Checked with the rangers on trail needs and the first of many is Turkey Pen. We have spotted this problem before and it is truly a bad section on the trail. On the West side of McCall Mountain coming out of Popular Lick Gap is a badly eroded section of trail. This is right in the middle of Turkey Pen and there is no easy - or even moderately difficult - way to get to it. We will meet at the ranger station and drive (need 4X4's) so we can go in at Muleshoe Gap. Our plans will be to install some water and/or silt bars to try to stop erosion on this section. A gully some 18 inches deep 200 feet long has formed and is rapidly getting worse. As far as we know there is only one 6" tree down on this section so we will do very little clearing - will need some water bars cut, though. We will also watch the weather, so check your mail Friday morning. Supposed to be something coming in Friday night, but who knows around here??? As ever, please let me know if you will be out Friday. Bill

The long range forecast for Friday is good again this week, so lets hope we can get out and do some work on the trail. I think our best shot at getting to the AT is the Davenport Gap section, so lets go back and try to finish up that work. I will bring a saw, others bring digging tools as we will be removing roots, widening tread and possibly putting in some steps. I think Howard and Alan may do some work on signs. Asheville folks meet at the Home Depot at exit 44 of I 40 at 8:00. Hendersonville people at Ingles at 7:20. We need a good turn-out to complete this work, so please try to come if you can. Let me know about your plans, so we can be sure there are enough rides.Skip

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

Looks like the bad weather goes away far in advance of our meeting: At 8:00 AM at Folk Art Center. We will go back to Bull Gap and work on the new steep trail heading southbound on MST. For all sawyers who 1. have full certification and 2. are willing and who can join the Wednesday Crew please bring: a. chainsaw (gas powered) b. gas & bar oil, c. full protective gear. For all others bring trail crew tools. Whoever may have the gas drill, please bring that along or report to me so that I can have it picked up. Bring any peeve you have may have in your back pocket as well. See you all at F. Art Center...(note, Bull Gap is too small for all the automobiles). As usual, please reply and I'll be seeing you on the trails. JS

Post Work Report: We have good news and bad news. First the bad: Only spent two hours out today, due to rain north of Asheville (and east of Weaverville) at Bull Gap. Don, Bill and Bob (sounds like an auto supply store) put in two wooden bars but not the stone crush as we had to vacate the location to prevent head colds, flu and bronchitis. The Good News: The Park Service delivered about 500 wooden bars and drilled for rebar. So we have (seriously) nine to 10 four foot, heavy as hell, wooden 6X6's with holes for rebar at the base of the southbound junction of the MST at Bull Gap. This reworked trail will really be a show place in a few more work days. Good job all and thanks to Mr. Bodenhorst for getting the Park Service boys hopping. By the way, the guys that delivered the bars, said... "they have tons more and just call anytime for delivery"...Outstanding! Official Report follows. JS

Mike Lang/Barth Brooker Monday Crew

nyone interested in joining the trail crews contact: Hendersonville area-Bill Newton, 828-693-4033, Brevard area-Dick Johnson, 828-884-3685, Asheville area-Skip Shelton, 828-891-3264 or Piet Bodenhorst, 828-298-8371, Misha Lazer, 828-259-9729, lazerm@bellsouth.net , Mike Lang, 828-658-1914, mlang626@buncombe.main.nc.us

Pisgah Ranger District Volunteer Trail Group Meeting Notes February 11, 2005

We didn’t get an answer on number of chinstraps or safety glasses need, so we’ll order 30 chinstraps and 30 safety glasses.

If any other supplies are needed, e-mail Kriste (kjlittle@fs.fed.us ) and we will see what we can do.

Patrick Scott, Ted Hayworth (our new firefighter), and 6 Employment Security Commission folks attended. It was very informative, wish some of the volunteer trails groups could have attended. Maybe next time it is put on we can make that happen.

We are going to certify 2 volunteers and Patrick to be instructors for CPR and First Aid. The training will be March 2nd, 9th and 10th from 9-5. Tom Thomas has agreed to be one of the certified instructors (THANK YOU) and we are still hoping to hear from another interested candidate. Any Takers? After they are certified, they can provide us with training for all the volunteers in the future.

After we get crew members certified in CPR and First Aid, we will address an upcoming chainsaw class. With Randy and Diane, we are going to come up with a number for each group that we will pay for to have certified. This will be discussed more at our next meeting.

With Bruce’s absence, send all e-mails, work reports, etc. to Kriste Little. Her e-mail address is kjlittle@fs.fed.us

Hurricane detailers are still on the district working on trails (as well as roads, etc). They will be here for a while, and every trail will eventually have work done on it. We discussed the folder system that is in place (more below) where notes should be kept for all work being done. Everyone is free to come in and look at these folders to see what work has occurred on “their” trail.

Tentatively moving towards work projects vs. trail assignments. We know each group has been working on certain trails over the past several years. But with all of the detailers in working on everyone’s trails, and with plenty of working needing to be done, we will be moving away from assigned trails until the hurricane work is completed. There is plenty of work to be done to keep everyone busy though. If you want a trail to work on, come in and look at the trail list by the folders to see which trails haven’t been worked. If a trail that is assigned to your group hasn’t been worked, grab that folder and look to see what the trained trail assessor suggested for repair work. Make copies of the map and trail information, and then you can take that out into the field to do the work. After any work has been done, there is a sheet in the folder to document it. PLEASE make sure you document any work that was done. That way we know exactly what work was done, and whom to contact if we have any questions. Kriste will be available most days to explain the folder system to you and/or answer any questions you might have.

VOLUNTEER AGREEMENTS We still need up-to-date volunteer agreement forms from some groups, with a current list of members. In our files now, we have the following groups with the following members listed:

Blue Ridge Bicycle Club Only member listed is Woody Keen Haywood Knolls Jerry Gray, Walt Melusen, Carl Burland, Bruce Ryden, Einar Syvertson, Randy Holt, Frank Duffy, Edward Cunningham Pisgah Commercial Climbers Assoc Showing 62 members…too many to list, but last time it was updated was Dec. 2001 There has probably been some members that have left or been added, so please come by and update list. Pisgah Hikers Everett Carter, David Linton, June Litchfield, Robert Schmitt, Robert Tharpe, Del Smith, Richard Stubbe, John Wayne, Bruce Williams, James Henry, Don Eichinger, Don Herman, Roy Bell Carolina Mtn Club Monday NO AGREEMENT IN THE FILES Carolina Mtn Club Friday NO AGREEMENT IN THE FILES Pisgah Trail Blazers NO AGREEMENT IN THE FILES

These agreements are to protect you guys. If we don’t have an agreement at all, or the person that is injured isn’t on the list, they will not be covered under the government. So it is very important to keep these agreements current.

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES We need everyone to summit to us a list of tools and equipment that your crew currently has. We have a lot of equipment unaccounted for that we are trying to locate.

We are going to the Carl Sandburg NP to remove some 75 small trees that are diseased this Friday. They need to be cut down and burned as there seems to be some danger of bugs in them. Then again if the wind is blowing and the temp is as low as they predict we may just stoke the fire and stay home.... Wrote a note to Randy Burgess saying how much we appreciate Patrick what he has done to organize the volunteers and the interest shown in the trails. Hope the interest in the trails does not go away if and when he has to return to wherever. Bill

Folks, Latest input from Alan is that there is that out West there is considerable snow on the ground and it is staying. That means the roads up to Davenport gap will be covered with snow and ice as will the trail. Not good working conditions, so lets call off the workday for tomorrow. Skip

Folks, The weather Gods have been good to us, so the road into Harmons Den should be in decent shape. Let's take advantage of that, and finish up the tread repair work on the AT section North of the new shelter. We will go in at the shelter site again ( unless someone knows the bushwack trail in from Max Parch road ) and continue working North toward the second bridge. Reports from the last time we worked this area is that there are lots of roots to be taken out or covered up. This part of the trail will be on one of the ATC conference hikes, so we want to put it in real good shape. Bring digging tools and loppers. Won't need a chain saw, but if you have a small hand saw, you might want to bring it. Asheville people meet at Home Depot at exit 44 of I-40 at 8;00. Hendersonville folks at Ingles at 7:20. Please let me know if you are coming. A good sized crew will finish this section on Friday, so please come if you can. Skip

Folks, I just got a note from Alan Frank that West of us they are getting snow. That might make it tough to get into the new shelter site. He is going to up-date me this evening, but not to worry. If we can't go to the new shelter site, we will go to Davenport Gap and finish the work from last week. Meeting places and time is the same. S