Sara learned to split firewood.

Shenandoah National Park, July 16 – 17, 2022 — Some Hoodlums work weekends are more fun than others.  This one was a blast.

On Saturday we cut firewood for our annual trail maintenance workshop and for use at Indian Run maintenance hut where the Hoodlumns and north district trail maintainers stay when they are going to be out for more than one day.  On Sunday Caroline and I weeded our AT section.

(Call sign) Ridgerunner Two, Sara, met me at a trailhead near where she had camped for the night.  In the cool of the early light I offered the best treat I could think to bring – fresh Apple House doughnuts with hot coffee to sooth ever present craving for a certain flavor doughnut.

We then lumbered down Skyline Dr. to rendezvous with a group of Hoodlums at the Dickey Ridge picnic area.  After everyone arrived, we split into two groups with one working in the area while a third broke for the Indian Run maintenance hut to weed the lawn and access road, and to cut the aforementioned firewood. A third work party met at the Piney Ridge ranger station to work on the AT between Rattlesnake Point and Elk Wallow.

The question was where to find a sufficient amount of wood.  Part of the answer was on the AT itself where it is on a fire road near the intersection with the Dickey Ridge trail.

We remembered a blowdown that Caroline and I bucked last October.  There are cords worth of wood in that honker, two pick up loads to be exact.  The rest we picked off fire road from Compton parking to the Dickey Ridge/hut access road intersection.

Team effort. 

The wood is left unsplit to deter impromptu fires.  The small wood is locked in the hut.

The Hoodlums gathered for their traditional pot luck at the end of the work day. 

Following the picnic, Sara, Caroline and I retreated to Indian Run for the evening. 

Let’s just say there was a learning curve in the splitting business.

Caroline and I modeling our dorky Z 87+ safety glasses after we finished weeding the AT section on Compton that we co-maintain.  Note the vegetable matter on my glasses – and I was sporting a wire shield on my helmet.  Let’s just say that it was hot enough for us to stew in our own sweat.

Sisu