                                                       CMC SURVEY OF TRAIL MAINTENANCE CREW VOLUNTEERS (TMCV)

The Education Committee of the Carolina Mountain Club wants to determine how trail crew maintenance volunteers (TMCV) feel toward receiving some type(s) of rewards for the diligent and persistent efforts made by them on behalf of hikers. While many of our TMCV perform additional labor on the MST and Appalachian Trail as section maintainers, this survey is for those volunteers who participate on scheduled maintenance crews from Asheville and local communities such as Brevard and Flat Rock/Hendersonville.

No names of any volunteer will be noted on the results of the survey and the conclusions will be made available to all TCMV.

Please select the rewards that may appeal to you or feel free to suggest other ideas as well. However, further note that CMC may not make any reward(s) available. CMC, at this moment, only wants input from TMCV. You may contact me through email:
jr4152@bellsouth.net or mail your response to: J. Soldati,
14 Beaumont Dr., Hendersonville, NC 28739. I am asking each crew leader to send this survey to their respective crew volunteers either by email or make a few copies available for those who do not use the Internet. I would like as many responses and comments by the end of March 25, 2005.

The Education Committee wishes to determine if TMCV would want to be recognized and/or rewarded in some positive fashion such as:

1. Annual recognition dinner

2. A recognition dinner (but not an annual event)

3. Tangible rewards:
    a. CMC annual dues reduction

    b. CMC annual dues forbearance

    c. Gift certificates (Outdoor sport centers)

    d. Longevity patches (such as 2 year, 5 year, 10 year etc.)

    e. TMCV recognition patch

    f. Annual letter of appreciation & thanks from the president of CMC

    g. "Certificate of Appreciation & Thanks" from the president of CMC

    h. Apparel (T-shirts, jerseys, jackets)

    i. Other rewards (please list)

4. Nothing (no rewards, no dinners, just let us do our thing)

5. Other comments

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 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

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

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

We worked the AT from Waterville-School Rd. going North toward Snowbird. Curt Holladay had reported bad tangle of pines down which were entirely blocking the trail and would have interfered with his Wednesday CMC hike.We removed these trees and scouted the trail for about 2 miles North and cleared a couple of step-overs and did some lopping.There are several spots on the trail which could use some tread work in the future. Barth