Week 4: May 26-30, 2018

Crew 1: Highcock Knob Relocation

working with Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club

click here for the full photo album


It's May 26th, 2018 and Crew 1 is up in Natural Bridge, VA to work on finishing a relocation project on Highcock Knob. There was a small crew this week but that didn't hinder our accomplishments. The 5 volunteers, plus Jerry and I, were prepared for rain and thunderstorms for this week of work. We got to Petites Gap off the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday to hike in tools and to try to get a few hours work in for our first day. I need to at least mention: The drive along the parkway had some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen!

The hike up to the work site was about 1.5 miles and uphill...a great way to get the heart rate up on the first day. We hiked in our tools and walked our volunteers through the project and what work we hoped to get done this week, as we heard thunder in the distance. Our main priorities were to finish two rock staircases. We looked up the weather, saw the radar, and as the rain started and thunder got closer we decided it best to call it a day and get into the work tomorrow.

Every day this week we worked alongside some amazing Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club volunteers who have been working on the trail for years now. They worked hard on rock steps, and lots of rock crib wall to create a beautiful sustainable trail.

Sunday evening, the folks from NBATC had a cookout for us at our campsite. Jason, the trail supervisor for NBATC, brought his grill and all kinds of delicious and refreshing treats for us. The dinner was tasty and very much enjoyed and appreciated by the crew! Thank you NBATC!

Watson's Pond was our campsite location, and what a beautiful spot! Although there wasn't much sun, the view of the pond was very pretty with the lush green trees reflecting off of it. We were able to enjoy one fire during the week which was cozy and kept the bugs at bay.

Monday was a different day than expected, as one of our volunteers was having some negative affects from bug bites and we decided it best we go check it out at the local hospital. Jerry and the rest of the crew went out to work while I took a crew member to the ER. Turned out we made the right choice in having the bites checked out--she got the medication needed and we were on our way. We cooked dinner for the crew so it was ready around the time they arrived back to camp after a full work day.

That night was my favorite night because after dinner we decided to play Werewolf. A couple people had never played which was exciting to share with them. We played multiple rounds, laughed a bunch and had a blast.

The next morning Jerry cooked up a big breakfast of his famous grits with eggs, country ham and bacon! Mmm mmm delicious! We had one final rockin' work day, getting as much work done as we could. This group of volunteers were fun, tough, hard working individuals and we were able to get done what we wanted and then some! We finished the staircases and a bunch of new rock crib wall between them. The staircases look great and we were very happy with the trail work we were able to get done this week.

We have two more weeks at Highcock Knob this summer. Then we plan on opening this new relocation for the Appalachian Trail!!

Thank you to each of our volunteers this week and the NBATC folks for coming out and putting in some great work! The trail is looking awesome!

Crew 1- Hoo-yah!!!!!

--Julia Smith, Assistant Crew Leader

Week 3: May 18-22, 2018

Crew 1 and Hard Core: Wilburn Ridge Rehab

working with Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club, ALDHA, and Damascus Hard Core volunteers

click here for the full photo album

Week 3 for crew 1 was full of alumni, thru hikers, rocks, rain, and lots of success!

This week was a little different from the "normal crew week" as the crew consisted of seasoned trail maintainers who have been coming to Konnarock for years. I learned a lot from these guys and appreciated their enthusiasm for the trail and the work. They were also gathered here to lead mini teams of thru-hikers on trail maintenance at Grayson Highlands for what is called HARD CORE.

This event, organized by the MRATC (Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club) and ATC with some funding from ALDHA, is a chance for thru-hikers to give back and volunteer to work on the trail for a few days. The annual "Trail Days" festival in Damascus is where thru-hikers are able to sign up and get involved. We had 9 different sections with seasoned Konnarock alumni volunteers Billy, Handlebar, Ted, Boy-Howdy, and Doug leading a group of volunteers each. ATC's Andrew Downs, Josh Kloehn and Kathryn Herndon-Powell came out to help, as well as Jim Chambers with ALDHA.

We had a great turnout of about 39 volunteers (some new, some returning) for the 2 HARD CORE days and we were able to accomplish some great trail work in 1 and 1/2 days. The 2nd day was called short because of thunderstorms and rain. Rock steps, drains, crib walls, and waterbars were all created in those days. We had gravel, provided by the Forest Service, to use for setting steps, waterbars, and raising the tread at wet spots. Everyone who carried even one bucket of gravel up the hill, deserves an extra "thank you!" That was no walk in the park and there was a lot of gravel needed for the work that got accomplished!

Before the fun of HARD CORE, Crew 1 (HOO-YAH), went up to the high country to work on the trail in the mud and rain for 2 days. We built rock steps, a rock crib wall, and improved a lot of drainage issues on the trail. This week was also a different week because we all decided it was worth the extra drive time to come back to base camp each night instead of camping, as the weather was so unpleasant. It was appreciated and enjoyed by all--the chance to wash muddy, wet clothes, a hot shower and a huge kitchen to cook big meals for breakfast and dinner. 

The last work day of the crew week, we went back up to the high country to put some final touches on the trail before getting back to base camp for clean-up and the end of week celebration. We added a few more rock steps, laid more gravel for setting steps and for creating a more desirable tread surface. We had our final lunch looking out at the amazing view the high country can offer,  and walked through all the finished work with smiles on our faces.

Jerry's final count of the work that got done by all:
69 rock steps
45 cubic feet of rock cribbing
100 cubic feet of junk cribbing
135 cubic feet of crush & fill
140 ft of drainage ditch
2 rock waterbars
6 stepping stones
1 rock culvert
10 grade drips
27 ft of causeway
85 square feet of scree
and a total of 1150 ft length of trail redefined and maintained!!! HOOYAH! That is fantastic!

HARD CORE was a wild success with many people working hard to make it a successful few days. Thru-hikers were able to give back, learn some trail building skills and gain some appreciation for what has gone into the trail they experience, which is what HARD CORE is all about. 

Thank you to all the clubs, volunteers, leaders, thru-hikers and alumni for coming out and joining the cause!

--Julia Smith, Assistant Crew Leader