MRATC Activities and Information, Week of Aug. 30 – Sept. 5, 2020
MRATC TRAIL WORK
Wed., 9/2
We’ll be cutting blowdowns north of Barton Gap this week. Meet at 9:15 at Dickey Gap. If interested in participating, e-mail mratcinfo@gmail.com. Limit of 4 participants.
MRATC HIKES
If a club member wishes to lead a hike, reply to this email and it can be listed in the Sunday email and on the club’s website the week of the hike (www.mratc.org under the Sidebar, Current Week’s Information).
Friday group hikes.Contact Judith Foster 276 623 2408, jaf@centurylink.net for information. Also contact her if you would like to be dropped from her weekly hike email list.
Upcoming: ATC’s Volunteer Leadership Academy
The ATC will offer a series of workshops on Zoom, with video plus participant discussion, this fall that will be open to any interested members of AT clubs. In the Organization Management track, workshops will include leadership succession and how to run meetings. In the track that covers engaging new people will be workshops on diversity and volunteer retention. Register by Sept. 21st. For more information, follow the link below.
https://appalachiantrail.org/get-involved/volunteer/safety/training/volunteer-leadership-academy/
Current MRATC information is also posted on Facebook: Mt. Rogers Appalachian Trail Club (MRATC), on Twitter: twitter.com @Mt_rogersATC, and on Instagram.com: mountrogersATclub.
AT Community Update:
Three AT Communities recently hosted webinars about their trail communities. You can watch and listen to the videorecordings by pasting these links into your browser:
Roan Mountain: https://youtu.be/UeZXOZPtQaw
Unicoi: https://youtu.be/MpawM6TGwjY
Damascus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5VvZmg-tm4&t=7s
•The ATC has added Damascus and Abingdon to its Wild East website.
https://wildeast.appalachiantrail.org/explore/communities/damascus-va/
Abingdon has joined Damascus on the ATC's Wild East website with great photos. Take a look!
https://wildeast.appalachiantrail.org/explore/communities/abingdon-va/
Marion/Smyth County will be added. Eventually, all 50 AT communities will be featured on Wild East.
Damascus Trail Center update: August, 2020 - roofing has begun. Interior work scheduled for September. Expected completion date for the Center is late October, 2020.
TRAIL UPDATES
Grayson Highlands State Park reopened the Backpackers' pkg. lot on June 15th. Reservations required. https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/grayson-highlands-state-park/VA/140172/35528/campsite-booking
•As of 4-26-2019 bridge at Comers Creek Falls is closed - the Forest Service has closed the bridge on the AT at Comers Creek Falls due to safety concerns that include a crack in a support beam. The planned AT reroute on Comers Creek Rd. (Rte. 650) around the failing AT bridge at Comers Creek Falls was marked with signs and blaze posts on 9/18/2019 and will be the official route of the AT in that area until a new bridge is built.
Bears: In 2019, there were few reports of bears taking hikers' food, but they could come back to try to get food from hikers, especially if they are cooking. Hikers are urged to use the metal bearboxes for overnight food storage near Saunders Shelter, Lost Mtn. Shelter, Thomas Knob Shelter, near Rhododendron Gap, Wise Shelter, Old Orchard Shelter, the Scales, Hurricane Mtn. Shelter, and Trimpi Shelter.
Overmountain Shelter near Roan Mtn., TN has been found to be structurally unsound and has been closed.
Links for the Konnarock and Hardcore Crews Blog/Photo Album for May 2018 project on Wilburn Ridge:
Konnarock Crew and Hardcore Blog: http://konnarockcrew.blogspot.com/2018/06/week-3-may-18-22-2018_12.html
Photo album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/atconservancy/albums/72157668009655087
Konnarock Crew's work project photos - below is a link to Konnarock Crew's work project photos between Thomas Knob and Rhododendron Gap. Cut and paste to your browser window to view.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16DXCXHtT83N-wVYU0afwKBnZ51vIQ6Io
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