Charlottesville Chapter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club: Vining Tract Hike/Work Trip

6/19/16

Vining Tract Hike/Work Trip - June 18, 2016


Dave Borszich, Claire Cline, Bill Holman, Mark Walkup, Gabriel Garretson


and Marit Anderson prepare to work at the Vining Tract

June 18 was set for a trail work and hike day at the Vining Tract below Shenandoah National Park in Greene County off of Route 33. It is the site of six PATC cabins and nearly 10 miles of trails maintained by a number of local chapter members - with Bill Holman serving as District Manager of Mutton Hollow. Seven volunteers met up and duties were divided. Bill did chain saw work mainly on the West Boundary Trail. Mark used the Death Wand (Wanda) to weed whack the Vining Trail and Conley Trail. Geoff Manning-Smith line trimmed the West Boundary Trail. Marit (hike leader) with the contingency of Claire, Dave, and Gabriel did a perimeter hike to inspect the trails for blow downs and did light trimming with loppers and pruning shears, as well as small blow down removal/sawing. The trails inspected included East Boundary, West Boundary, Mutton Top, Cliff, Mattie's Run, Vining, Conley, and Boxwood. The group covered over 6.5 miles with 2,200 elevation gain working from 10:30 am to 4 pm. At the end of the day everyone met up at Butternut Cabin, which is the overseer cabin, to turn in tools, have a beer, and discuss the day's accomplishments. Iva Gillet returned from a day manning the PATC booth at a Shenandoah National Park event. Some volunteers returned home and others stayed to enjoy a cookout and overnight at the cabin. Looking forward to another similar event in the fall. Thank you volunteers!