SavageLlama
03-18-2005, 14:14
Good read from today's Baltimore Sun..
Appalachian Trail maintenance man Dave House keeps up a swift pace as an `overseer' in Maryland
By Tom Dunkel
The Baltimore Sun
March 18, 2005
Midway through his favorite Saturday hiking route, Dave House pauses to savor the surroundings, one of the perks of patronizing what he calls "my outdoor gym."
"Running on a treadmill for an hour seems like three hours," he says, "when you compare it to being out on the trail."
House will occasionally hop on his home treadmill, but he habitually hits the Appalachian Trail. In fact, about 30 times a year he traverses this particular 3 1/2 -mile stretch from Crampton Gap, just outside Burkittsville, north to Lambs Knoll, where he's now standing, and back again.
Below lies a large, patchwork-quilt swatch of Frederick County known as Locust Valley. It's like looking at the game board of Dave House's life. Down there is the plot of family farmland he grew up on, the high school he attended, the country church where he got married, the home he spent seven years building in his spare time.
Four inches of fresh snow cover the ground: Mother Nature's crowd control. Other than a lone woman out for a romp with her two dogs, he will have the trail to himself today.
Think of House as a cop walking his beat, which he covers at about 3.5 mph - "power hike" speed. For five years, he's been a volunteer "overseer" with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, which takes responsibility for maintaining nearly 1,000 miles of assorted hiking paths in Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
House is the guardian angel assigned to this chunk of the AT, plus a second, contiguous segment that runs some three-plus miles from Lambs Knoll to Turners Gap. Other clubs and other volunteers keep watch over every inch of the 2,164-mile trail, one of the world's great hiking challenges.
Overseers trim the underbrush and ivy, saw fallen trees, pick up litter and remove graffiti. They wrestle hundred-pound stones and logs into place, fashioning the retaining walls, or "water bars," that minimize trail erosion.
It's often back-breaking work that can entail toting as much as 40 pounds of gear, including pick, shovel and saw. ("In cold weather," says House, whose weight never fluctuates more than 5 pounds on his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, "you can sweat pretty good. You'd be surprised.")
Indeed, tending a dirt trail can burn up as many calories as lifting weights. Try, for example, dragging a 5-foot-long log for a hundred yards. Great exercise, but it offers an even greater sense of satisfaction.
"I think there's a joy that comes from being a piece of this huge puzzle that goes from Maine to Georgia," says Rick Canter, who serves as Potomac Appalachian Trail Club's Maryland trails manager.
House, 54, is a mechanical engineer, as you might guess from the way he goes about his trail-maintenance business. He'll sometimes go hiking in a downpour to observe first-hand how rainwater runoff is flowing on his trail. He has rigged a wooden platform on his backpack to hold his Homelite 330 power saw.
He also uses a toothbrush to paint trees with the signature rectangular, white blazes that mark the AT: "It's a no-no to have drips. It's a pride thing. You want your trail to look professional."
House grew up just a few miles from here, but never spent much time in these woods as a kid. About 10 years ago, his cousin's husband introduced him to the Appalachian Trail. He started hiking more and more, then decided to take on the role of overseer.
"It's funny how your attitude changes over time," he says.
In his 20s he cycled and did a lot of ice skating. Later he took up golf. Now it's pretty much all hiking, all the time. No greens fees. No waiting for a tee time. No tension.
"You daydream a bit hiking," says House. "You tend to think about things less stressful than work."
House has done about 500 miles of the Appalachian Trail in bits and pieces. Five out of the last six summers, he has hiked all 40 miles that run through Maryland in one day. His best time is 14 hours, 6 minutes.
"He has got the most beautiful stride: graceful arm swing, heels low to the ground. You've got to be a hiking geek to understand," says Dave Garman, a 43-year-old software architect from Jefferson, who's a fellow overseer.
House is on a scouting trip this morning, periodically taking his hand saw to unruly branches blocking the way, but mostly making mental notes of trail work that needs be done after the snow melts.
Overseers come to know their designated terrain so intimately they have almost total recall of every landscape detail. House can point out which logs he set in the trail two years ago, the stand of trees that got knocked flat by Tropical Storm Isabel, the 150-pound boulder he danced with three weeks ago.
He pauses at the base of a 40-foot-high, uprooted tree that's leaning across the trail at a 45-degree angle, its top wedged in the branches of a nearby healthy tree.
They're called "Widow Makers." That's the kind of dead tree you don't mess with. Too unpredictable. Let them fall of their own accord, then get out the saw.
"That," says Dave House, looking skyward, anticipating a future day's work, "will be a major event to clear."\
Trail details
Dave House hikes between 1,200 and 1,500 miles a year, mostly in Maryland. Since the state's topography is relatively gentle, he suggests taking the rugged offshoots of main hiking trails whenever possible: "If you want a workout in Maryland, you've got to take the spur trails."
To avoid blisters on long hikes, House recommends that hikers use a dash of foot powder and a nylon liner sock, and pack multiple pairs of heavy wool outer socks and change several times en route.
Most summers, House hikes all 40 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maryland in a day. The Maryland Outdoor Club organizes an annual Hike Across Maryland. This year's dates are May 6-8. For details see www.marylandoutdoorclub.org/events (http://www.marylandoutdoorclub.org/events) .
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club holds volunteer trail maintenance work days throughout the year, usually on Saturdays from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. Contact Nancy Hammond: 301-739-0442; [email protected].
For information about local Potomac Appalachian Trail Club chapters, visit www.patc.net (http://www.patc.net/)
or www.appalachiantrail.org (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/)
Appalachian Trail maintenance man Dave House keeps up a swift pace as an `overseer' in Maryland
By Tom Dunkel
The Baltimore Sun
March 18, 2005
Midway through his favorite Saturday hiking route, Dave House pauses to savor the surroundings, one of the perks of patronizing what he calls "my outdoor gym."
"Running on a treadmill for an hour seems like three hours," he says, "when you compare it to being out on the trail."
House will occasionally hop on his home treadmill, but he habitually hits the Appalachian Trail. In fact, about 30 times a year he traverses this particular 3 1/2 -mile stretch from Crampton Gap, just outside Burkittsville, north to Lambs Knoll, where he's now standing, and back again.
Below lies a large, patchwork-quilt swatch of Frederick County known as Locust Valley. It's like looking at the game board of Dave House's life. Down there is the plot of family farmland he grew up on, the high school he attended, the country church where he got married, the home he spent seven years building in his spare time.
Four inches of fresh snow cover the ground: Mother Nature's crowd control. Other than a lone woman out for a romp with her two dogs, he will have the trail to himself today.
Think of House as a cop walking his beat, which he covers at about 3.5 mph - "power hike" speed. For five years, he's been a volunteer "overseer" with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, which takes responsibility for maintaining nearly 1,000 miles of assorted hiking paths in Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
House is the guardian angel assigned to this chunk of the AT, plus a second, contiguous segment that runs some three-plus miles from Lambs Knoll to Turners Gap. Other clubs and other volunteers keep watch over every inch of the 2,164-mile trail, one of the world's great hiking challenges.
Overseers trim the underbrush and ivy, saw fallen trees, pick up litter and remove graffiti. They wrestle hundred-pound stones and logs into place, fashioning the retaining walls, or "water bars," that minimize trail erosion.
It's often back-breaking work that can entail toting as much as 40 pounds of gear, including pick, shovel and saw. ("In cold weather," says House, whose weight never fluctuates more than 5 pounds on his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, "you can sweat pretty good. You'd be surprised.")
Indeed, tending a dirt trail can burn up as many calories as lifting weights. Try, for example, dragging a 5-foot-long log for a hundred yards. Great exercise, but it offers an even greater sense of satisfaction.
"I think there's a joy that comes from being a piece of this huge puzzle that goes from Maine to Georgia," says Rick Canter, who serves as Potomac Appalachian Trail Club's Maryland trails manager.
House, 54, is a mechanical engineer, as you might guess from the way he goes about his trail-maintenance business. He'll sometimes go hiking in a downpour to observe first-hand how rainwater runoff is flowing on his trail. He has rigged a wooden platform on his backpack to hold his Homelite 330 power saw.
He also uses a toothbrush to paint trees with the signature rectangular, white blazes that mark the AT: "It's a no-no to have drips. It's a pride thing. You want your trail to look professional."
House grew up just a few miles from here, but never spent much time in these woods as a kid. About 10 years ago, his cousin's husband introduced him to the Appalachian Trail. He started hiking more and more, then decided to take on the role of overseer.
"It's funny how your attitude changes over time," he says.
In his 20s he cycled and did a lot of ice skating. Later he took up golf. Now it's pretty much all hiking, all the time. No greens fees. No waiting for a tee time. No tension.
"You daydream a bit hiking," says House. "You tend to think about things less stressful than work."
House has done about 500 miles of the Appalachian Trail in bits and pieces. Five out of the last six summers, he has hiked all 40 miles that run through Maryland in one day. His best time is 14 hours, 6 minutes.
"He has got the most beautiful stride: graceful arm swing, heels low to the ground. You've got to be a hiking geek to understand," says Dave Garman, a 43-year-old software architect from Jefferson, who's a fellow overseer.
House is on a scouting trip this morning, periodically taking his hand saw to unruly branches blocking the way, but mostly making mental notes of trail work that needs be done after the snow melts.
Overseers come to know their designated terrain so intimately they have almost total recall of every landscape detail. House can point out which logs he set in the trail two years ago, the stand of trees that got knocked flat by Tropical Storm Isabel, the 150-pound boulder he danced with three weeks ago.
He pauses at the base of a 40-foot-high, uprooted tree that's leaning across the trail at a 45-degree angle, its top wedged in the branches of a nearby healthy tree.
They're called "Widow Makers." That's the kind of dead tree you don't mess with. Too unpredictable. Let them fall of their own accord, then get out the saw.
"That," says Dave House, looking skyward, anticipating a future day's work, "will be a major event to clear."\
Trail details
Dave House hikes between 1,200 and 1,500 miles a year, mostly in Maryland. Since the state's topography is relatively gentle, he suggests taking the rugged offshoots of main hiking trails whenever possible: "If you want a workout in Maryland, you've got to take the spur trails."
To avoid blisters on long hikes, House recommends that hikers use a dash of foot powder and a nylon liner sock, and pack multiple pairs of heavy wool outer socks and change several times en route.
Most summers, House hikes all 40 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maryland in a day. The Maryland Outdoor Club organizes an annual Hike Across Maryland. This year's dates are May 6-8. For details see www.marylandoutdoorclub.org/events (http://www.marylandoutdoorclub.org/events) .
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club holds volunteer trail maintenance work days throughout the year, usually on Saturdays from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. Contact Nancy Hammond: 301-739-0442; [email protected].
For information about local Potomac Appalachian Trail Club chapters, visit www.patc.net (http://www.patc.net/)
or www.appalachiantrail.org (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/)