This Friday we will work the Slate Rock / Pilot Cove trail. It has been scouted and some tread work and other repairs are needed. We will meet at the Pisgah Ranger Station at 8:30 and drive down Yellow Gap road to the trail head, leaving some vehicles at the trail head near Little Darb Branch, and driving on to the second trail head, working from there. Should we have a large turnout, perhaps we will send some in from the first trail head to work trail 103, Pilot Cove Loop, meeting with the other crew somewhere near the junction of the two trails (hopefully). Weather looks bad right now, so watch your mail Friday before coming out. The weather guy is after us once again. As ever, please let me know if you will be out this week.Bill

Folks, I think the weather will be good enough for us to get up though Wolf Laurel to the AT at Big Stamp meadows. We will put in posts that help define the trail when there if bad weather and fog in this area. This means digging a bunch of post holes, toting the posts up the hill to the holes, and then filling them in and tamping. There is probably also some tread work that needs to be done, so any extra help will be directed at cleaning and repairing water bars. Please bring a post-hole digger if you have one. Also bring regular digging tools, and Piet, please bring your saw in case we need to "adjust" some of the posts. Asheville folks meet at Forest Service office at 8:00. Hendersonville people at Ingles at 7:20. Please let me know if you are coming. Skip

WORK DONE: Tried to go to Big Stamp to put in posts but roads were full of snow and ice. After some pie and coffee, went to Craven Gap and worked on the MST trail. Completed item # 2 on Piet’s list (#205 on Don’s list) by fixing the wet places South on the trail. Another part of the crew worked North from the Gap and did considerable tread improvement. Work Needed: There is still much tread improvement work needed on the MST trail North from Craven Gap. Reported by: Skip Sheldon

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

Looks pretty good for tomorrow. Let's meet at Weaverville...at 8:00 AM. We will plan on going to Allen Gap doing clearing and trail rehab. on the section from Allen G. to Log Cabin Road. This is a good low area to work. Hopefully we can get Barth (if he plans to come) or Mr. Roberts to tote a saw...or both bring saws if possible; tread tools for water bar cleaning, and/or reconstruction. As usual, please Reply as soon as possible.

For next week (March 16): Piet has asked our Crew to "host" and work with 6 or 7 college students (from N. Central University in Durham, NC) who are sponsored by the Wilderness Society. At this moment I plan to tackle the Van Cliff Trail out of Hot Springs and will need as many of the Wednesday Crew available to oversee and work with these students. Thanks for your help. See you tomorrow. JS

Mike Lang/Barth Brooker Monday Crew

Trail Maintenance Appreciation!

Hi Piet, I am Rich Nallenweg. I am a member of the Madison County Genealogical Society along with Jack Thomas. Yesterday evening I was talking to Jack about what a nice hike I had on Pump Gap Trail on Sunday and how nicely cared for the trail was. Jack explained how the Carolina Mountain Club had just repaired the trail the Friday before I did my hike. I can tell you, I really noticed a difference. A few months before I hiked the trail (looking for my lost dog; who I found) and had to climb over and around a bunch of obstacles. You guys do a great job. I just wanted to let you know I (and I am sure a lot of other folks) appreciate it. Thank you for your efforts. Rich Nallenweg

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

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 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

WORK DONE: Cut down trees and did tread improvement on the AT section, did tread improvement work on lower loop of Pump Gap trail. AT is clear of down trees all the way to Hot Springs per though hiker. Completes items # 4 under AT work and #1 under other work on Piet’s list. Completes items #34 and 225 on web page list.

Work Needed: There are some trees down on the lower section of Pump Gap trail. Upper section of Pump Gap look was not checked and may have work. AT section from Mill Pond to lower side of PG loop needs tread work

Reported by: Skip Sheldon

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

Covered entire loop. 25 trees cleared from trail 6 overhanging Rhododendron cleared Built new water bar sans wood (Forest Service Specs) Creek branch reverted to avoid trail Several stubs of trees cut which were to close to trail Some minor tread work Lopping .