AT Hike to Bald Knob and Cole Mountain, May 1, 2021

 A group of six PATC members hiked from the Long Mountain Wayside on U.S. 60 north on the Appalachian Trail over Bald Knob to the summit of Cole Mountain.  Although five of the hikers had experienced the Cole Mountain summit before, one hiker, newcomer Aileen had never before experienced the incredible views.  The group's veteran hikers included Karen and John Ballen, Nancy Hanley, Margaret Helber, Gracie the Canine Hiking Machine (over 3200 lifetime trail miles), and hike leader Jeff Monroe.

The group hiked uphill with a troop from Richmond, training for Philmont, along with a couple of speedy thru-hikers.  Although the summit of Cole Mountain provided for a breezy and somewhat chilly lunch spot, the rest of the hike featured perfect weather.

After summiting Cole Mountain, the group retraced their steps on the Appalachian Trail to Cow Camp Gap, where they headed west on a blue blazed trail not found on many maps.  They took this trail to an intersection with an old woods road, which they followed south to Forest Road 520, which took the group back to the Long Mountain Wayside.

Total distance: 10.5 miles

Total Ascent: 3069 feet

Total hike time: 6:07 (moving time: 4:44)

A great time was had by all!  Photos below courtesy of Margaret.  

Water Bar Restoration at Browns Gap - SNP - Sunday, April 18, 2021

 

Seven volunteers came out to do water bar restoration on the Appalachian Trail at Browns Gap in Shenandoah National Park on Sunday, April 18.  Marit Anderson and Mark Perschel headed up the project in coordination with trail overseer, Jill Byrd, although she was not able to attend the work day due to other commitments.  Ranger Leah Cawthorn from the Appalachian Conservation Corps joined the group for the day and other volunteers included Joe Simard, Anna Castle, Margaret Helber, and Jeanne Siler. The team met up 9 am, discussed tool safety, divided into pairs, and collected McLeods, pick mattocks, and loppers. All participants had received their Covid vaccinations, so that was a plus. Mark guided the group up the trail to review water bar reconstruction.  Then the teams got to work!  Twenty water bars were restored throughout the day, as well as rocks realigned on the old CCC walls along the trail. Lunch was enjoyed at noon near the Browns Gap Fire Road with chocolate chip cookies and Dove chocolates for dessert. The volunteers continued the trail maintenance until 2 pm, then cleaned tools and helmets. It was labor intensive work, but all were pleased with the results as we accomplished the goal of restoring 20 water bars, as well as mitigating some other drainage areas.  Ranger Leah handed out stainless steel Shenandoah National Park Volunteer cups and we all exchanged good-byes.  We had been out on a beautiful day, giving back to the trails we love.  Many day hikers and thru hikers walked by and thanked us and that made our efforts even sweeter. 

submitted by Marit Anderson

Women's Trail Maintenance Day- AT from Loft Mt - SNP -April 17, 2021

 

Charlottesville PATC and Wild East Women (affinity group for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) held a women's trail maintenance work day on Saturday, April 17 on the Appalachian Trail from Loft Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. The focus of the day was to help Lisa and Molly Swales, mother/daughter trail overseers, on the southern section of their trail.  Marit Anderson was the leader for the project and Ranger Leah Cawthorn from the Appalachian Conservancy Corps assisted the group for the day. Participants included Jeanne Ralston, Dianne Anderson, Meghan Cloud, Nancy Handley, Linda Beights, and Lisa & Molly.  We met at 9 am on this cool Saturday morning at Loft Mountain Wayside, had a safety talk, discussed Covid protocol, geared up with loppers and a few McLeods, and hiked up to the AT and then another mile to the section needing vegetation cut-back and some water bar maintenance.  The group broke up into two teams when we got to the waterfall area and proceeded to work two hours until lunch. Everyone got a chance to clear a water bar, learning the correct way to bring the washed out material back onto the trail on the backside of the waterbar.  We had a lovely lunch along Ivy Creek and the waterfall.  After lunch we continued cutting back vegetation and then leisurely hiked back to the parking lot, stopping to admire the many wildflowers including corydalis, cutleaf toothwort, bellflower, star chickweed, bloodroot and more. Back at the parking lot we cleaned and returned tools, helmets, and other borrowed gear. Ranger Leah gave everyone a token stainless steel SNP Volunteer cup for their service. Quite nice!😊 Thank you to all the ladies for volunteering in the Shenandoah National Park....it was a great day to spend on the first day of National Parks Week!

Cloud with a McLeod!

submitted by Marit Anderson

Trail Building at Wildrock Nature Play and Discovery Center - March 25, 2021

Four PATC members met up at Wildrock Nature Play and Discovery Center in Albemarle County on Thursday, March 25 to help Land Steward, Kyle Crawford, with a trail building project.  Despite a few participant cancellations, the small group was able to complete the entire project in the time span from 9:00am -2:00 pm. Marit Anderson and Mark Perschel were the trail project leaders and were joined by hardworking Mark Walkup and Dianne Anderson.  Dianne and Marit cleared debris from the flagged route and cut small saplings, pricklers, and vines as they moved up the area.  Next, Mark W. cut larger trees and stumps out of the path.  Last came Mark P. guiding a bush hog mower shredding leaves and other vegetation to complete the trail clearing.  Dianne also took a turn pushing the bush hog. 

The path was made to connect to the existing Discovery Loop and creates a link to a beautiful stream and waterfall overlook. Lunch was spent at the pavilion area with a nice view of the Ladybird Farm feature and the nature play area.  The day was overcast, but we were lucky to have no rain throughout the day. All were pleased with the final results and we enjoyed each others company - catching up after a long time apart due to Covid 19.  Social distancing and other protocol were followed.  Future projects at Wildrock to remove invasive plants and build more trails will be planned for the summer and autumn.  It is a beautiful resource for children, families, and school groups. Check it out -it is next to Patricia Byrom Forest Preserve along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but call to make a reservation first. 😊

submitted by Marit Anderson

Sinclair Hollow Work Hike, March 14, 2021

On Sunday, March 14, 2021, members of the Charlottesville Chapter met members of the Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter to work on the Sinclair Hollow Trail, located in the North River Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest. The group parked within several hundred yards of the West Virginia border.

This is not a trail that is easy to reach. The trail climbs the western ridge of Shenandoah Mountain and accesses parts of the George Washington National Forest on the western edge of Ramsey's Draft Wilderness Area. This point is a long round trip from any trailhead, as shown below:

The highest point of the Sinclair Hollow Trail meets the Shenandoah Mountain Trail at a point that is (each way):

• 4.3 trail miles from FS 95 to the north via the Shenandoah Mountain Trail.
• 4.8 miles from Camp Todd and FS 95 to the east via the Wild Oak Trail, the Hiner Springs Trail, the Ramsey's Draft Trail, and the Shenandoah Mountain Trail.
• 7.0 miles from the Confederate Breastworks on U.S. 250 to the south via the Shenandoah Mountain Trail.

And, this is the easiest part of the Sinclair Hollow Trail to access!  The road access on the western edge was impassible as of the date we worked on this trail, due to muddy conditions and a possible abandoned pickup truck in the road.

It is understandable that this trail had not been maintained in many years, and the group hiked in to begin rehabilitating it.  There was a good sized group of trail workers, and the group leaders hope to make it back out later in the year to continue this rehabilitation project.

The Charlottesville participants included Nancy Handley, Barbara Martin, Margaret Helber, first timer Bill Shobe, and hike/event leader Jeff Monroe.  The SSVC crew was managed by Lynn and Malcolm Cameron.  Thanks to Margaret Helber for many of the photos shown here.