friday. He has a course scheduled in hurricane direction and it may or may not be on Friday. He feels it is more important for him to learn how to steer these storms away from WNC than to make the work day. He also believe the false rumor that Dolly's was crushed by a tree and is no longer in business. This is NOT true. I repeat, THIS IS ONLY A RUMOR. Jim T. 

Pre Trip Report:  US276 is open to the BRP but not beyond. BRP is open from 276 (Wagon Road Gap) to Asheville but closed South (West) all the way to Cherokee. That closing is estimated to be indefinite. Rep. Taylor is seeking emergency funds. It appears that Pisgah did not take as severe a beating from Ivan as it did from Frances. As a resident of Flat Rock, I can tell you what a real beating is. Carl Sandburg Park is a war zone. Get out when you can and be careful. DR Kulp

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

Hey guys: Power back on by 6:14 PM last night...only four and a half days off. We are very blessed and lucky. Now for the good and bad news. Looks like there is a lot of work to do. So...since Mt. Mitchell is off base this week due to tress on the BRP and no access, we will MEET at Weaverville at 8:00 AM...plan on a good day...repairing tread and forming into saw, repair teams...I will as Bill Newton the way to Street Gap via Flag Pond exit...I may suspect the road beyond the pavement may be blocked. We may send a team down the blue trail south (below) B. Bald...let's see. Charlie and I know of work to do on and inside (north) of Sams Gap...and depending on how many souls we get out we will see. We would be working on the MST next to the BRP but feel it is not open to many of our accesses at this time...I plan to work (saw) Friday as well and we may hit the BRP then with the "Buccaneers"...I suggest that in any area, any direction, any location and any trail in WNC we will have disturbed and washed trails covered with trees of every size...Please REPLY as usual and thanks. JS 

Post Trip Report:  A huge crowd out today...we wish we could have gone to Mt. Mitchell with this Crew...I felt like Bill Newton, with hundreds of able bodied volunteers coming out to battle Ivan's Legacy. We even had Mr. Walton join us from his very high perch on the CMC governing body; he is a very strong hiker, so we sent him north off to Erwin, Tennessee from Street Gap. Actually we had eight major league players out and I still hate not being able to finish up at Mt. Mitchell...Oh well, next Wednesday is always a possibility assuming Jeanne let's go up there. We took on two sections of the AT to search for trees and repair trail (none to mention on Sams G. to Street Gap) and 12 old summer storm trees down and removed from Street Gap up to the blue blaze below (south) of Big Bald. A lot of ground covered today with lots of good tread work, steel blading, etc. done on the first section (Sams G. to Street G). We have good reports that all of the damage from Ivan the Terrible was done in Henderson County and along the BRP and surrounding areas. The more west one goes the LESS damage there is, so much of the AT MAY be in some small decent shape. We missed Mr. Hamberger who was wounded in the line of duty on Monday and is resting and recovering well, according to his biographer, Jorge Munoz! Let's hope Charlie (another "big stick" on the trails) gets himself mended for more duty soon. Next week we will swim up to State Rd. 128 again and finish up this project before Mt. Mitchell falls into Black Mountain Campground from all the rain and wind. Thanks guys, a really good day. Official report follows. JS PS: Howard the posts go all the way down the meadow south to Street Gap and look and are positioned very well. Also we noticed "heavy" evidence of horses on the AT above Street Gap (south bound) or to say it another way...much horseshit is on the trail.

John's Special Friday trip:  We regret not have Mr. Munoz, the captain of the "Buccaneers" out today but we had a fine substitute, excellent sawyer, quality hiker, CMC President and head trail honcho (and lately, the men's room attendant at the Atlanta Ritz Carlton), namely, Don Walton. We also had Don Christensen. It's easy to be a trail volunteer when Don C. is around because he does all the work. We set out today on Don's MST section, BRP mile marker 388 and ran south for two miles, then decided to really punish ourselves and take on the small 1.2 mile section on south to 74A. We took out 51 trees and leaving only two (due to time and the fact that cutting these out would require gas and oil mix that would cause the price of oil to close over $55 dollars a barrel). I meekly suggested that we wait until next week (until I can position some good bucks in the market). A good day with a two-man saw team...very important in that if we got stuck in all the many oak blockages, it was easy for the second saw to come up or back to relieve the "pinch." While having only one swamper was not difficult, since it was Mr. Christensen carrying the duty to swamp for two saws. Not only did this go well but also Don found time to repair trail no and again. Over at Bill Newton's place: Here is a good one. Bill and a few other souls in his Big Friday Crew had earlier this week petitioned Congressman Charles Taylor to name Bill's house and property a national park so that he could get his crew to saw out and swamp about 43 three large oak trees that Ivan the Terrible caused to fall. Just in case you are not aware, Bill has close to 5.5 miles of trails on his property, all in beautiful hard woods. Bill has invited all citizens of western North Carolina to visit this new park anytime between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Parking is available on his very large paved driveway and also in his front yard. Let's see what he does when his house needs painting again...some of the other crews can pick up a few good workers, I'm sure. Good job today guys...and thanks for the ice cold Rolling Rock, Don. Official report follows. JS

Well, I thought that I would have my name in lights because I was going to take the crew out to Holmes State but Ivan, it seems, has other ideas. The Weather Channel and every other forecaster is unanimous that Friday there will be a 100% chance of rain with high winds and flooding so I guess we should call off another Friday. Sorry about that. Pete 

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew 

Looks like no rain UNTIL later in the afternoon, so we will plan to head up to State Rd. 128 (MST), Mt. Mitchell. We will have three (3) very good steel blade trimmers...we will ask for hazel hoes, polaskis etc. to come along...I ask that you bring eye protection, and ear plugs etc. as we will trade off with using the machines...Hope we have a good turn out...David Roberts, if you come bring your saw or you can use the small one we have...the Stihl 191T...just bring your support gear. Meet at Folk Art Center at 8:00 AM Jorge, please call Charlie...David R. if you come you will let me know and I assume you will be up at Ox Creek Rd. with Jorge. Everyone please REPLYas usual: Look for a weather update or "abort" email at 6:44 AM Wednesday morning....Frances dropped a ton of water on our trails and Ivan ("The Terrible") will do the same...there will be lots of work for us very soon. Take care and I hope we see everyone out...Wednesday. JS

Post Work Report:  We had five out and had some problems with our plan. Jorge couldn't get the Hondas switched out to steel blades and the Shindawa had a throttle cable problem which was fixed in the "field" by our very own small engine repairman, David Roberts. Despite the small setbacks the crew got a lot of work done. The well placed ditches and rocks installed by M. Lang's crew Monday are very good and working on draining a lot of the trail in good fashion. Next week we will finish up with completing the trimming, lopping and putting in some silt bars and installing two more ditches up the trail from where M. Lang's crew left off. Good work guys. JS