For the past few years, Alpha Phi Omega,Theta Chapter, a student service organization at the University of Virginia, has helped PATC maintain the Appalachian Trail. This semester’s event was rescheduled preventing Flying McLeods crew leader Mark Gatewood from attending. I said I could oversee the project, so on April 4 I went to the park, pulled some weeds and improved some trail drainage on the chapters section of Appalachian Trail at Rockfish and McCormick Gaps then walked up to Little Calf Mountain to see what would improve the trail. Al Dahler, a long term members of the Flying McLeods said he would deliver hard hats and trail overseer Andy Willgruber said he would join the group .
On the day, just as two of us started on our way to meet the
volunteers, APO called to say that some people had cancelled, so there would be
a delay while they found some other helpers. While waiting for the students.
Andy Willgruber went to Beagle Gap to finish some blazing which could not be
done two weeks earlier because of the low temperatures, and found Al Dahler
with a car full of hard hats and tools.
We found a section of trail where the trail no longer had its original out slope, in part because a berm had built up. This is normal with use, when users compact the trail, and debris collects on the edges. The crew had done other trail work, learning the most important thing to do was avoid injury. APO has also been helping slow bittersweet at Ivy Creek Natural Area for a few years. Although they did not mention regrading as something they had done before, they quickly did a fine job of correcting the slope, and even knew about scattering leaves on fresh trail to reduce splash erosion. We took advantage of these people with strong backs to move some rocks which obstructed a runoff we wanted to make. Because of their late arrival, the volunteers stayed later than they originally planned even though at least one risked being late for another commitment.
As on previous occasions, the group impressed with their
work and their commitment to service.
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