Weekend Trail Work on the A.T.

Details
Sat, Nov 17, 2018
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
2018-11-17T08:00:00-05:00
2018-11-18T14:00:00-05:00
This event has already occurred.
https://www.carolinamtnclub.org/eventform.cfm
Contact
Information

Join the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) as part of the Remote Overnight Crew (ROC) on Nov 17th and 18th on the Appalachian Trail as we renovate a more remote section of the A.T. This section is near the Spring Mountain shelter, which will be our base for operations. The Carolina Mountain Club Trail Maintenance Crew members and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) are partnering to offer a unique opportunity to spend the weekend assisting in the rehabilitation of the AT as it traverses Spring Mountain in the Cherokee and Pisgah National Forests.

signup
https://www.carolinamtnclub.org/eventform.cfm

Individuals, groups, and families are welcome to sign up (on a first come basis) and be partnered with veteran Trail Maintainers to spend the day having a hands on experience working to rehabilitate the trail in a sustainable condition for generations to come. No experience necessary! You will be matched with a skilled maintainer according to your interests and abilities. You will spend the weekend on a beautiful section of trail while working on the fabled A.T. The work group will be limited to about 30 participants.

Pre-registration is required by signing up on the below link. Youth of all ages are welcome, but must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. CMC will provide safety instructions, supervision, training, and tools for the tasks you are assigned.

Please contact CMC AT Supervisor Paul Curtin at: [email protected] for further information or any questions you may have.

Travel Logistics:
We will meet at the USFS National Forests office (Take exit 25 from US 26) at 160 Zillicoa St. in Asheville, NC at 8 am Saturday Nov. 17th, where you will check in and sign a work waiver. All minors must be accompanied by an adult who will sign a waiver for them. After a short safety briefing, introductions, and work details we will group up for car pools to head to the site. We will need some of the volunteers to drive groups to our work site. The parking lot in front of the building is a safe place to leave your car for the weekend.

It takes about 1hr 15 min to travel to the site, which is Hurricane Gap near Hot Springs NC. The last six miles are a gravel road which is in good condition and accessible by personal vehicles.

Work Site Logistics
It is a 1.7 m hike in to the Spring Mountain shelter with 600 ft of elevation gain. We will drop our gear there. Please wear long pants, sturdy boots, work gloves, and bring safety glasses if you have them. No open toed shoes or shorts will be allowed.

Camping
The shelter can sleep only 5 people, and there are many tent and hammock sites available nearby. Our group cannot full occupy the shelter in case of other hikers so all participants should plan to camp outside the shelter. Bring water for hike in and gear to filter/sterilize water. There is a privy and water source close to the shelter. Bring normal backpacking gear needed for a cool weather overnight, including a head lamp. Typical day time highs around 55 and night time lows around 35, but it could be colder of course. Bring food for 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, snacks, and dinner. Bring a change of clothes to sleep in since your work clothes will be dirty! We will eat lunch on trail Sunday and then head back, arriving at the car pool location around 2pm Sunday. Bring a change of shoes for the ride back.

Work Plan
– Replace several boards in shelter floor, carry in wood and tools
– Replace mouse barriers and pack hook on bear cable and reattach cable. Carry in ladder and tools
– Replace log on side of privy and bring new privy tools, carry in saw and drill and rebar
– Dig new sustainable trail to water source, block old trail
– Install new signs
– Install log water bars between Hurricane Gap and shelter as needed
– Repair tread in area of step bypass on trail about a mile nb from shelter
– Repair root ball hole about a mile nb from shelter
– General tread rehab nb from shelter as time allows
– Tools needed: hazelhoes, loppers, chain saw, ladder, bear cable tools, gas powered drill, debarking knife, rebar

https://www.carolinamtnclub.org/eventform.cfm

https://www.facebook.com/events/1191625320985388/