Treemegedon!

January 22, 2022January 24, 2022 / jim fetig / 5 Comments

Prince William Forest National Park, VA, January 2022 — The mid-Atlantic experiences a wide range of weather. The the spring flowers are spectacular, summers are hot and humid, the autumns colorful, and the winters – well let me tell you.

The National Capitol Region winters are really mild until they aren’t. Remember those icy presidential inaugurations?

About every fifth year or so the snow gods like to play around with us. They want to find out how much heavy, wet snow we can take. As I remind them, nobody is actually from around here. We come from cold hard places named Buffalo, Missoula, Bangor, Fairbanks, Leadville, Minneapolis and the grand daddy of them all, International Falls. We know how to sharpen our snow shovels and win the fight.

Sadly the trees are from around here. They’re not so tough. Wind, ice and heavy wet snow play hell with the soft and brittle ones. The rocky soil and shallow roots don’t help the cause.

Recently we experienced a classic nor’ easter, a storm fed by tropical waters that rolls up the Blue Ridge carpet bombing havoc all along the trace of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. In this case, it slid a little to the east missing the AT for the most part. It did clobber a neat little gem of a park just outside the Marine base at Quantico, VA.

Info on Prince William Forest Park

Thousands of trees are down or broken. Large limbs have been ripped from trunks. The hiking trails, which for trail runners are the best in the region, are impassable.

Cue Task Force Snowmegedon, an ad hoc collection of PATC chain sawyers who gathered from near and far to turn blowdowns into sawdust. We’ve been at it for the better part of two weeks with at least another week to go.

The ratio of tree crowns, sometimes called “rats nests” blocking the path, to the number of large tree trunks is rather large. Regardless, there are plenty of large trees blocking the trail.

These are live trees. They bind in ways unlike the dried out dead ones do. We’ve learned that pole saws are much safer to use as we wade into these rats nests. The stand off distance from branches that sometimes whip when their energy is released is a godsend.

This was the Mother of all Blowdowns for last week. It was complex and full of stored energy as the branches flexed in different directions when they fell.

Bind, or the way a tree is compressed, is sometimes difficult to read, even for the most experienced sawyers. The large branch that pinched and trapped this saw moved horizontally away from the sawyer. We unbolted the powerhead and made a vertical cut on the opposite side which released the pressure and the bar.

This video is worth watching to the end. It’s approximately three minutes long. The sawyer is National Park Service Ranger Mike Custodio, who is responsible for roads and trails in the park. He’s tackling this one because his saw is the only one long enough to take on the mammoth trunk. His objective is to get the trunk on the ground where it will be easier and safer to clear.

Mike knows how this tree is going to behave based on the size of the root ball and its angle. This is his plan of attack:

First Mike clears two saplings on the far side of the trunk to ensure the nose of his saw doesn’t hit them and dangerously kick back.

Second he makes a large pie cut on top of the trunk to allow room for the tree’s eventual behavior.

Third Mike makes an undercut to prevent a “barber chair” split when the trunk is cut through.

Fourth, Mike is very cautious as he makes his reverse keystone cut to allow the tree to behave without binding. This tree is going to release a lot of energy and he wants to live to tell the tale.

Fifth, watch all of the video. There is a surprise ending. No spoiler alerts.

Lunchtime planning session.

Lunch on various days.

Another one bites the dust.

Our newest sawyer scores a KO!

Part of the park visitors don’t see.

Instructor/evaluator sawyer, Robert Fina’s master class.

We’ll be back again next week.

Sisu

Last of the old year. First of the new.

January 2, 2022 / jim fetig / 7 Comments

Shenandoah National Park, December 28, 2021 and January 1, 2022 — PATC’s newest certified sawyer had a brand new Stihl electric chainsaw that was burning a hole in the bed of his pick’em up truck. The park had blowdowns to give. What a coincidence.

The rain stopped right on time for a First Day Hike a couple of days later. Shenandoah is truly the magical “The daughter of the stars.”

Dan Hippe is a recently retired geologist who spent the summer banging around with the Hoodlums and taking on trail maintenance projects. His energy and enthusiasm earned him a seat in the park’s newest chainsaw certification course we just finished.

Last Wednesday we met at the Thornton Gap entrance to pick up a park radio and chase a few blowdowns that had been languishing on the AT and side trails. His electric Stihl was up to snuff. I scratched together a short video using an iMovie template rather than post 50 photos of our escapade.

This year’s First Day Hike was the Gang of 4 minus three plus Jessica Say, one of our newest maintainers. We originally planned to start at 10 a.m., but the rain gods forced a two-hour delay. We quickly scrambled up North Marshall for what turned out to be a much better view than the expected fog.

Along the way we camouflaged some non-compliant campsites and broke up an illegal fire ring. Campsites must be 60 ft. from the trail. Most are within 10 ft.

Eventually the sun poked its head through the cotton candy clouds.

We had a relaxing walk before the long drive back to reality.

Happy New Year everyone!

Sisu

The Great Blowdown Hunt

October 9, 2021October 9, 2021 / jim fetig / 4 Comments

The Appalachian Trail in Virginia, September 25 – October 7, 2021 — What was intended to be a simple hike to help deflate the COVID spare tire around my waist became something different and an obsessive blowdown quest after a windstorm littered the trail with downed trees.

Our last blog mentioned that I dropped my young friend Chrissy off at a trailhead in Central Virginia. The plan was to join her at the southern boundary of Shenandoah National Park and hike to Harpers Ferry. There we’d decide whether to hike on into Pennsylvania.

Few plans survive contact with reality. Chrissy was half way through the park before I could catch up. That left 102 miles to Harpers Ferry, decent but far short of the 160 – 240 for which I’d hoped.

My wife dropped me off at the Big Meadow wayside (restaurant) around noon. We grabbed lunch and hoofed it north to the Rock Spring shelter for the night. At some point a passing weather front generated a pretty good blow. Our tents popped in the wind and it was noticeably cooler in the morning. We didn’t think much of it.

Not long after pushing off for our second day, we started finding trees down across the trail. The count reached more than 60 before we reached Harpers Ferry. In my experience, that’s a significant number for that kind of (relatively mild) windstorm.

Like a rumpled old throw rug, the AT is infamous for its rocky tread. A few blowdowns here and there only add a few wrinkles for the most part. By the time we were done, the blowdowns had become an obsession a trail maintainer could not resist.

Meanwhile, the blow continued during day two as we hiked on to Pass Mountain. There we encountered an insufferable chaos of southbound thru hikers who were loud and obnoxious.

We retired to the tenting area and ate a quiet dinner sitting on logs near our tents. Ironically, we were alone the next night at Gravel Spring. The silence was lovely.

Breakfast at Indian Run hut. At some point I learned Crissy’s 38th birthday was up-coming. My present was two fold. One was a stay at Indian Run where the public is not allowed, Hoodlums keep a supply of split firewood and we could have a nice fire with chairs upon which to set.

The other was arrange the timing so her birthday was spent at Mountain Home B&B owned by my friends Scott and Lisa. The main building is a fully restored anti-bellum mansion.

In the restoration process, Scott and Lisa learned that the “cabbin” used as a hiker hostel was formerly quarters for enslaved people and that one of the surviving original locks displays an African motif, evidence that it was most likely wrought be an enslaved person.

The next stop was the Bears Den Hostel. By this point, backpacking had become Glampacking. I dubbed Crissy the “Millennial Magellan.” We spent the last night at David Lesser shelter before my spouse shuttled us home from Harper’s Ferry.

Along the way we passed the 1,000 mile sign. At this point, northbounders have traveled 1,000 miles and southbounders hit triple digit mileage with under 1,000 miles to go. For them, it’s a big deal.

Chrissy HF Chrissy points out the length of her journey on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s relief map of the entire AT.

Phase one was over. Chrissy left for family activities in her native Western Pennsylvania. But what about the blowdowns?

Here’s a sample. I toted up the numbers for each AT district and forwarded the menu to each district manager whose job it is to keep the trail properly maintained. They will take care of their respective areas.

Me? I started obsessing about Shenandoah’s north district where I do the bulk of my volunteering.

As luck would have it, my friend of 25 years, Tina aka “Bulldog,” and fellow Gang of Four member reached out. The weather is improving and it’s time to crank up our monthly hikes.

She posted on Facebook, “We haven’t hung out for awhile, I said. Let’s go to lunch, I said. His retort, let’s go clear blowdowns on the AT. Sure, I said.”

You never miss an opportunity to recruit a swamper, especially one named Bulldog. Never!

I consulted with my district manager. What could we do in a day? Could we tackle a couple of lingering oldies in the process? Boom. We had a plan.

We got about half of the north district blowdowns. We’ll get the rest on the Hoodlum’s work trip next Saturday.

I love making sawdust!

Sisu

The page turns.

September 15, 2021September 15, 2021 / jim fetig / 5 Comments

2021 PATC Ridgeerunners absent Sara at the Blackburn Trail Center on Aug. 26. L to R: Witt Wisebram, me, Chris Bowley, Darrel Decker, Kaela Wilber, and Branden Laverdiere.

Shenandoah National Park (mostly) August 26 – September 14, 2021 — Come Labor Day the summer chapter in our trail story ends and the page turns toward autumn. The cast of characters is down to one.

When the five o’clock whistle announces the Labor Day weekend wind down, the clock runs out for five of our six ridgerunners. For them it’s time for next steps. Two have taken seasonal work with the mid-Atlantic AT boundary monitoring team. They check surveyor’s monuments to ensure that the bench marks and the witness trees are still there and search for encroachment on federal land. One headed for Vermont’s Long Trail and there bumped into the ridgerunner who had her job in 2016! Small world. Witt returns to endurance running.

Branden is the last man standing, at least until Halloween. Until then, he’ll patrol Maryland’s 42 miles during the week and spend weekends caretaking at Annapolis Rock.

This year’s team was particularly noteworthy for their dedication, teamwork, innovation, and extra effort. Everyone associated with them will miss their enthusiasm and presence.

Meanwhile a lot happened before the story ended.

Chris reported this rat’s nest on the AT in the middle of the north district.

I had time to kill while waiting for Chris to catch up and swamp for me. Sawyers are not allowed to saw without an assistant – to call 911 when we screw up. That gave me time to recon the blowdown and develop a plan of attack. Along the way I was saddened to discover that my favorite tree in the park had passed.

I first discovered it on a foggy walk in April 2013. Hikers spend more time looking down than up in order to keep from tripping on the ever present rocks and roots. In the fog that day, the old oak startled me looking very ominous, reminding me of the Whomping Willow in the Harry Potter series. I’ve loved it ever since. Soon we’ll be sawing up its bits and parts and nature and gravity slowly reclaim it.

Chris’s did a great job using his folding saw to clear as much as possible to make it easier for hikers to pass.

Chris acted as the swamper and moved most of the pieces out of the way.

The rest was a simple matter of converting gas to noise by chopping the thing up from left to right. Now it’s history. Elapsed time: 10 minutes thanks to the recon.

Is that it? No! There’s more.

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You stood tall next to the AT at Beahms Gap until you succumbed to the emerald ash borer. Now you’ve got to go. Since you can’t do it on your own, Mr. Stihl will help.

There’s a teaching point here. Note how the tree is lying across the trail. What you cannot see and neither could I is the tree’s crown. There was too much vegetation in the way. Here’s what happened:

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The part of the trunk on the left side of the photo should not be expected to rise. The tree was once very tall and the majority of its weight was across another blowdown parallel to the trail. That blowdown acted as a fulcrum allowing the trunk to rise when cut. Once in the air I could see clearly what happened.

This is not particularly dangerous. We are trained to watch for possibilities like this. Nevertheless, the day you think you’ve mastered the art of bucking blowdowns, you should think again.

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Another blowdown in the history books.

The next stop was dropping my friend Crissy at a central Virginia trailhead. She’s walking 500 miles before moving to Colorado to be with her father who is ill. I’ll join her in a couple of weeks to hike the last half.

You’d think there would be enough nature on the trails, but noooooo. Backyard buck is chowing down on the landscaping to build strength for the mating season. Note the cat in the chair.

While the deer was destroying the flowers, the guard cat could not care less.

Next steps: Tomorrow brings trail work with an all-woman Virginia Conservation Corps crew followed by the Hoodlums annual instructional workshop on trail maintenance.

Sisu

Shenandoah. At last!

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 / jim fetig / 2 Comments

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Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. May 27, 2020 — The park is open, sort of. Skyline Drive, the 105-mile-long ribbon of a road that curls along the crest of the Blue Ridge, is open for traffic.

With the exception of a small number of public restrooms, all other facilities are closed including campgrounds. The trails, except the most popular trails where social distance can’t be maintained, are welcoming footprints. The huts/shelters remain off limits for use.

This limited opening makes sense. Reports say the primary means of COVID-19 is respiratory droplets inhaled when people congregate in small spaces.

Imagine up to a dozen people sleeping in an AT shelter with one of them who arrives late in the evening, asymptomatic with corona virus, infecting those sleeping nearby. The same logic applies to crowded communal picnic tables and for visitor centers.

The good news is this. After nearly three months, volunteers may now return. For awhile I thought the most useless card in my wallet was my dormant Shenandoah volunteer pass.

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On Saturday the entry stations opened and we were turned on again. Fearing a Black Friday-like run on the park, most of us opted to pass on the weekend. I chose Wednesday to return because I was committed Monday and Tuesday, and heavy rains are forecast for Thursday, Friday and early Saturday, a day on which I am unavailable.

Saturday the Maryland ridgerunner and I will be pitching the caretaker tent and stringing the rain tarps at Annapolis Rock. It is always a more sane exercise in better weather. This annual ritual is two months late, delayed by the pandemic.

Back to the park.

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Ready to crank on a foggy day. The aggressive weeding of previous years has retarded the growth of jewel weed which is the bane of string trimmers. The width of the corridor is needed because certain briars can grow a foot per week and the width buys me time to return before the trail is impeded.

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Eight hours later.

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Just around the corner. When you’re running a string trimmer, your head is usually down. You’re wearing a helmet with face shield which further impedes vision. Then you look up.

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Black birch is easily dispatched with a folding saw.

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The aesthetics were amazing. Wild azalea blooming. The laurel will start soon.

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The tall grasses grow quickly. People often ask why we remove the weeds and make such a racket in the process. The answer is simple, Lyme Disease.

Animals use the hiking trails to get around just like people do. The mammals such as deer, bear, coyotes, squirrels, and rabbits pick up ticks which drop when engorged. Their babies instinctively crawl up on the vegetation to seek a host of their own.

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Remove the vector. Reduce Lyme disease risk. Mowing tall grass reminded me of harvesting wheat. Weeding is arguably the least enjoyable, but probably the most important task trail maintainers do.

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Just over the hill from the last photo.

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Trusty Silky Big Boy 2000 saw to the rescue. I thought about coming back dragging a chainsaw for this one, but for one, it would be a long carry for two minutes work – literally a long climb for a short slide.

Secondly, we’re going to attack a large blowdown at the bottom of Little Devils Stairs Sunday using a crosscut saw that is special because it once belonged to my grandfather. Not sure there would be enough time or energy left over when we’re done to climb half way up Compton Peak to make, honestly, thirty seconds worth of noise.

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I always check the campsite above the spring on Compton. It’s now official. The park trail crews have been defining its perimeter with logs to help contain the site and limit spreading.

People are inherently predictable. Anyone who has been a ridgerunner can tell you where you’re going to find the TP.

Speaking of ridgerunners, they were defunded in the park this year because thru hiking was discouraged and park gate receipts were dramatically down. Tuesday and Wednesday a fellow maintainer and I counted 14 thru hikers. The noobs are making a mess. Help!

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There’s a reason I always carry potty trowel. All told I buried two deposits this trip. As previously reported, there are more noobs in the woods now and it shows.

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Long day. Sweaty and tired. The COVID beard is coming along. String trimmers turn the weeds, which include poison ivy, into pesto. I’m coated with it. Time to get a shower.

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Spring in the park is awesome! Did I say I love this job?

Sisu

Govmint is shutdown. Now what?

January 8, 2019 / jim fetig / 11 Comments

My chainsaw weighs 11 lbs. including the hard plastic sheath on the bar. If you carry one far enough on your shoulder, it can rub you raw.

Home, January 8, 2019 — Part of the federal government is shutdown over a political dispute. I have strong views, but won’t share them here. This blog is about protecting and preserving hiking trails and related matters.

The 31 maintaining clubs that perform trail maintenance on the Appalachian Trail (AT) operate under agreement with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the nonprofit tasked by the NPS to manage the trail.

My club, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC), is responsible for maintaining most of the hiking trails in the Washington, D.C. region including 240 miles of the AT, 102 of which are in Shenandoah National Park.

The club’s activities in Shenandoah are sanctioned under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for maintenance activities and for managing rental cabins. We have a separate Cooperative Agreement to manage the ridgerunner program. These are legal documents that spell out the rules of the road for us and for the park.

One benefit of volunteering in the park is that we are covered under the Volunteers in Parks (VIP) program. There is a similar VIF program for national forests. Essentially we have workman’s comp coverage when engaged in officially sanctioned activities.

With the government shutdown, our VIP coverage is suspended. Accordingly, we aren’t allowed to volunteer. The last thing I would want is to get kicked out of the park and probably out of the club for doing something I’ve been officially asked not to do.

Hiking with my Kevlar safety chaps on backward.

Back to humping chainsaws. When you have to hike in a long way, some of us stuff our saws in old frame packs for easier carrying. The also make it easier to carry the safety gear, first aid kit, lunch, plus extra fuel and bar oil.

But, there are times when throwing the saw on your shoulder happens.

With little to do today, I decided to make a chainsaw pad out of leftover carpet pad from the recently installed carpet in the basement.

First I cut a hunk of spare pad to size.

Checking the fit.

Preparing to tape it together. The plastic vapor barrier side goes on the inside.

So far, so good.

After taping the seam, duct tape makes the outer layer.

Done.

It fits.

Windstorm Cleanup

March 13, 2018March 27, 2018 / jim fetig / 9 Comments

Shenandoah National Park, Sunday March 11, 2018 — About ten days ago a nor’easter ripped through the mid-Atlantic on its way to hammer New England. Large trees were snapped and uprooted like toothpicks, dragging down power lines as they crashed to earth. Widespread power outrages bloomed in the winter storm’s aftermath.

Our own electricity in the big city burbs was out for four days thanks to a big old tree that landed in the wrong place.

Soon word spread of massive blowdowns all along the Appalachian Trail, especially in Shenandoah National Park. What’s a dedicated trail maintainer gonna do except saddle up and ride toward the sound of cracking tree trunks?

This tree snapped near its base, and in the process, blocked a four-way trail junction. Bucking this 20-inch tree was an interesting puzzle requiring careful attention to safety and a step-by-step approach.

fullsizeoutput_154b Step one was trimming away the smaller branches and reducing the blowdown to its bare structure.

Step two is getting the main trunk on the ground where it’s safer to chop it up.

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Step three is reduce the main trunk. Here, with a top bind, after an initial cut about eight inches deep, wedges are driven to keep the cerf from closing and trapping the saw in the cut.

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Wedges in, the job can be finished.

Step four is get the slash off the trail and out of the way. Best of all, we converted a lot of chainsaw gas into sawdust.

Job. Done.

All told, we cut six blowdowns on the section I maintain. The subject tree was on the southern end.

After that, we moved to the Indian Run fire road which is the access to the Hoodlum’s maintenance hut.

We quickly picked off three minor blockages on the fire road.

Of course there’s always “that one.” This 12-incher was draped in vines and it was hollow making it a bit more sketchy to cut.

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The approach was to trim away the vines and branches before dicing up the trunk from the top down.

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Like dicing vegetables for roasting.

Sliced into small enough chunks to drag off the trail.

Ten obstructive trees were gone. Then we found this. This tree is a good 20 inches alone. It has a twin right behind it. That’s a twofer. It’s also a “leaner.” The angle isn’t bad, but this multi-ton tree’s top is hung up requiring care to safely bring it to justice.

The day was getting late. Fatigue proved the better part of valor and a safety rule red light, so we left the remaining trees for the Hoodlums to tackle on Saturday.

Sisu

Want to dance?

August 24, 2016 / jim fetig / 6 Comments

Julie Johnson, who commutes from Manhattan, drags a log she named “Betty,” up Pass Mtn. for use in a waterbar.

PATC North District Hoodlums Trail Crew, Pass Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, August 20, 2016 — Hanging out with the Hoodlums this weekend prompted a thought.

What is it about the Appalachian Trail that would cause people to commute hundreds of miles to maintain it; to hike it? Why do so many report deeply personal relationship with this trail?

There are as many answers as there are hikers. Here’s a possibility.

Some say the trail has the personality of a curvaceous vixen whose shapely turns first catch your eye on centerfolds in coffee table books. She holds your gaze.

At the same time you imagine the possibilities, her earthy voice whispers on the wind, “Come with me. We’ll be amazing together.” Smitten, you follow her irresistible come-hither with stars in your eyes and dreams of conquest.

Not so fast. Be careful of those sexy charms. This babe may have legs that run from here to there, but a walk in the woods with this little number can suck you dry and empty your will to keep on. Know that she turns from sultry to frigid ice virtually overnight. See her tears fall in torrents that become rivers in your path. Be aware that she may not leave you laughing when she goes.

Date this honey and you’re in a high maintenance love affair. It’s more than the constant stroking, the sweet nothings or minding the flowers. You’re in it with all of her friends including the bear who dug up my waterbar in search of a meal. The hurt is high with this one.

She likes her suitors looking good. Before you know it, you’ll own mix and match backpacks, tents and sleeping bags. Guess how many base layers, flash dry shirts and pairs of Smart Wool socks I have. I am ashamed to admit that my hiking boot closet would make Imelda Marcos jealous.

Heaven help you when you start owning your own personal trail tools – Pulaskis, MacLoeds – and Stihl brand anything is on your Christmas wish list. I hear that she’s impressed by bigger saws.

Words like Jet Boil and Pocket Rocket soon replace GE and Tappan in the kitchen. I mean who needs stainless steel when titanium is lighter. Hell, Mother Nature even throws in the granite for free.

She’s not a cheap date though. Betty needed a lot of polishing before she became but one more piece of jewelry decorating the trail. This expensive jewelry habit is essential. Keep it coming or Ms. AT’s beauty and charms quickly erode. Costume pieces may be okay from time to time, but this girl likes to receive big rocks, especially on special occasions. Forget one and she can get ugly.

In spite of all this, like a 1940s taxi dancer on a steamy Saturday night, the trail has no shortage of suitors. Even the guy with the halo had to stand in line for his turn to dance.

Oh yes. You probably guessed it. The Hoodlums had another great outing.

Weedwhacking

June 19, 2016 / jim fetig / 4 Comments

A ray of light perfectly aligned with my eyes under my hammock fly this morning at 6 a.m.

Shenandoah National Park, June 17-19, 2016 — It was North District Hoodlums trail crew work weekend. I usually go to the park on Friday early to work on the section of the Appalachian Trail for which I am overseer and personally responsible. Saturday we do crew work. Sunday we clean up any odds and ends we didn’t get done on our AT sections.

It’s been raining like crazy on the east coast for the past month. In fact, it’s only recently warmed up. Add water to vegetation and you get jungle! Jungle is habitat for the ticks that are the vector for Lyme Disease. What to do about that. The only logical thing is to chop back the jungle.

Weed whacker Man – a superhero if there ever wasn’t one.

I spent two whole days week whacking. First was my trail. Second was a section that belonged to a dear fellow who left us for the charms of Milwaukee. Did I mention that it was hot? At least there were two of us the second day – we are a crew, right?

The idea is to cut the salad back about double arms length from the center of the treadway. The hikers should not touch vegetation as they walk. No vegetation. No ticks (well, almost).

I have an informal campsite on my section. No fires allowed people. They build them anyway and risk the fine. I break up the fire rings by tossing the rocks a long way away. This knucklehead obviously had an unsuccessful fire, not to mention ample signs of raging diarrhea. Poetic justice. Damn right. I’m sparing you the shxtty pics, but I always document the scene of the crime.

The third week of June is prime thru hiker season. Time for the annual Hoodlums hiker feed. We cooked burgers and hot dawgs for about 30 thru hikers. Turns out that they were all very nice folks. That’s not always the case this late into the season.

Sometimes we see dramatic views. Worth a whack so to speak.

Love the evening ambiance.

Next up: I’m about to hike 55 miles through northern Virginia with Denise, the friend with whom I hiked Georgia. She’s here and off the trail on “vacation.” After that, I’ll be out for 240 miles with this year’s group of excellent ridgerunners. Can’t wait to get moving!

The Pancake that Ate Luray…

March 25, 2016 / jim fetig / 2 Comments

Shenandoah National Park, VA, March 23 – 24, 2016 — Pancakes! I woke up hungry for pancakes. What’s wrong with that? I mean what do the real lumbersexuals of Washington eat – not the fake hipster ones, but the gals and guys who actually get out there and get after it?

What could pancakes possibly suggest? How about a work trip to the park. The hikers are coming and there are blowdowns to obliterate.

I called my district trail manager to find out what needed to be done. Then I emailed David Sylvester, my ever ready chainsaw companion, and we set the time and place. There’s more than enough fun to go around.

Sorry. I ate the pancake before it could eat Luray. No. There were no heroics – and apologies to Norman Greenbaum’s eggplant.

So, after carb loading, I test fired my saw, packed the car and stuffed my hammock in the side pocket of my pack and jumped on I-66 headed west.

First stop, Rileyville, Va. to pick up David. Believe me. It’s one of those towns that if you blink, you miss it. Not even a stop light. Next stop, the Luray Seven-Eleven to snag a sandwich for lunch; then on to the park’s Thornton Gap entrance where we were told work awaited.

We understood that there was a big blowdown about a mile up Pass Mountain. Pass Mountain is a pleasant jaunt, maybe the easiest mountain in the park’s entire repertoire. Well, as luck would have it, we marched and marched and marched. No down tree.

After searching for an hour we stopped at Pass Mountain Hut for lunch. Lugging 40 lbs. of chainsaw, safety gear, tools plus fuel and oil up and over mountains with a guy less than half your age is WORK!

I’m always fascinated by the trash we find along hiking trails. Who would leave a pair of serviceable army-style boots in the middle of nowhere? As always we found TP, aka Charmin flowers, everywhere. Women who don’t know better pee, then dry themselves and drop the paper. We get to police it up. Use a pee rag ladies, please – or pack out your paper.

Both days were gorgeous with temps into the mid-70s. Still, snow persisted in some northern shadows. Nevertheless, the bugs were abundant. That’s a bit unusual for this time of year. Obviously, the woodpeckers have been after them. They defaced a brilliant blaze I painted last year.

Next stop was Gravel Spring where a “giant” complex blowdown awaited bucking. Damn! Someone got there first. Probably a park crew. But, we did find another just a bit to the north. It took David longer to get his safety gear on than it did to demolish the obstruction.

Last we inspected a large obstruction the ranger at the Thorton Gap gate told us about. We decided to clear it in the morning. The day ended at Indian Run as many trips do.

A healthy daffodil crop surrounds the hut. We built a small fire and sipped a brew as a brilliant pearl of a moon peaked its nose over the horizon and tracked across the night sky. Excellent medicine. Doctors should prescribe it more often.

Our last project was mopping up this sucker at the junction of the Dickey Ridge and Snead Farm trails. These are popular trails that lead to an old apple farm where the foundation of an impressive house remains and the apple barn has been preserved for history.