This Friday we will join Patrick Scott (ranger at Pisgah Ranger District) for some show and tell relating to trail erosion control. We will continue some ongoing work on the North Slope trail. The FS is encouraging using "rolling grade dips" to divert water from the trails rather than water bars as has been done in the past. We will study their system and learn the proper method of installing these dips. Meet at the ranger station at 8:30 and please let me know if you will be out this week. Bill

I just wanted to let all of you know that Patrick is going out with the CMC Friday crew this Friday on the North Slope Trail. It will be kind of a semi-workshop sharing what he learned at the Trail Workshop a couple of weeks ago. One major issue that he will be discussing is Grade Dips replacing waterbars (i.e. when they are needed, proper techniques to put one in, etc.). And maybe he can clarify any trail questions that anyone has had in the past. Anyone is welcome to join him and the Friday crew. They are meeting at 8:30 at the Ranger Station.

In fact, if you think anyone else could benefit from this session, encourage them to come along. Patrick is planning to demonstrate the FS preferred erosion control, which is the "rolling grade dip". I don't think it will be possible to use it in all situations, but maybe it can. The FS is discouraging the use of waterbars and silt bars. Should be informative. Bill

Folks, I had planned to go up to Big Bald this week and put in the new posts, but the weather man had his way with us again. I am afraid that the roads up though Wolf Laurel will be covered with snow and ice, so we will hold that job for another time. I checked with Bill Newton and he was kind enough to invite us to work with his folks this week if we needed to, but Piet prevailed on me to pick up the work on the Pump Gap trail that has been on the "to do" list since last summer. The roads around Hot Springs should be in decent shape, so lets go get this trail done and take it off the list. The work consists of cleaning up a number of down trees on the AT as it runs though the Pump Gap loop (Alan please bring your saw and gear) and doing a bunch of tread repair on the East (South) loop of the Pump Gap trail. Asheville folks meet at the Forest Service office at 8:00. If anyone else from Hendersonville is coming, please let me know and we can meet at Ingles, otherwise, I will get myself to Asheville. Bring digging tools to do tread repair including widening sidehill and repairing water bars. Please let me know if you are coming so I can be sure we have enough cars. Skip

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

With saturated trails; snow flurries today and a very (VERY) low temperature tomorrow morning, we will suspend the Wednesday Trail Crew for Wednesday, March 2. We will get back to work next Wednesday (weather permitting)...there is much work to do on the AT and MST so come prepared. We were going to go up to the blue trail just south (bound) of Big Bald and head a crew down the connector trail and have them turn southbound working out to Street Gap where the truck would be placed. There is some regular trail work and more blazing to do. Everyone sleep in Wednesday and stay warm. See you soon. JS

Mike Lang/Barth Brooker Monday Crew

Why you should be a member of the CMC if you are a section trail maintainer!

1. CMC accepts formal signed responsibility for most of our trails especially the MST and AT where the section maintainers are.

2. CMC provides a structured system whereby the section maintainer can become part of an organized environment that facilitates the person to consistently work on the trails (I can not imagine how I would do what I do without the CMC structure).

If you buy any or all of the above I think we should be proud to ask that a person support our organization with membership and should not be embarrassed to accept anything less.

Mountain Lake Hotel, Virginia Friday, April 1, 2005 through Sunday, April 3, 2005

What’s happening? • Meetings of the new Regional Partnership Committees for both of the ATC southern offices, with the first opportunity for agency partner participation. (The information packet will include a description of ATC’s new committee structure.) • An “Agency Round Table” to provide an opportunity for agency partners to come together and discuss issues of mutual concern regarding the A.T. • Updates on Trail management activities from cooperative management partners • Opportunities to spend time with kindred souls who care about the Trail • Opportunities to walk with fellow hikers on the trails surrounding the Mountain Lake Hotel (see enclosed brochure) • Selection of Konnarock crew projects for 2006 and 2007

Who should attend? • A.T. Cooperative Management Partners and anyone interested in A.T. management and the future of the cooperative management system. • Please pass this information along to any club members and agency employees who might be interested in attending. All are welcome.

What’s New? • You may have noticed that we’ve changed the name of this annual meeting. We’ve made some fundamental changes in ATC’s governance structure and this meeting reflects some of those changes. • The ATC regional offices in Virginia and the Deep South each have a new Regional Partnership Committee (RPC) which will help direct and shape the building of capacity and program priorities in those offices. • The RPC meetings will form the core of the agenda this year. There will be 3 sessions: o During the first session, club, ATC and agency partners for each of the two RPC’s will meet to discuss general A.T. management issues. Virginia and Deep South groups will meet in separate sessions. o For the second session, club and ATC partners for each RPC will meet to discuss ATC/club business issues, while agency partners will meet together to discuss agency issues of mutual concern regarding the A.T. and ATC. o In the third session, we’ll all meet together to summarize and compare our efforts from the first two sessions.

Please join us at Mountain Lake Hotel. Move into the future with ATC and help us shape that direction. Help us figure out how ATC’s new system will work for you.

Enclosures: • Draft Agenda: Please contact the Virginia office (540-961-5551, or atc-varo@atconf.org with comments or specific issues that you wish to see addressed. • Registration Package • Mountain Lake Hotel Brochure

March 5, 2005 - Statewide Workday - see website for locations Central Blue Ridge Workdays are: March 7, March 19, April 4, and April 16 Carolina Mt. Club - Saturday, March 19, 2005 - Balsam Gap South to Soco Gap Eno River State Park Workday - March 18 - Please RSVP - see website April 2, 2005 - Statewide Workday - see website for locations Blue Ridge Parkway, Doughton Park Workdays are: March 5, April 8-10

MARK YOUR CALENDAR MARCH 19. We are putting together a crew to work on the extension of the MST beyond Balsam Gap to Soco Gap. Your Help in needed !! Come and build a piece of History as we move the MST further south. Date.- March 19, 2005 Meeting place.- Moose Cafe 9:00 AM (come early and join us for breakfast) or, Balsam Gap Ranger Station at 9:30 AM We plan to car pool. Equipment.- If you have any digging tools, bring them. If not do not worry, some will be available. Remember water, lunch, rain gear and a great attitude!! Please let me know if you can join us. Thanks Piet

This Friday we are off to John Rock. There is one reported tree down, and some water bar work to do. Meet at the Ranger Station at 8:30. Please let me know if you will be out this week. Bill

Folks, To get all our AT sections in tip-top shape before the ATC conference this July (allowing that we still need to spend many days moving logs and other materials down the hill to the new shelter) we need to work on it every chance we get. This week looks like the weather will cooperate again, so we will tackle the section from Sams Gap to Street Gap. There are several trees down (Alan please bring your saw) and blazing required on the posts in the meadow (Piet, please ask Lew to bring his blazing stuff). The rest of us will be doing tread repair and improvement. We will go in from Sams Gap and come back there at the end of the day. I may (depending on the weather) send one car around to Street Gap for the blazing and to check out the access. Meeting place for Asheville folks is the Forest Service office (across from UNCA Botanical Gardens) at 8:00. Hendersonville people meet at Ingles at 7:20. Bring digging tools and loppers so we can make this section shine for the through hikers and the conference hikes. Please let me know if you are coming. Skip

WORK DONE: Put in water bars and silt bars on trail going South from the gap. Also improved tread on trail going North from gap to fence gate. Another crew put in signs at Street Gap and did blazing going South and North out of Street gap

Work Needed: Need about 4 more posts in the field at Street Gap. Trail going North from Streets Gap needs tread work Reported by: Skip Sheldon

Skip, Thanks to your crew for making a good trail better. The tread work and additional silt bars are great ! I returned just before 2PM - 5 hrs on trail 2 hrs travel. Went to Rice Gap one two inch diameter tree down which I cut with hand saw. All else A OK Then did the blue blazes to Hog Back Ridge shelter and to privy and water pipe which is running beautifully ! Carried out a smallish bag of trash from shelter and a large tarp. Had some time so collected a largish bag of roadside/trailside trash at Sams Gap under I 26. Hauled that old tire up to the Interstate. From the shelter register...Southbounder - "A Train" on 2/20, Northbounders - "Jaws"" 2/12 ( Jaws did ME - GA in "03), "Hydro-Heidi" 2/21 & "EM' ( Epistemological Megalomaniac ) 2/22. I will return in March to cut shelter firewood and in June to scout out the AT Conservancy hikes ( Sams to Devil Fork Gaps) in early July. Happy Trails, Neal

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

We will go again to work on the MST at Bull Gap. Meet at Folk Art Center at 8:00 AM. We will need trail crew for steps and sawyers (experienced) to begin the new "Relo Cut-Out" around the hill. Due to limited parking space on Ox Creek Rd. please meet at F. Art Center. As usual, please REPLY as to your attendance. Thanks. JS