THE BLAZE

Newsletter of the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club 

Summer 2025

MRATC Summer 2025 Newsletter.pdf

MRATC RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES REPORT:  Summer 2025

   Multiple hikes were sponsored by the club during the spring quarter, including hikes on the Iron Mountain, Appalachian and Virginia Creeper Trails; at Pinnacle Natural Reserve Area; at Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area; and at Grindstone Campgrounds Whispering Waters Trail via the Mount Rogers Trail. In addition to recreational hikes, Carol Broderson led some rare plant hikes. Thanks to volunteers leading hikes: Donna Barkley, Carol Broderson, Carol Keene, Felicia Mitchell, Sharon Trumbley, and Jim Warden. Hikers at Grindstone enjoyed a trek that included both spring ephemerals and some spontaneous trail work by members with tools at the ready.  

   A rare plant hike on the AT on Lost Mountain shows just how much destruction there was (See if you can spot Carol at the lower left).  It is heartening now to get out on the AT and see the fruits of the labor of those who have helped the trail address the impact of Hurricane Helene. Felicia is looking forward to fall hike planning and invites potential hike leaders to daydream about beautiful autumn walks, especially those including and/or connecting to the Appalachian Trail.  - Felicia Mitchell 

TRAILS REPORT

  Our post Helene work continued this spring and at this point only a few miles of the MRATC section still exhibit substantial damage from the storm, though the forest along the trail often tells a dramatically different story and will for many years to come.  On top of the remaining storm damage, we have seen many new blowdowns appear in areas that were previously cleared either by professional sawyer crews or the club.  While there are a few places where the trail is still rerouted around damage, in the vast majority of cases the trail has been restored to its pre-storm path. We continued to have strong interest and participation from groups outside our area.  In March we hosted energetic students from the Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech (OCVT) during their spring break for four days of hard work and immediately after Trail Days worked with a group of vendor representatives from Osprey and Nemo.  Thanks to all who have participated! The new Fox Creek bridge was opened this spring representing a great improvement over the old aging bridge and a new ladder was installed in the Creek Junction area where a 20' wide chasm has been created by storm runoff.   - Doug Levin

NATURAL RESOURCES REPORT

     Felicia Mitchell took this picture of a painted trillium on our first wildflower outing at Grindstone Campground. Carol Keene reported seeing hundreds on a Cross Mountain hike. Trilliums are divided into two groups: wake robins (pedicellate trilliums), where the flower rises above the three leaves on a stem; or toadshades, if the flower rests directly on the leaves (sessile trilliums). Between the two kinds, there are over 30 species in the Appalachian mountains. Ten of these species are in Virginia, but red trillium and painted trillium, both wake robins, are the most common. This spring we monitored a very prolific Carolina saxifrage growing on the cliff on the side of SR 728 at Creek Junction. There are many saxifrages. We often see early saxifrage on rocks and lettuce leaf saxifrage in wet places. We had to make sure that Carolina wasn’t cliff saxifrage, but distinguishing it from Carey’s saxifrage would require lab work. Since Carey has only been found in one location in Tennessee, we’re sure our hundreds of Carolina saxifrage have been correctly identified. We’ve had five rare plant outings so far, and there will be more in the months ahead. If you would like to help out, contact Carol at mtrogersatc@gmail.com and we’ll find a time that fits your schedule. Thanks to all the monitors who help: Felicia, Anne, Sharon, Jim, Jenny, Marywood, and a new helper, Karen McCormick, who is going to try and identify rare grasses and sedges that have been elusive so far. And a special thanks to Felicia, for all the great photography and technical help.   - Carol Broderson

SPRING PARTNERSHIP MEETING REPORT 

   The Spring Partnership meeting was held March 21- 23 in Blowing Rock, NC.  In attendance were ATC trail clubs from Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  Senior management from the ATC as well as the NFS were also in attendance.  A considerable part of the meeting was devoted to the efforts to open and restore the trail corridor after Hurricane Helene.  The clubs that were most affected, including the MRATC, were presented a small wooden plaque from the ATC to show its appreciation and recognize the effort put forth by these clubs during the post-Helene clean up.  The ATC Director of Federal Policy spoke about the centennial recognition work and using this opportunity to educate lawmakers in Washington about the Appalachian Trail and how it functions under the cooperative management system utilizing the National Park Service/ ATC, the National Forest Service, various state agencies and the AT trail-maintaining clubs.  Lawmakers need to understand the critical role each of these entities contribute to functioning of the AT.  He noted that if you are disturbed by the cuts that have been enacted or proposed, reach out directly to your local representatives.  In the fall, the sale of Virginia AT license plates will net the Virginia ATC approximately $102 thousand dollars.  You may recall that some of these funds in the past have been used in the past to extend our Ridge Runner season well into the fall.  Grants are available this year to clubs that have a need for some of this pool of money.  There is concern about post-Helene invasive species emerging in areas where damage has occurred, especially in areas of rare plant populations.  The ATC has already identified incoming invasive species and is putting in place plans to try and stop their spread.  The ATC VP of Trail Management talked about the ongoing efforts of the ATC to not only secure the ATC trail corridor by land acquisition, but to acquire or put into land trust many of the notable view-scapes that are enjoyed while on the AT.  This will prevent development activities and protect the enjoyment of the natural scenery on the AT.  To date, well over 90% of the trail corridor is secured and under ownership or control of the ATC. There will be an active Konnarock Crew slate of projects this summer. If you are interested in participating, please contact Jerry Kyle, Regional Manager High Country.  Details can be found on the MRATC website.  - Frank White

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

     If you aren’t a Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club member, and are considering joining us, here are some advantages: you will receive our weekly Sunday email telling you about club events that week, also by email you will receive our quarterly newsletter, the Blaze, and you will be contributing to a good cause. The cost for annual membership is just $10 for an individual or $15 for a family, and for a lifetime membership it is $100. To join, just go to our website, Mt. Rogers AT Club / Membership, and either print off the application and mail it in or join using PayPal. You can also email our membership address, mratcmemb@gmail.com, for more information.  - Sharon Trumbley

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