South District Trail Workshop, May 17, 2014

reported by John Shannon

       District Managers Don White (Appalachian Trail) and Steve Bair (side trails) held a workshop for current and future trail maintainers May 17 and 18.

Brown Mountain overlook, after lunch,
before trail repair

Weed eater experience at Simmons Gap
Ranger Station

After the usual descriptions of how what PATC does to maintain trails, we went to the Simmons Gap tool cache, a shed that the National Park Service has allowed PATC to use for storage and maintenance of trail tools, where an experienced trail maintainer described how a weed eater should work, and what to do when it does not. During the tool viewing, we saw how different maintainers have different tastes in tools. One person rarely uses loppers, but was impressed with my long handled loppers when we wanted to cut a tall briar without getting close to it. One person also does not like the Pulaski which others find an excellent tool.

A locust log for a new waterbar

Setting a locust log to make a new waterbar

After lunch, we started on the project for the workshop of repairing an eroded section of trail. Sub-optimal design made erosion more difficult to control than on some sections. Some people carried logs down the trail while others dug trenches for new log waterbars. Others regraded trail so that it was flat rather than a canyon, and also outsloped the trail to slow erosion in the future. Side trail District Manager Steve Bair was impressed by the length of trail that the group repaired. During this work, Howard Davis, who remembered me from ODATC over twenty years ago, agreed that the ProHoe Rogue Hoe used by Mark Gatewood of the Flying McLeods is often superior to a McLeod. Or as one veteran said, ask three trail maintainers about the best tools, and you will get four opinions.  Fourteen people attended, Jeff Monroe  Charlottesville Chapter attended this ideal trail day and took the pictures seen here.