When I first started doing trail maintenance on my section some 20 yrs ago, it had not had hardly any regular maintaining work done on it for about 14 years due to it being the longest driving distance away from most of the CMC trail workers at that time and due to its length, steepness, and inaccessiblity so needlesstosay it was pretty rough hiking, mega blowdowns to crawl across and make your way around on really steep sidehill, was full of woody growth, stinging nettles over waist high, huge briars, and very much eroded with no waterbars and lots of roots to trip over.
After a few years of hard work by the Rat Patrol crew and two new relos put in by the Konnarock crews with much help from us and the CMC, along with above standard work such as selective cutting leaving ferns to grow to choke out weeds, handsnipping roots and woody growth and keeping the weeds cut on a regular basis, and installing many waterbars and check dams, silt bars, steps and such, it is now a very pleasant but still wildernessy section to hike. I can show you the old AT that has not gotten any work done on it for a few yrs that we use for short cuts and such that is nearly completely gone as nature reclaims what was hers very quickly.
I too enjoy being outdoors and working on the trail for physical excercise and to meet the hikers as they come through and almost all are VERY appreciative of the work we do and go out of their way to thank us as they have obviously hiked somewhere before that had low maintenance and appreciate a nice clean trail.
Next time you sit on a privy that does not have poo all the way to the rim,,,,,thank a maintainer
(yes one of the dirty jobs we do)
Don't get me wrong, I agree that we do tend to make it too easy and tend to 'coddle' the hikers but the big picture shows that trail work is needed and the trail would turn to crapp quickly without it. If you want that rough of a trail, I suggest you find a different one and not the AT where there are govt. (ATC) standards on exactly how it is to be maintained.
I was out cutting annual growth one year that was very high (back when we had more rainfall) and some guy came along and fussed at us for making a mess on the trail as he was upset he had to walk over the fresh cut weeds ! That wasn't you was it ? lol I told him just wait, that further up the trail where the stinging nettles were nearly head high and him hiking in shorts with no gaiters, that he would appreciate the work we were doing, but I don't think he got it.
I have seen the trail from Carvers Gap to Grassy ridge become a gully in no time from the massive foot traffic it gets many times as the trail has to be moved around over the years and I really appreciate the work that is being done there now to prevent this. Hats off to those that have made that possible. It is looking very nice.
I have worked with several legends in the trail work world, have about 10 Konnarock yearly t shirts and have learned many skills in regards to trail work as it requires different methods for each section and areas and I enjoy being in the woods and seeing the accomplishments and YES CHICKS DIG IT !!!!!!
If you don't like our well maintained trails, quit yer bitchin' and go hike elsewhere !
HAIRNT !