Crew 1: Sinking Creek Mountain Relocation
working with Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club
click here for the complete photo album
Hey everybody and welcome to a little recap of week 8 with Crew 1 (Hoo-Yah!) back from Sinking Creek Mountain! We had yet another amazing week full of fun, laughter, sweat, and great trail building. It was a very eventful week and it was nice to come back to camp to share our stories and enjoy a 4th of July party with Crew 2 and the rest of the Konnarock family.
We had a crew of 5 awesome volunteers this week, Gordon, Kathie, DeeDee, Clark and Sandy. We were joined throughout the week by a multi-week volunteer, Simon, volunteers from the RATC (Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club), and ATC's Josh Kloehn, so we were able to get some solid work done in spite of hot and humid weather conditions.
Morning of day one, we packed up our gear and drove away from the Konnarock base camp full and happy from a hearty and delicious pancake breakfast, ready to take on a new week of trail crew.
About 2 hours later we found ourselves at the trailhead, stretched, inspired by new jokes and words of wisdom, ready to hike up the mountain to get a half day of work in. A shout out to second year volunteer, DeeDee, who took some weight off my pack and carried my water bottles up so I could carry the rock drill! Teamwork makes the dream work!
Right off the bat, Crew 1 jumped right into the work, getting a great deal of work done in a half a day. We separated into two groups with one squad working on a long retaining wall and some rock steps while the other worked on a crib wall and created a trail through a rock field. I feel fortunate to work on the Sinking Creek project and I think the volunteers do as well because of the unique work we're doing and the tools we get to use in the process.
Gordon, our newest volunteer this week, earned his K-rock T-shirt doing a bunch of rock drilling and persevered through some frustrating hammer drilling for 2 days straight! A very large rock that had not been weathered at all, right in the middle of the boulder field where the trail is to go through, needed to be chiseled away and it really did take a lot of patience, time and sweat. Thanks to Jim Webb from RATC who also worked tirelessly on that rock.
Returning to Joe's Trees that evening, volunteers set up their tents and we had our first very hot evening with the sun beating down on our kitchen porch as we ate dinner. We fell asleep to distant sounds of dogs barking and early 4th of July fireworks.
On the hike in the next morning I found myself walking amongst a huge herd of cows who wanted to enjoy the trail as well. Once we got to the project site, the work commenced with two groups again working on their separate projects. Rock drilling, crushing rock, building a better trail out in the woods, where else would you rather be?
DeeDee was hesitant to try using the rock drill but gave it a try to split a big rock to get it out of the way and also use it for crib wall to hold the trail in. After holes were drilled, feathers and wedges were used to split the rock all the way through. She did a great job and was happy to have finally used the drill!
Sandy, Clark and Kathie worked diligently on their project down below. Every time I would go check out how the work was going and take a few photos, I was amazed by their progress. They did a really great job on the crib wall and the rock steps there.
The next work day was another hot day of rock work. Both groups continued giving back to the trail, working hard to get the projects completed. We were joined by some RATC members who also wanted to lend a hand and help get this relocation done. Thanks for coming out and working with us!
Our last full work day we had one group continue the work through the boulder field and the rest of us headed down to the highline that was set up Week 7 to move ("fly") more rocks down to the steep section of trail we will be building steps on next week.
Josh and I went shopping around the field of rocks for potential steps while Kathie and Clark split rocks that were slightly too big to fly with the drill, feathers, and wedges. And by "fly" I mean putting a rock in a sling, attaching it the highline, wenching it up in the air with a griphoist, then sending it down the line to where we will be building steps, about 150 ft away.
The work came to a close for the week and we walked away from Sinking Creek, sweaty, proud, and ready for a much deserved treat that followed the next day. We had some issues with the van this week and had to jump it every single time it needed to be used. One day we got to ask some locals for their support in helping us get the van jumped to return to Joe's Trees for dinner. After a few tries we were finally helped by a local guy who was more than happy to help and show us the snake that was in the back of his pick-up.
The following day, the 4th of July, we cleaned up at Joe's Trees, and honored America with the singing of the National Anthem in front of the flag. Then we made some fun stops to Woods Hole Hostel, Dismal Falls and then Moon Dog Brick Oven for some pizza. Woods Hole is described as the "Latte over the coffee" type of hostel experience and I will say that I would stay there in a second. A labor of love that creates a very unique communal experience for hikers, and visitors alike. A beautiful place and somewhere you should stay if you are hiking the AT!
Dismal Falls was so nice and refreshing, I never wanted to leave.
We returned home to base camp, cleaned up from the week and enjoyed a very nice 4th of July grill out/dinner celebration to end on a high note. It was truly a very very great week and I can't thank the volunteers enough for coming out and putting every ounce of energy into making this trail. Awesome trail building, stories, laughs, meals, fellowship and celebration. Thank you to the folks at RATC for your support and your work out there this week. We return to Sinking Creek for 2 more weeks to try to finish up this relocation and get it opened up for the hikers.
Crew 1--HOO-YAH!
--Julia Smith, Assistant Crew Leader
Gordon, our newest volunteer this week, earned his K-rock T-shirt doing a bunch of rock drilling and persevered through some frustrating hammer drilling for 2 days straight! A very large rock that had not been weathered at all, right in the middle of the boulder field where the trail is to go through, needed to be chiseled away and it really did take a lot of patience, time and sweat. Thanks to Jim Webb from RATC who also worked tirelessly on that rock. 
On the hike in the next morning I found myself walking amongst a huge herd of cows who wanted to enjoy the trail as well. Once we got to the project site, the work commenced with two groups again working on their separate projects. Rock drilling, crushing rock, building a better trail out in the woods, where else would you rather be? 
The next work day was another hot day of rock work. Both groups continued giving back to the trail, working hard to get the projects completed. We were joined by some RATC members who also wanted to lend a hand and help get this relocation done. Thanks for coming out and working with us!
We returned home to base camp, cleaned up from the week and enjoyed a very nice 4th of July grill out/dinner celebration to end on a high note. It was truly a very very great week and I can't thank the volunteers enough for coming out and putting every ounce of energy into making this trail. Awesome trail building, stories, laughs, meals, fellowship and celebration. Thank you to the folks at RATC for your support and your work out there this week. We return to Sinking Creek for 2 more weeks to try to finish up this relocation and get it opened up for the hikers. 
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