First Annual Rivanna Outdoor Gear and Film Festival - March 29, 2015

     The Rivanna Outdoor Gear and Film Festival (ROGaFF) was Sunday, March 29^th, 2015 at Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra Virginia. It featured vendors of outdoor equipment, paddle sports, bikes and the Charlottesville Chapter of the PATC to help attendees with advice and gear for the upcoming outdoor season.  A feature film The Appalachian Trail: An American Legacy was shown. Other short films featuring biking and paddle sports were also shown.  Andy Willgruber led a hike through the very nice Pleasant Grove Park.  Thanks to Briana Taylor and Andy for getting together, setting up and working the PATC display for the festival. 

Appalachian Trail Maintenance by the Virginia Environmental Law Forum - March 28, 2015

Text: Andy Willgruber

Photos: Virginia Environmental Law Forum

The calendar said, "Spring." The wind and freezing temperatures said, "Not yet!" Despite these conditions, seven hardy souls showed up at Albemarle High School to assist A.T. trail maintainers Lindsay Brown and Andy Willgruber. They included Hunter Cloud and six shivering members of the Virginia Environmental Law Forum (the environmental law student group at UVA Law School): Brandy Allen, Olivia Glasscock, Matt Schneider, Meredith Westerlund, Will Grossenbacher and Jacob Aronson. Jacob is a PATC member and former trail overseer of a one-mile section of the Western Ridge Trail of Rock Creek Park.

The decision was quickly made for Hunter to join Lindsay in doing some vegetation cutback on his A.T. section at Riprap (Lindsay reported a chilly but successful day of lopping). The UVA group would go back for more layers of clothing and meet Andy at Rockfish Gap. Although Andy had called The Shenandoah National Park road closure line that morning, he became a little concerned while driving through a snow squall on his way west on I-64. He became more concerned when he saw the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed at Rockfish Gap. However, he was relieved to find the friendly face of Ranger Mooney at the south entrance station, albeit with a winter road hazard sign placed next to her booth. She cheerfully waved our three-car caravan through, and we arrived at Beagle Gap shortly thereafter.

Andy sent his group north on the A.T. with tools to clear any minor trail obstructions on their way up to Little Calf Mt. summit. He would drive up an access road and meet them there. After rendezvousing within seconds of each other and admiring the grand view at the summit, the crew commenced the primary work of the day. The task was to install the four remaining 6x6 blaze signposts north of the Little Calf summit on the open grassy areas of the trails. This would complete the signage on the relocated section of A.T. over Little Calf Mt. The group grabbed the various tools that had been cached a few days before and received instructions. They took turns and excavated with pick, shovels, digging bar and post-hole digger. Truthfully, it was the only way to stay warm! Andy had advertised the day as a combined work day and hike, but the six wanted to remain on task. They safely and steadily dug, installed and plumbed the post and re-packed dirt and rock around it. After completing three post installations, we stopped for a quick lunch in a sunny spot in the old apple orchard section of the trail.

After lunch, we installed the final double-blaze post where the relocated trail rejoined the original at the south end of the old orchard. Painting the posts would have to wait for a warmer day. With the job completed, this group of Cavaliers was ready to return home. They all expressed an interest in continuing this partnership with PATC, possibly twice a year. Andy handed each of this intrepid group a souvenir map of the Stony Man/Skyland section of SNP and sent them back down the trail to Beagle Gap. Andy would remain for tool collection and cleaning.

Many thanks to the Virginia Environmental Law School Forum for this day. The Charlottesville Chapter was lucky to have them!

Mutton Hollow Trails cleared by Alternative Spring Break UVa Students - March 9 to 14

submitted by Ben Campbell

Hi PATC members! Some of you may remember us from last year, but we are a group of 9 students from the University of Virginia who are members of a service organization called Alternative Spring Break (ASB). Each year ASB organizes a variety of student-led service learning trips for UVA students to take part in over spring break. We are committed to providing meaningful ways for students to connect to the communities around them and participate in service opportunities. Our particular group is very passionate about environmental conservation and exploring the outdoors, which is why we wanted to come back for a second year working with your PATC chapter in the Shenandoah area.

This year we teamed up with Bill Holman again to work on some of the Mutton Hollow Trails. We had the chance to live in the Mutton Top Cabin for a week and experience all of the fun and unexpected surprises that come along with living without water or electricity. It was an adventure and we all had a great time sitting by the wood stove each night relaxing. Although we started off with some cold nights and icy roads, by the end of the week we had beautiful sunny skies and clear hiking trails.

Our goal for the week was to work on clearing some new trails including a short connecting trail by Conley and Morris cabins and a longer extension of the Cliff trail that approaches Shenandoah National Park. By the end of the week we became pretty skilled at moving logs, using handsaws, and wrestling thorn bushes. Overall we had a great experience and a lot of fun exploring the area and getting our hands dirty! The highlight of our trip was when we finally made it to the top of the Cliff trail extension and saw the Shenandoah National Park boundary line. We were even able to climb to the top of some hidden rocky cliffs that overlooked the Shenandoah Valley.

We all came away from the trip with a new sense of appreciation for all of the work your organization does year-round, and for the beautiful area we have around us. We all hope to continue working in the area and contributing to your mission was also taking time to explore the mountains and relax when outside of the classroom. We admire all of your hard work and dedication to protecting and maintaining this area, and hope that we were able to help out and contribute in a small way.

Special thanks to Bill Holman for helping us out all week and thanks to the PATC for allowing us to have this experience!

Best of luck in the upcoming months!

-Liz Holohan, Ben Campbell, and the rest of the ASB 2015 Shenandoah Crew

Big Run Loop Trail - April 4, 2015

April 4 started out as a cold and windy day as we gathered in the Doyle's River Parking area along Skyline Drive.  The wind did diminish as we descended into the Big Run Basin on the west side of Skyline Drive.  It was still cold as we hiked down about 1600 feet, however as we made the climb up to the "Times Square" intersection we quickly warmed up.  Lunch was in a sunny spot at the intersection of Big Run/Madison Spur/Rocky Top trails.  After a leisurely lunch topped off with a little chocolate from the hike leader, we headed out to Brown's Gap, then onto the AT across Doyle's River Overlook and back to the start point, about 7 miles.  Hikers included Dave Abdallah, Leon Gorman, Kelly O'Rourke, Brad Young, John Sinclair, John Brandt, Tom and Ellen Shields, Tom Cross, Anne Colgate, Dan Ralston, and Jeanne Densmore. 

Reported by Hike Leader Lindsay Brown

Old Rag - March 21, 2015

Michael Seth:
     The first day of spring was celebrated with what is possibly the best known hike in Virginia- Old Rag. This was a joint hike with the Shenandoah Valley Chapter. We had a great view of Old Rag from the road on the way there and could see there was snow on the mountain. It was decided to divide the hike into two groups: one led by Eric Bredo visiting from Toronto who went up the shorter, 3 mile to the top, but more difficult (and more crowded) Ridge Trail and the other group led by Michael Seth went up the longer 4.5 mile to the top but easier (and less crowded) Weakley Hollow fire road and then the northern side of the Ridge Trail. Chad Churchman, Mary Huffer, Bob Eggleston, from the Valley and Susanna Keller, Lindsay Brown, Susanna Williams, John Brandt, John Shannon, Jackie Bradley, Leon Gorman, Kelly O’Rourke and Jeanne Densmore from C’ville met at the trailhead. Tim Hupp from the Valley joined Eric Bredo’s group. It was a near perfect day- clear skies, low sixties. There were more people hiking this mountain than the Michael Seth remembered seeing since he hiked Mount Fuji on a Japanese holiday. However, since about 98 percent were hiking up the Ridge Trail, the people doing the Weakley Hollow road did not actually see many folks until we got near the top and the first human wave of hikers began descending. Most of the way was quite nice with great views although the Ridge Trail was slippery in spots. The crowds of hikers gave way to hordes as we reached the top. Nonetheless, we found a relatively quiet spot for lunch. We long way hikers kept wondering where the shorter hard way group was. After a while they came straggling up. Apparently it was so crowded that at one point they had to wait thirty minutes to get through a narrow passage through the rocks. All of us in the long way group felt relieved we had taken the way up we did. Eventually everyone had time to eat and we headed down. As we got half way it occurred to Michael and some others that no one had seen Mary who made it to the top but did not join the others for lunch and no one had seen Tim. Eric and Susanna K went back up to look for them while Michael, John Brandt and John Shannon waited. Others left. After an hour Tim and Mary materialized in fine shape and the day ended successfully.

Eric Bredo:
     17 stalwart hikers made the hike, including a fair clutch of old time PATCers like John Shannon, Marian Styles, Leon Gorman, Lindsay Brown, Michael, and yours truly, proving that we can all still get up a hill. We decided to "take" the mountain with a pincers movement, on the north, which was not only rocky, a bit wet and snowy, but full of Boy Scouts and others trying it for the first time. We ended up backed up quite a lot at the drip-down crevice but managed to get around them at the muscle-up ledge, while Michael's group cooled their heels waiting for us. Despite the crowds, the somewhat overcast day, and Michael's best effort to get his car deeply stuck in the mud, Old Rag performed it usual magic making us feel terrific and delighted with ourselves as well as with one another. We hope those who just joined us will be coming back for more PATC adventures in the future.