CMC Weekly Trail Maintenance News

11/12/03

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Looking Ahead.......

Trail Maintenance scheduled for this week

Bill Newton's Work Crew-Friday

This week we will visit Connimera (Sandburg NP) and give them a hand with some water bar clearing and tree removal. Dave has made the arrangements with the park service crew, and may even have a suprise in store for you. I will not be out again this week as I have company. Jim T will bring the tools. Please let me know if you will be out so we can get apropreate tools lined up. Meet at the work center at 8. The work center is down Little River Road about a half mile from the parking lot to the Sandburg place. I would suggest someone who knows the way stop in the parking lot and if any do not know, meet there. I am going to forward Dave's message to encourage all of you to turn out.... Bill

Piet & Skip's Work Crew-Friday

Folks, Well things will be a little confused this week. I am going to be out of town on Friday and several of the other regular assistant crew leaders are going to be taking the chain saw training (I was wrong on the week for the training in last week's note), so Curt Holladay will lead the crew this week with help from John Hillyer. You will be going to Balsam Gap to work on the new section of trail heading south from the Ranger Station. The crew 2 weeks ago got this section started and went across the bridge over 19/70 and into the woods on the far side. This is where the crew will start this week and continue into the woods making new trail. This is suppose to be easy tread work with more raking than digging, so bring a rake if you have one, but also bring your regular digging tools. Meeting places will be Home Depot at exit 44 of I-40 at 8:00 for the Asheville people and Ingles at 7:20 for Hendersonville folks. Please respond back directly to Curt if you are coming. His E-Mail is caholady@bellsouth.net . Hope you have a great day, Skip

Anyone 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.

New "Dress Code" for trail maintainers

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing $350 Prada sneakers, and carrying a $600 Gucci Bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress in-between, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise. Piet

Nice letter from a former Trail Maintainer, Jack Springston

Jorge, my address in Charlotte is: Jack Springston,3800 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215. I feel a little guilty accepting a 20 year award. I worked a lot of hours on the AT, Mountains-to-the-Sea, and Pisgah Forest Trails from 1981 through 1995, usually at least 3 days/week, but since 1996, when I became unsteady in my walking and also I had heart surgery in 2000, so I only worked four or five days during this period. As I read the trail maintenance news, I find very few names I know. Bob Johnson was a first class leader on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when circumstances required Arch Nichols, Jack Davis, and Jack Trump to retire from leadership. Phil Smith was the titular leader for the Wednesday group, but Bob gave him the technical skills and support on most days. Dick Roberts headed up the Monday group, but it got quite large and Dick, rather than offend any one, let his crew get away with some pretty shoddy trail construction, not unlike some previous leaders. Working with volunteers can get touchy at times. Bob and I worked with Konnarock crews and learned how trails needed to be built. At that time, I was also a member of the Green Mountain Club of Vermont, and they had a much better Trail construction manual than the AT. From about 1988 on, we built a lot of fine trail, using stone water bars and steps, Cowitee Dips when possible, and dug in large locust logs for steps and water bars that required no stakes. Bob learned how to operate and maintain the "Clydesale",a grip-hoist for those who don't know the slang term. He persuaded the club to purchase one and then later, a second one. As the Mountain-to-the Sea Trail will testify, a lot of us know how to use rocks in trail construction. Our club did not have this knowledge prior to Bob accepting the leadership role. Bob was also the first to take the chainsaw course. Most of us were to upset because had to take it. Morgan Summerville gave us a lot of advise, increasing our knowledge of trail design. I hope that the club has properly recognized the work performed by Bob over the period of years he led these crews. If you have, I did not see it in a newsletter. Keep up the good work--Wish I could be a part of it. Jack Springston

Consulting with Japan "Shinetsu Trail Club of Japan"

On Tuesday, November 11th, Howard McDonald, CMC, Morgan Sommerville and Mathew Davis, ATC, and Derek Ibarguen, USNF, met with Joseph Adams, GATC, and five members of the Shinetsu Trail Club of Japan. The Trail Club manages and maintains about 30 miles of trail in Japan that passes through National Forest land and 13 different local government entities that all have their own ideas as to what rules should prevail. They were here to find out how we get along with the various groups that control the land containing the trails that we maintain plus what we are doing to improve awareness and enthusiasm of local people for the trails. We pointed out that the AT has existed for many years and is a National Scenic trail of all the people where differences of opinion as to how it should operate have largely been settled. They will have many problems because of the various governments involved and the traditional uses for the land, such as shrines, containing their trail.

We advised them to assign maintainers to small sections of the trail because this will give them a sense of pride that can then extend to the local people and the various local governments. Persuading the school systems to become aware of the trail will also be of great value. They were going to Hot Springs to see how a small town interacts with and is influenced by the AT. We hoped our advise would be of value to them as they try to create a trail system that will be used and maintained by many people. Howard McDonald

Read about "The Carolina Mountain Golf Club"

This article is in the Smoky Mountain Living Magazine about our "heavy duty" trail maintenance crews. Carolina Golf

Nominate your “Volunteer of the Year” for 2004

Each year on National Trails Day, AHS honors a trail volunteer from every state. We need your nominations to find these highly motivated individuals who spend so much of their time ensuring trails are in good shape and accessible. Who in your organization deserves national recognition for trail maintenance? For more information visit our web site at: www.AmericanHiking.org or contact Shirley Hearn at 301-565-6704 x206 or Shirley@AmericanHiking.org

AHS Publishes Crew Leader Training Manual

A comprehensive guide for AHS crew leaders is now available. The nearly 70-page guide covers all aspects of how to lead a work trip, including leadership skills, pre-trip responsibilities, meal planning, orientation, and post-trip responsibilities. AHS is grateful to Alliance member - Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado - for generously providing much of the material in the manual. This guide will be a valuable tool to anyone who wants to lead a work trip, as well as the first-time volunteers who want to see how a Volunteer Vacation is set up. It is available from AHS headquarters for $20. Order yours by contacting Shirley Hearn at 301-565-6704, ext. 206, or Shirley@AmericanHiking.org .

Thanks to MST Trail Workers from the FMST

Thanks for the report on he 3rd quarter for hours worked by he CMC task forces on the MST. It appears that the CMC will lead the year 2003 with hours worked if you come close this year to last year's 4th quarter. Allan DeHart, Friends of the MST.

Fall Section Maintainer Duties

It is time for all Section Maintainers to do their fall walk through their sections and clean out the water bars for the winter and any other items on your individual sections such as downed trees. Thank you.

MST Update

Piet Bodenhorst has been selected as the Blue Ridge Parkway Pisgah District Volunteer of the Year and inscribed on their Honor Role. Congratulations to Piet.

Jeff Brewer, President of the Friends of the MST, has completed hiking the MST end-to-end, the sixth person to do so.

Piet Bodenhorst has been working with the Blue Ridge Parkway on a multi-year project to improve signage for the MST. The first stage of this project will be to install additional signs on the posts indicating Parkway overlooks wherever the MST crosses an overlook. The signs would have a hiker symbol and an arrow indicating the location of the MST. Walt Weber is working with the Parkway to develop a GPS inventory of existing MST signs, and Nick Price, a Boy Scout, will help as his Eagle Scout project.

Piet also informed the Council that the questions about emergency medical information currently on the Maintenance sign-up sheets signed by Trail Crew members will be removed after several crew members complained. The information was optional, but still raised concerns.

AT update

Howard McDonald reported that a new roof has been installed on the Walnut Creek Shelter, and that permission has been received form the Pisgah National Forest to replace the Roaring Fork Shelter. Howard distributed sketches of the shelter design and a map showing its location. A number of changes have been made to the design to make it wheelchair accessible. Estimated cost of the new shelter is $3300, $400 of which is available in the form of a gift from the Marching Mountain Mamas. A grant request has been submitted to the ATC for the remaining $2900. Construction is expected to begin in Spring, 2004.

Nominate your “Volunteer of the Year” for 2004

Adopt-A-Trail (Section) Maintainers Needed!

We currently have several sections on the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) that would love to have a caring individual who can adopt a section of their very own. As a trail maintainer, you would be the MST's most important advocate and protector. In this role, you would become familiar with trail maintenance techniques so that you understand the big picture as you perform the simple, recurring maintenance and repairs necessary to keep the trail in good repair. One your most important duties would be the "eyes" and "ears" of your section. The section supervisors are responsible for all of the "heavy duty" work and should be contacted to perform trail work you would not feel comfortable doing.

If you are interested please contact me or any of the following and we will explore finding just the right section of trail for you. Don Walton, walt7258@bellsouth.net , 828-298-5084, Stan Smith, ssmith111728@aol.com , 828-456-3042, D.R. Kulp, kulpdr@juno.com , 828-692-0783, Les Love, leslove@aol.com , 828-658-1489, Jorge Munoz, jmunoz@buncombe.main.nc.us , 828-658-0606.

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Looking Back....

Bill Newton's Work Crew-Friday

Well - I guess we should find a spooky trail to work this week, but I can't think of one off hand, so we will just have to go back to Holmes and finish that pole shed, I guess. There is also some trail work that needs completing. Meet at the Holmes ranger station at 8. Let me know if you will be out.

Those who are signed up for the chain saw course, don't forget about it. We don't get many chances for these.

I will be in Texas the following week, and that is also Bob B's last week before moving to warmer climates in Florida. Bob has some work that needs to be competed on his section of the AT (south from Hot Springs). So I hope we can have a good turnout on the week of Nov. 7 to help Bob. I would suggest meeting at Hardee's at the intersection of I-26 / hwy 25 (exit 13 to Fletcher). Pete will take care of the tools that week, and Bob will let you know what needs to be done. Please let Pete know if you will be out on the 7th so he can plan the tools. Bob says there is a good bit that needs to be done, so he needs lots of help.

Piet & Skip's Work Crew-Friday

Folks, I would like to try to go back to Mt Mitchell to work on steps, but the weather forecast is iffy at best, so that doesn't look like a good plan. Instead lets go to Balsam Gap and continue the repair of the MTS trail. We will go in at the Grassy Ridge Mine overlook and work South. There is plenty of tread work to do and a number of trees to take out. Some of the folks will be in chain saw class so we may be a little short handed, but we will do the best we can with the crew we get. Asheville folks meet at Home Depot at exit 44 of I-40 at 8:00 and Hendersonville people at Ingles at 7:20. Any of the West side of the mountain crew that can come, plan on meeting at the Ranger Station at Balsam Gap around 8:30 Bring digging tools as we will be doing side hill and some rock tread work. Howard, if you are not in class, please bring your saw and we will continue working on the down trees. Please let me know if you can come. Skip PS It's good to be back, but I will be gone again on Friday the 14th.

Jorge's Work Crew