Woo-hoo! I'm a maintainer

[DiamondDoug]

So there I was, huffing and puffing up a hill and swearing at ~whoever~ the trail maintainer was during my thru. "%#)$*&^@ stupid people who are supposed to maintain this trail, why haven't they (insert maintainer job here)," I muttered through clenched teeth. This happened on more than one occassion, as those of you who have hiked well know.

Fast forward seven years. This past Saturday I went out with Howard McDonald of the Carolina Mountain Club to be "introduced" to <my> section of the trail. I have 2 1/2 miles stretching from Big Bald to Little Bald along the NC/TN border, 30 miles north of my office in Asheville, NC. Now I get to be one of those clenched teeth muttered at people.

Seriously, I am thrilled. Howard and I had a great walk out and back (we can drive to the base of Big Bald), and I lopped low hanging branches and some briars each way. I've a shelter (Bald Mountain) to keep up with, and a couple of springs, so there is water and shelter if the weather wants to get all freaky on me when I'm up there. Up there is the right phrase, too, as I think the entire section is over 5000 feet.

A personal note, I took what became my favorite picture of my thru on this section. There was a downed tree across the trail that had been cut, lying in the middle of this lush gree vegetation giving the image a brown wave in a field of green. Most of the green was white fringed phacelia that was all in bloom, adding a white, popcorn effect. What a wonderful image, and walking with Howard on Saturday we passed the same downed tree, although the spring blooming phacelia is long past. (see http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10942 for my other, earlier comments about this section of the trail.)

I will try to do my best to be a good steward of <my> section of the trail. I sure don't want to open up White Blaze some day and read that someone wrote <my> section was not well kept.

[Kerosene]

Thanks for taking this on, DiamondDoug. I'll be thinking of you when I pass through in a few years.

[Chaco Taco]

Ill be passin through that section next week. Ill give you a good ,"Woop woop" from Big Bald.

[camojack]

Woo-hoo! I'm a maintainer

Me too. Have been for years.

In fact, a group of us were on a mission over the weekend that included a cleanup at the pavilion in Port Clinton...

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Welcome to a pursuit that is almost as addictive as stove-making and other DYI gear-making.

[The Old Fhart]

Those of us who know Doug have no doubt but that his section will be one of the neatest sections on the entire trail. Way to go Doug!

[jlb2012]

remember: using your elbow straps _before_ getting tendonitis is a whole lot nicer than using them after getting tendonitis

also: one slip with a chainsaw can ruin your whole day - get well trained before use and always use your safety equipment

[Cookerhiker]

From a tardy latecomer, congrats Doug. I hiked all over the place for over 30 years but didn't start trail maintenance until 2 years ago and I'm enjoying it despite my recent move putting me 160 miles away from my section. I've also started joining trail work crews (did one last Saturday helping replace a bridge). In fact, I'll miss some of the Gathering because of trail crew work.

[FatMan]

A very heart felt Thank you to you and all the maintainers.

[digger51]

You maintainers do a great job. Thanks for all your efforts.

[shelterbuilder]

Welcome to the club, Doug. You'll find that it's more fun than people might think that it is, and the longer you do it, the more like an old friend your section will become. ENJOY

[Brushy Sage]

Congratulations Doug. It's a beautiful section.

[moxie]

Good to see you are still alive and well. I know you will do a great job amd you have a very beautiful section. Keep in touch. (By the way, are you practicing law or do you have that dream job of driving a van at the airport?)

[superman]

Congratulations on your new position in the world. I met you on top of Cheoah Bald in 2000. You were just finishing a pint of Ben and Jerrys. You were wearing orange sneakers and a bright flowered shirt. You looked like you'd just stepped off the plane from Hawaii. You pointed out the Smokies and named the mountains. It might have been Easter.
Life is good.

[WalkinHome]

Hey Doug,

Moved the privy at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to on Sunday-where were you? LOL Have fun with your section-I know I have fun with mine (by Monson-privy was a helping hand) and I get an excuse to stay at Shaw's.

[Tennessee Viking]

Greetings neighbor from the Eastman club...and welcome to the maintenance life.

I hope you know what your getting yourself into...lol Walking and carrying lumber 3 miles in from the nearest access, pushing the loaded maintenance cart up a 10% grade hill, and hoping the tree your sawing doesnt fall on top of you.

Just kidding...well the work isn't but maintaining is really fun to do. Where else can you say...I build and move trail. Then you can lure hikers to help with maintaining by promising them a ride into town.

I just hope my club can get the Unaka Mtn relocations completed next year.

[7Sisters]

That's a great give back to the trail - thank you for doing this.

How are you instructed to "maintain" the trail. I have noticed there is an inconsistency in how sections are maintained. For instance, when I was in SNP, the trail maintainers were removing rocks in a particular section to make it easier to walk.

Oddly - I found this not to be desireable as the rocks are part of the integrity of the trail.

So who makes those decisions?

Thanks again for taking the next step in contribution to the AT.

[DiamondDoug]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. Old Fhart, next time out I'm going to try and rig up a shower at the shelter. Well, unless that violates someones ethos concerning shelter creep (oh, let's not go there...).

And you Mainers, I got to tell you how lovely it is to walk down a trail that is real dirt, not a hopscotch through roots heh. I'll carry a pint of B&J sometime and think of you, Superman. After I shovel the ***** in the privy while thinking of Walking Home, lol.

7sisters - to answer your question I was given 6 pages of instructions on section maintaining. I think these were all written by Howard McDonald of the CMC, but they reference an ATC publication titled Trail Design, Construction and Maintenance. I received one sheet that is a general position description, a page with specific AT guidelines, and a sheet each on blazes, waterbars, clearing (limbs and other vegetaion) and procedures related to the moldering privy. Major work, such as removing blow downs, rebuilding or relocating the trail are to be left for the Trail Crew.

By SNP I think you are referring to the Shenandoah. That is a portion of a National Park, and the trail there was constructed by the CCC in the 30's. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but where the trail runs through National Parks there are different standards. My sheet says the [Carolina Mountain Club's] "goal for the Appalachian Trail is to keep it reasonably primitive but, at the same time, make it safe for the hiker."

I am fortunate in that I can drive to a gate within 1/4 mile of my section, or if I need to I can get a key and drive through and on a dirt fireroad get to a point less than a 1/2 mile hike to my shelter. From where I park it is about a 5 mile hike to go out and back, and I can finish each visit with a short walk to the top of Big Bald (not in my section; just south) for a 360 degree view before returning home. No side trail to an overlook needed; the trail goes right across the top of the bald. (Hi, Ray!)

I am really stoked to be doing this. I first hiked on the Trail in Pennsylvania from Wind Gap to Water Gap when I was 11 years old, and 30 some odd years later did my thru. Most people have white corpuscles in their blood; I think I have white blazes. I love being on the Trail, it feels like home.

[emerald]

Most people have white corpuscles in their blood; I think I have white blazes. I love being on the Trail, it feels like home.

The last 2 sentences are worth repeating. I couldn't resist being 1st.

[Skyline]

By SNP I think you are referring to the Shenandoah. That is a portion of a National Park, and the trail there was constructed by the CCC in the 30's. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but where the trail runs through National Parks there are different standards.

Correct. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC), which maintains the AT in SNP, has very specific maintenance standards for its section of the AT, and the nearly 1,000 miles of other trails it maintains within the Park and north, east, and west of SNP.

These standards are agreed to between PATC and the various government agencies on whose land the trail(s) in question reside. The National Park Service (SNP) does have higher standards than, say, a national forest or certain state and municipal parks.

I am not aware that these standards in SNP include removing all the rocks, and if they do there is much work left to complete, but where rocks can be moved for safety, aesthetic, or water drainage purposes I think they may be.

And hats off to the newest additions to the universe of maintainers, as well as all those veterans out there!