MRATC Activities and Information, Week of Feb. 7 – 13, 2021

MRATC TRAIL WORK

Our regular trail work season has ended, as of the end of November. We will go out only if there is a problem that needs attention and will resume regular trail maintenance in March.

MRATC HIKES

MRATC is not scheduling and publicizing group hikes in advance, due to COVID, but 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). The ATC recommends keeping group size small and not carpooling.

The Friday hiking group is not holding group hikes right now, due to the COVID surge.

MRATC MEETINGS

The next MRATC meeting will be the Annual Membership Meeting on Sat., Feb. 27^th at 7 p.m., when we will go over plans for the upcoming year and vote on the slate of club officers. The Annual Meeting will be held on Zoom. Login information and an agenda will be sent out to club members in a Sunday email about two weeks before the meeting.

RIDGERUNNER:  The Mt. Rogers area ATC Ridgerunner for 2021 (expected dates from April 15 to Sept. 14) will be Jim Baum, who has experience from the Tye River area.

Guthook App Gift to A.T. Volunteers: Our friends at Atlas Guides (who produce the Guthook mobile phone application for the A.T.) are at it again! Committed stewards of the A.T. can receive Guthook, Appalachian Trail maps free of charge. Eligible volunteers are individuals who typically volunteer at least an equivalent of 4-days (~20 hours) on the A.T. (exceptions made for COVID impacts in 2020). Those who signed up and received a Guthook AT map last year already get the updates and don’t need to apply again. This year’s application for free maps has a deadline of February 21, 2020. Note to applicants: You must already have downloaded the Guthook app on your phone or device to qualify. No refunds are available for purchased maps. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzpPlX2AZml0X88S6b1Lvf0tYrV2MKoefuVVaoS1wlcQebGA/viewform

Special Training Event for A.T. Volunteers: Effective Communication of Leave No Trace to Visitors is a skill that can create endless positive impacts for the A.T. and your future work! Join a special event by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and fellow A.T. volunteers on Thursday, March 4 from 6-8 p.m. for an interactive, online training event. Learn more and register.  

https://volunteer.appalachiantrail.org/s/atc-project-details?c__recId=a0q1U000005AxCU

Off-road vehicles on Whitetop Mtn. The ATC and MRNRA have reports of off-road vehicle activity on Whitetop Mtn. If you are hiking there and see such activity, report the day and time you saw it to the MRNRA during business hours:  276-783-5196.

Grayson Highlands St. Park and adjacent area map (Avenza maps app) free download available:  https://www.avenzamaps.com/maps/1204147/grayson-highlands-state-park.

Virginia AT license plates:  $15 of the $25 annual fee goes to the ATC VA Regional Office to support the AT – including the new Damascus Trail Center. If you would like to order one, go to this section of the DMV website:

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#splates/category.asp?category=S 

Outstanding AT hike videos: A member of the Tidewater AT Club who knows a couple who are section hiking and have made and posted a series of videos, passed along the notice of the You Tube posting, so we all can enjoy them. They are wonderful videos! Go to You Tube and search for “Campfire Confidential” to select a few to watch.

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 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

•Visit the ATC's website for information and hikes in AT Communities up and down the AT, listed by state.

In our area, the AT Communities are Damascus, Abingdon, and Marion/Smyth County. 

https://appalachiantrail.org/explore/communities

TRAIL UPDATES

Grayson Highlands State Park Backpackers' pkg. lot reservations:https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/grayson-highlands-state-park/VA/140172/35528/campsite-booking

•The 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 AT reroute on Comers Creek Rd. (Rte. 650) around the failing AT bridge at Comers Creek Falls was marked with signs and blaze posts and will be the official route of the AT in that area until a new bridge is built. 

Bears:  In 2019 and 2020, there were fewer reports of bears taking hikers' food than in 2018, but bears 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. 

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