On Memorial Day I went to save a short section of Appalachian Trail from damage indirectly caused by humans. Unlike those honored that day, my most likely injury would be poison ivy rash, and I didn’t even get that from the many poison ivy plants.
The first task was clearing waterbars and outsloping sections of trail to divert water off the trail. The structures had diverted water and solid material from flowing further down the trail, so there was no obvious erosion, but only one or two were close to self cleaning status. As usual, I did a little extra soil sculpting hoping to improve performance. Then some effort to slow down the take over by foreign invasive plants. I pulled some garlic mustard plants some of which were waist high, and a few oriental lady’s thumb weeds. My efforts were more acts of vengeance than serious eradication. Patches of bittersweet showed signs of previous pulling, which resulted in fresh growth. There were few plants growing up trees, and few thick stems because of past efforts, but a lot of fresh growth. Mostly I merely slowed it down. In some patches further up the trail, I had bittersweet in retreat.
Some people on their way to Maine expressed appreciation, because some of them do the same work elsewhere. I spoke to some people heading south, who said the trails are the best they have seen. They reported some trees down somewhere between Rockfish and McCormick Gaps but did not think they were a problem. Later in June with a scheduled trip we should find and remove them. It was too hot and too late for me to go looking.
On my way home, I saw a hitchhiker with a backpack. He was on his way to Maine. I only took him to Kroger in Waynesboro. It is the first time I have taken a thru-hiker to town for a trail break.
Submitted by John Shannon
Submitted by John Shannon
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