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TNhiker
04-22-2016, 17:10
this came down around 5:00 pm EST


Appalachian Trail and Railroad Grade Road toReopen UNICOI, TENN – April 22, 2016… The US ForestService will reopen the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the RailroadGrade Road that were temporarily rerouted in the Cherokee National Forest’sWatauga Ranger District due to the Railroad Grade Wildfire. The fire beganApril 18, 2016 and consumed 1,500 acres.

The Railroad Grade Road is anticipated to reopentoday, Friday, April 22 around 8:00 p.m., and the Appalachian National ScenicTrail will reopen tomorrow, Saturday, April 22 around 7:00 a.m.
Precipitation received over the fire, along withsuppression efforts of the fire crews, has allowed access to resume. However,those traveling in the areas need to remain vigilant as dead trees and looserolling debris are still a potential hazard. The public should remain alert asthe crews work on rehabilitation efforts in the area. Safety of thefirefighters and the public is the number one priority.
For more information visit theCherokee National Forest website at http://fs.usda.gov/cherokee (http://fs.usda.gov/cherokee) or call the Watauga Ranger Station at (423)735-1500 (tel:%28423%29%20735-1500).

rocketsocks
04-22-2016, 17:32
Lots of dead falls in the mid Atlantic states left over from hurricane Sandy, fuel for a rainy day.

TNhiker
04-22-2016, 17:44
well.....along with that hurricane----we have had many a wet, heavy snow that will bring down trees that are already week due to various diseases (like the adelgids)............

Malto
04-24-2016, 17:34
I was right in the center of the storm on Wednesday. I arrived at the Meadow, ground zero, after doing the 7.2 mile reroute and arrived in the late afternoon. There was firefighter from all over the country there and they held up the hikers at the Meadow starting at noon. Luckily as soon as I got there they escorted a group of 14 hikers down a bulldozed fire break with the fire roaring on one side. At one point they told us to run which was a it funny with the huge packs many of the hikers carried. We got through, I have a couple of burn holes in my new pack. Please be careful with fire in these conditions, it was bone dry. For some reason every shelter and campsite had a fire blazing away while the next ridge over was in flames. To quote one of the firefighters, "common sense is not a common virtue anymore." I just think there is a lack of awareness from folks especially in the east on the devastation that a spark can cause. I hope they catch the arsoner in several of these fires. there was also another recent burn at Watagua Lake.
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