Rockfish Gap Trail Maintenance - June 24, 2017

reported by John Shannon, pictures by Jeanne Siler

A wet spring helped prolific growth along the chapter’s section of Appalachian Trail between Rockfish and McCormick Gaps, so it was great to have five

CJ Woodburn

John Shannon ready  to use a weedeater

David Crowe and Marian Styles
clipping small branches and
transporting fuel for weedeaters

Dave Borzich with weedeater

people join me to cut back summer growth. Most people went to the Crozet Tunnel walk in the morning, so we started later than normal. At the entrance station, the friendly rangers waved us in when we said we had come for trail maintenance. We collected two weedeaters from the toolbox, one for me and one for Dave Borzich. 

At our McCormick Gap starting point, we saw District Manager Don White, who was meeting a new overseer. The steep ascent to the AT required little clearing because Marian Styles had cleared much of the growth two weeks earlier with a swing blade while I pulled some garlic mustard.

While Dave and I fired up the string trimmers and set forth, Jeanne Siler, CJ Woodburn, David Crowe, and Marian followed with clippers. They cut shrubs too thick for a string trimmer as well as the many small branches growing into the trail corridor.

We stopped for a lunch at a rocky outcropping, where we had a partial view of Waynesboro. After our break and a bit more clearing, we walked back to our cars.

During our outing we met several backpackers, some of whom were heading to Mt. Katahadin. Most of them thanked us for keeping the AT in good shape for hiking.