ATN May-June 2002 - Appalachian Trail Conservancy

32 Pages·2002·0.7 MB·English

2 MAY–JUNE 2002
MAY–JUNE 2002
ATN
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS
ON THE COVER
Spence Field in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park (photo by Laurie Potteiger).
Inside: Fog at Bearwallow Gap along the Blue
Ridge Parkway in central Virginia (photo by
Merlin Detardos).
VIEWPOINTS
SHELTER REGISTER ♦ LETTERS 4
OVERLOOK ♦ BRIAN T. FITZGERALD
AND DAVE STARTZELL 5
REFLECTIONS: FLIP-FLOPPING 22
BOOKS 28
MINISTRY OF FUNNY WALKS
♦ FELIX J. MCGILICUDDY 31
WHITE BLAZES
PAPER TRAIL ♦ NEWS FROM HARPERS FERRY 8
SIDEHILL ♦ NEWS FROM CLUBS AND
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES 10
TREELINE ♦ NEWS FROM ALONG
THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL 11
BLUE BLAZES
HEAD AND HEART ♦ THE THRU-HIKING
PAPERS, PART 1 ♦ JIM OWEN 18
TREADWAY
MEMORIAL GIFTS 24
TRAIL GIVING 25
NOTABLE GIFTS 29
PUBLIC NOTICES 30
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 3
S R
HELTER EGISTER
Letters from our readers
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Appalachian Trailway Tilting at windmills
News How ironic that, in the very same issue It seems there are two competing in-
of Appalachian Trailway News, we terests: the desire to protect the A.T.
VOLUME 63, NUMBER 2 • MAY–JUNE 2002
find one article bewailing the effects of viewshed versus the desire to develop
Appalachian Trailway News is published by the Appalachian
Trail Conference, a nonprofit educational organization represent- global warming and another voicing renewable sources of energy. ATC has
ing the citizen interest in the Appalachian Trail and dedicated to
the preservation, maintenance, and enjoyment of the Appalachian nearly unanimous ATC opposition to a been fighting suburban sprawl and
trailway. Since 1925, the Appalachian Trail Conference and its
wind-farm project in Maine. other encroachments for years, and I
member clubs have conceived, built, and maintained the Appala-
chian Trail in cooperation with federal and state agencies. The As one of those parched 1999 hikers have contributed to various campaigns
Conference also publishes guidebooks and other educational lit-
erature about the Trail, the trailway, and its facilities. Annual indi- who “walked in hundred-degree heat by the ATC and the NY–NJ Trail Con-
vidual membership in the Appalachian Trail Conference is $30;
life membership, $600; corporate membership, $500 minimum from dry well to dry spring to dry stream,” ference to accomplish that. Those
annual contribution.
I would agree with the article that global projects would have benefited a few at
Volunteer and freelance contributions are welcome. Please include
a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your submission. warming is a major threat. And, in my the expense of many. But, alternative
Observations, conclusions, opinions, and product endorsements opinion, the biggest eyesore on the A.T. energy sources are something that ben-
expressed in Appalachian Trailway News are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect those of members of the board or is those miles upon miles of forests dev- efits us all. We need to be thinking
staff of the Appalachian Trail Conference.
astated by the effects of acid rain. Yet here from a global perspective. Wind energy
we have wind power, a technology that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels,
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Brian B. King has the potential to alleviate both prob- thus reducing air pollution. How much
lems (and many others), but, instead of would air pollution from a coal-fired
EDITOR
Robert A. Rubin backing it enthusiastically, as it should, power plant located fifty to a hundred
BOARD OF MANAGERS ATC has come out against it. miles to the west affect the viewshed
Chair You cannot have it both ways. You of the A.T.?
Brian T. Fitzgerald cannot in good conscience be in favor of I find it startling to read in the same
Vice Chairs a technology in the abstract but oppose issue that the ATC Board needed to re-
Carl C. Demrow Thyra C. Sperry
it as soon as it materializes as a slight duce the 2002 operating budget by
Marianne J. Skeen
Treasurer inconvenience to yourself. The fact that $500,000 because of reduced revenue and
Kennard R. Honick some Board members expressed “mixed that, by opposing the wind farm, the ATC
Secretary feelings” and others abstained excuses “could be looking at fairly significant
Parthena M. Martin
nothing. This kind of wooly-minded, outlays—not only in terms of time, but
Assistant Secretary
“not-in-my-backyard” thinking makes in dollars, too.” I believe that ATC’s Board
Arthur P. Foley
those who profess a concern for the envi- of Managers acted with a “NIMBY”
New England Region
Pamela Ahlen Stephen L. Crowe ronment futile and ludicrous in the eyes mindset in its 18-1 vote to oppose the
Thomas O. Lewis Andrew L. Petersen of the fossil-fuel people. No wonder we’re wind farm. Who was the lone dissenter?
Dennis Regan Ann H. Sherwood
not taken seriously. He or she showed great courage.
Mid-Atlantic Region
Christopher Heap (“Frodo” of ’99) Paul Campbell
Walter E. Daniels Charles A. Graf
Sandra Marra Eric C. Olson Gloucester, Ontario New York, New York
Glenn Scherer William Steinmetz
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Southern Region
Bob Almand Phyllis Henry
I
Robert P. Kyle t is a sad day for the green when the
Letters
William S. Rogers James M. Whitney, Jr. ATC favors burning coal in lieu of
Steven A. Wilson
some of the best sources of nonpollut-
Members at Large Appalachian Trailway News
ing power we have. Several rambles in
Paul Burkholder Al Sochard
welcomes your comments. Letters
the U.K. and U.S.A. have taken me up
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR will be edited for clarity and length.
David N. Startzell close to these wonderful machines,
Please send them to:
slowly, quietly turning out clean power.
World Wide Web: www.appalachiantrail.org Letters to the Editor
Give it a break: Maine might not buy the
Appalachian Trailway News (ISSN 0003-6641) is published
Appalachian Trailway News
bimonthly, except for January/February, for $15 a year by power, but, if it is made elsewhere with
the Appalachian Trail Conference, 799 Washington Street, P.O. Box 807
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, [phone]. Bulk-rate postage coal, Maine is downwind. It is a bad time
paid at Harpers Ferry, WV, and other offices. Postmaster: Send Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807
for Balkan thinking.
change-of-address Form 3597 to Appalachian Trailway News,
E-Mail: <[email protected]>
P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. George Haus
Copyright © 2002, The Appalachian Trail Conference. All Lenox, Massachusetts
rights reserved.
4 MAY–JUNE 2002
Overlook
Brian T. Fitzgerald and Dave Startzell
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wo recent and unrelated discussions among Trail managers have high-
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lighted a basic conundrum for Appalachian Trail managers: How do we
I
read with dismay of the Board of Man- meet the expectations of increasing numbers of hikers without altering
agers’ 18-1 decision to oppose the de- the Trail’s fundamental character?
velopment of a wind farm near the Trail First, some background. In 1981, the National Park Service and USDA
in Maine. My dismay turned into stunned Forest Service approved the “Appalachian Trail Comprehensive Plan.” The plan
disbelief and outrage when I read Glenn (required by Congress) provides a framework for Trail management that includes
Scherer’s article on global warming seven the following statement of philosophy: “Hikers along the Appalachian Trail must
pages farther on. How can you dare to be responsible for their own safety and comfort.”
preach to us about buying compact fluo- The plan goes on to say, “Trail design, construction, and maintenance should
rescent bulbs when you are trying to reflect a concern for safety without detracting from the opportunity for hikers to
block a project that could prevent the experience the wild and scenic lands by their own unaided efforts and without
emissions of hundreds of tons of green- sacrificing aspects of the Trail that may challenge their skill and stamina. At-
house gasses? What difference does it tempts to provide for the unprepared lead to a progressive diminution of the expe-
make if the electricity generated is “of rience available to others.”
no benefit to Maine?” Do you think that The first discussion came up in November, when, following a year of consider-
the smog from fossil-fuel power plants ing the impact of long-standing agency regulations that prohibit advertising in
will stop at Maine’s borders? the Trail corridor, the Board of Managers adopted a policy that supports the regu-
The ATC’s opposition to this project lations. When this policy is implemented at the local level, information on busi-
is short-sighted and hypocritical. I hope nesses that provide hiker services outside
Unaided efforts?
that Glenn Scherer was the Board mem- of the Trail corridor will be provided
ber who cast the one dissenting vote in through publications and Web sites and
this decision. If not, he needs to get down passed from hiker to hiker in shelter reg-
off his soapbox. isters and by word-of-mouth. The debate on this question focused on the conflict-
Timothy Edwards ing goals of keeping the corridor as free as possible from commercialism while
Lexington, Kentucky providing as much information as possible to hikers.
The second discussion came up more recently, when ATC, Trail-maintaining
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clubs, and agency partners started planning for what is predicted to be an ex-
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ar from spoiling a view, wind towers tremely dry summer. We are already advising hikers that water sources could dry
could provide exciting visual evidence up and that it may be necessary to carry extra water. Plans for special Trailhead
that people are finding ways to produce signs addressing water shortages and fire danger are in the works.
energy with minimal environmental Both of those issues touch on the question of how much the Conference and
damage. Insofar as the Trail gives an im- the Trail-maintaining clubs should do to assist hikers. Or, more to the point, at
age of pristine wilderness, untouched by what point do we change the experience of hiking the A.T. by providing informa-
human intervention, it’s a mirage, weav- tion or services to hikers? Would signs at Trailheads that point to hostels and
ing, as the real Trail does, through one of restaurants in nearby towns be helpful to some but remind others of rest areas
the most densely populated corridors of along interstate highways? Should hikers expect Trail clubs to monitor water
the country. Haze and the effects of acid sources during a drought and post information on their condition at Trailheads?
rain give telling evidence of the perils of Should Trail managers maintain water tanks at road crossings to ensure that hik-
current methods of energy production. ers have drinking water during a drought?
Better there should be towers giving evi- In general, ATC has followed the dictates of the comprehensive plan and tried
dence of clean alternatives. I don’t under- to maintain the primitive character of the Trail while giving hikers the opportu-
stand how an organization that speaks of nity to be self-reliant. To be sure, though, we work with the clubs to clear and
supporting wilderness for future genera- blaze the Trail, post signs, build and maintain shelters, and provide hikers with a
tions can take a selfish “not in my play- wide array of information. All of these actions diminish, to some extent, the op-
ground” approach to a development that portunity for hikers to experience the Trail “by their own unaided efforts.” So,
supports those goals. the conundrum remains—the challenge for Trail managers is to know where to
Mary Morris Heiberger draw the line. We welcome your thoughts on where that line should be.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Brian T. Fitzgerald is chair of ATC; Dave Startzell is executive director.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 5
Shelter
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ment our power supply with renewable each is half as tall as Boston’s John
I live in Montana and have been fortu- energies, we will be forced to exploit our Hancock Tower. They will be among the
nate to have hiked approximately 750 most precious areas for resources using tallest structures in the state of Maine,
miles of your wonderful A.T. Many places methods that can devastate them. and there will be nineteen of them. Dur-
in the West (and I hope a lot more), you Joseph P. Derrick ing the daytime, the landscape will seem
see wind farms. They are situated at the Wakefield, Rhode Island to crawl as they turn. At night, their pow-
passes, ridgelines, and summits (above erful white strobe lights will flash like
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treeline), and, yes, they are visible. They lightning along the ridges, outshining any
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do not bother me, as I’d rather see them would much rather see windmills than star and banishing the sense of remote-
supplying cheap, renewable, and nonpol- billowing smokestacks, which is what ness for hikers who seek it.
luting power than the coal-fired, nuclear, you will get if you deny environmentally • The Northern Forest Alliance con-
and other polluting sources of power. It friendly wind power. It is especially ironic siders this area one of the most promis-
is our choice. Let us make the right one. that in this same ATN issue there is a ing in the state for additional land-con-
Tom Hanou concern expressed on the adverse effects servation efforts to protect remote moun-
Lolo, Montana of global warning. By begrudging wind- tainous habitats and primitive recreation
mills, the alternative substitute energy opportunities. ATC has been at the heart
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sources will surely hasten global warm- of this project, by buying nearby Mt.
I
am a life member of the ATC, and I ing! Does the left hand know what the Abraham for the state. The Redington
disagree with the ATC’s decision to op- right hand is doing? wind farm would put an industrial power
pose the Endless Energy Co. wind-farm Dennis R. Morgan plant right in the middle of the area tar-
proposal. Morristown, New Jersey geted for conservation.
I walked up logging roads and through • The energy from the towers will not
clearcuts while climbing Redington and EDITOR’S NOTE: ATC opposes the Red- replace that from “dirty” power genera-
its neighbors, and I would guess that the ington wind tower project just as it has tion plants—in fact, it won’t displace a
view you published was from the shoul- opposed telecommunications towers, single midwestern coal-fired plant. Coal-
der of Sugarloaf, which is already graced power transmission lines, pipelines, quar- fired plants are cheap to run and thus are
with a ski area. If I recall correctly, that ries, and other major industrial facilities the last to be shut down. Any energy that
is one of the few places between Saddle- that threaten the Trail’s scenic values. the wind farm’s small output replaces
back (with its own ski area) and the Preserving those values is part of our would be from more costly plants that
Bigelows (which overlook Flagstaff Lake, charter, even where it puts us in conflict burn natural gas, biomass, and other
a hydropower reservoir) where Redington with other worthy causes. Although, for sources of relatively clean energy.
and Black Nubble are actually visible the most part, wind energy benefits the • Finally, it’s a far-reaching precedent.
from the A.T. environment and, by extension, the Trail, If we were to support the Redington and
After years of watching hiking enthu- this particular project comes at too high Black Nubble project, we would be set-
siasts drive inefficient vehicles unneces- a cost. The more we learn about it, the ting the bar very low for future develop-
sary miles while complaining about de- worse it sounds. ment along ridgelines near the Trail.
teriorating visibility and acid-rain dam- • The towers are hardly cute little pin- Agreeing not to oppose this would tie our
age, this is the last straw. I intend to with- wheels in someone’s yard. They are ma- hands in the future if we wanted to op-
hold all donations to the ATC as long as jor industrial fixtures that will loom in pose development on any ridgeline
there is any chance they will be applied plain view of the Trail for many miles within five miles of the A.T.
toward opposing the project. and remain visible for an average of four
James Van Bokkelen days of hiking. Instead of largely un- No Tears for Tuvalu
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South Hampton, New Hampshire spoiled mountain scenery, hikers will n Glen Scherer’s article in the March–
look out on a complex of about twelve April 2002 Appalachian Trailway New,
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miles of new or improved roads and he reports that 11,000 Tuvaluans have
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he energy debate that is going on in about ten miles of new power lines. fled their homeland forever as their nine
the U.S. Senate right now gives testa- Building the towers requires pouring con- coral atolls drowned. Are we utilizing
ment to the importance of projects like crete foundations and clear-cutting baldfaced lies now to get people excited
this one in our own backyard. How can ridgetops—all this in fragile habitats at about global warming?
one oppose relatively benign energy pro- elevations up to 4,000 feet. Worst of all, I did a little checking, and my World
duction in Maine and at the same time the towers themselves are massive— Book 2002 Yearbook still lists Tuvalu as
oppose oil exploration in a national wild- equivalent in height to a forty-story a country of 11,000 people on nine is-
life refuge in Alaska? If we cannot aug- building; at 400 feet from base to tip, lands. The TV station there is still broad-
6 MAY–JUNE 2002
casting Internet information. Jane’s site too many and losing credibility. I hope have been factual. This one should have
on Oceania talks about some inundation your future articles on climate change been checked more closely. We regret our
of some trees on the island but does not will be more careful about the facts. error.
mention any departure from the islands. Lenny Bernstein
Weather information for the country is Asheville, North Carolina Too hard?
A
still available, and I can call there for s a long-time A.T. hiker, and more re-
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thirty-seven cents a minute. cently a maintainer, I feel I have to re-
G
I bet, if I check, I will find that half lenn Scherer makes some good points spond to Chris (Smokey) Lazzari’s letter
the ice in the Arctic has not melted, ei- in his article about the impact of cli- in the March/April issue. While I appre-
ther. mate change on the Appalachian Trail, ciate his thanks for our work and his dedi-
Van Irvin but he propagates two serious errors that cation to white-blazing, I take issue with
Fountain, North Carolina undercut his message. his premise that the Trail makes an “hon-
Inhabitants of the south Pacific island est” hike too hard for thru-hikers. The
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of Tuvalu have not abandoned their A.T. was created primarily for local us-
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s one who follows global climate- home. Nor, as Scherer implies, is it un- age, be that from the nearest city or on a
change developments closely, I was usual that “those trekking to the North regional basis. In the ’20s and ’30s, the
surprised to learn that global warming Pole last summer needed a boat, not a thought of walking all of it at in one sea-
had caused the waters of the Pacific dogsled.” His statement comes from an son was probably foreign to most of the
Ocean to rise, making Tuvalu’s 11,000 August 19, 2000, article in the New York A.T. pioneers. It is fine the way it is. Lo-
people flee their homelands forever. For- Times, claiming that open water had been cal people can do a day-hike and get a real
tunately, that statement in the March– spotted at the North Pole for the first time workout, in addition to the forest experi-
April ATN is incorrect. Tuvalu is still in perhaps 50 million years. But, the ence. When you are on a local hike, those
above water, and its 11,000 inhabitants author’s claim that the pole’s open water “unscenic” knobs are often appreciated,
still have their homes. was unusual was erroneous, based only even if just for exercise or memories.
What has happened is that, on March on casual observations, and was retracted Those who are able to complete the Trail
6, Reuters reported that the prime min- soon after. Nonetheless, the claim has un- in one season have made a significant
ister of Tuvalu, in response to forecasts fortunately made it into the public con- accomplishment (in large part because
of sea-level rise for the next 100 years, sciousness. Scherer should not have re- the A.T. is not horizontal), but we should
threatened to sue Australia and the produced it. not change its contours just to reduce the
United States in the International Court These are not minor points. Oppo- number of blue-blazers.
of Justice for not ratifying the Kyoto Pro- nents of actions that would mitigate cli- Jim Hamblen
tocol. His claim is that global warming mate change are ready to seize on any Gainesville, Georgia
would make his island nation uninhabit- opportunity to discredit the environmen-
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able, but this may not be justified. tal cause. Journalistic claims not based
I
The Intergovernmental Panel on Cli- on accuracy and science serve only to , too, was a “purist” on my 1992 thru-
mate Change (IPCC) projects that, unless strengthen their case and to effectively hike. I am not a maintainer, but I highly
greenhouse gas emissions are controlled, drown out the serious concerns that are respect the work that they do. The
sea level will rise between 9 and 88 cen- posed by climate change. thought that these volunteers would pur-
timeters (4–35 inches) from 1990 to 2100. David Appell posely throw obstacles in a hiker’s path
By comparison, sea levels rose between Gilford, New Hampshire by choosing a more difficult route is ri-
10 and 20 centimeters (4–8 inches) dur- diculous. My out-of-shape body was
ing the 20th century. The higher end of EDITOR’S NOTE: As pointed out in the let- transformed into a hiking machine by
this range would be a serious threat to ters above, Glenn Scherer’s article was each and every challenge I faced. The pay-
Tuvalu and other low-lying parts of the factually incorrect regarding the status off at the top of a lung-busting ascent was
world, but the lower end would not. The of Tuvalu. The assertion was based on merely the satisfaction of the accomplish-
IPCC states that it cannot say whether widely reported but inaccurate news sto- ment and not whether I could see any-
the higher or lower end of the range is ries. The report of open water at the thing from the summit. I have been sur-
more probable. North Pole was correct, but, as Mr. Appell prised and somewhat saddened to see that
Global climate change is a serious con- notes above, prompts disagreement some believe that the actual number of
cern, but environmentally conscious pub- among scientists as to its connection completed A.T. hikes is much lower due
lications like ATN do their readers no with global warming, and is not unprec- to dishonesty in reporting completed
service by publishing unfounded scare edented. Mr. Scherer is a longtime con-
stories. They risk crying wolf one time tributor to ATN, and his previous articles Continued on page 26
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 7
P T
APER RAIL
News from Harpers Ferry
ATC transfers Mt. Abraham property to Maine
T
hree years after the Appa- cally as “Mount Abram”) near additional parcels. The A.T. “Key sites across the five-
lachian Trail Conference Kingfield to the Maine Depart- does not actually cross the state Northern Forest can be
(ATC) began its “Western ment of Conservation to be summit of Mt. Abraham but preserved as unmanaged sanc-
Maine High Mountains Pro- permanently preserved as an runs close by as it traverses tuaries within our vast work-
ject” to conserve unspoiled ecological reserve. The land surrounding peaks, including ing forest,” said Kent Wom-
mountain lands adjacent to donation, valued at more than Saddleback and Spaulding mack, executive director of
the Trail near Saddleback $1.3 million, is part of the larg- mountains. Robert Williams, The Nature Conservancy in
Mountain, ATC has turned est land-acquisition project director of ATC’s land trust Maine. “Holding this ease-
over to the state the first ma- ever undertaken by ATC. program, called Mount Abra- ment and contributing funds
jor parcel of land for protec- ATC acquired 3,000 acres ham “an absolute gem that to this important acquisition
tion. of property on Mount Abra- deserves the highest level of are part of our goal of balanc-
In April, the Conference ham in 1999 when the land protection possible.” ing ecological and economic
donated 4,033 acres of land on became available and worked With a summit elevation values across this region.”
Mount Abraham (known lo- in subsequent years to acquire of 4,049 feet, Mt. Abraham is Tom Morrison, director of
one of only thirteen peaks in the Maine Bureau of Parks and
Maine higher than 4,000 feet, Lands (BPL), hailed the dona-
Corridor Countdown
ten of which are already in tion as “a spectacular addition
I public ownership. The moun- to the state’s ecological re-
t was the hope of Congress, the federal administration,
tain includes more than four serve system and an outstand-
and the Trail community that the Appalachian Trail
miles of above-treeline ridge- ing recreational property.” In
could be pronounced “fully protected” by the end of
line that encompasses an al- 1999, the Maine Legislature
the century on December 31, 2000. Now, it appears that
pine plant community sur- established an ecological-
the National Park Service portion of the protection pro-
passed in size only by that of reserve program to preserve
gram could be completed in 2002 or 2003, with the Forest
Katahdin, in Baxter State Park representative examples of
Service finishing its portion in 2004. Footpath tracts are
farther north. The lands do- Maine’s natural communities
completely acquired in four of the fourteen A.T. states, but
nated by ATC comprise the as habitat for native plants
many acres of protective corridor remain privately held.
eastern and southern portions and animals and to provide op-
Here is where the federal and state agencies stood as of
of the mountain and abut the portunities for ecological re-
March 2002 in terms of footpath miles (0.7 of one percent)
Appalachian Trail corridor. search.
and adjoining acreage (4.1 percent) left to acquire:
The property includes most of In 2000, the bureau desig-
the Firewarden’s Trail, a popu- nated 69,994 acres of public
States Map Miles Acres
lar hiking path leading up the lands as ecological reserves.
Maine 1.4 242 eastern side of the mountain, The Mount Abraham acquisi-
New Hampshire 0.1 4 crossing the summit and con- tion is the first ecological re-
Vermont 0.0 42 necting a side trail off the Ap- serve to be donated to the
Massachusetts 0.1 346 palachian Trail. state. Morrison commented
Connecticut 0.7 143 Before transferring the that the donated lands will be
New York 0.1 279 land, ATC conveyed a conser- managed by the bureau for
New Jersey 0.0 112 vation easement on the prop- backcountry recreation, in-
Pennsylvania 2.8 207 erty to The Nature Conser- cluding the maintenance of
Maryland 3.0 625 vancy. The legal document existing campsites and trails.
Virginia 4.5 2,360 ensures that the land will for- The donated lands are part
West Virginia/Va. 0.0 0 ever be managed as an ecologi- of a larger conservation effort
N.C./Tennessee 3.0 2,935 cal reserve and includes re- on Mount Abraham. Last fall,
Georgia 0.0 513 strictions that prohibit future BPL acquired 1,026 acres on
Total 15.7 7,808 development and timber har-
vesting. Continued on page 24
8 MAY–JUNE 2002
Paper Trail
Drought leaves Trail lands parched, tinder-dry
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lingering fall and winter cording to forecasts the Na- the Pochuck Swamp, sched- Virginia to Maine between
drought in the eastern tional Oceanic and Atmo- uled to be opened to A.T. us- August and November.
United States, followed spheric Administration ers later this year, sustained ATC announced that hik-
by below-average spring rains, (NOAA). minor damage when a grass ers should be aware that some
has left the A.T. corridor un- Tinder-dry conditions fire swept through the swamp natural water sources noted
usually dry in 2002. Hikers along the Trail contributed to in early April. The cause of the in guides and on maps may
may experience water short- two fires in late winter and fire is unknown, and it was ex- be unreliable until underly-
ages and increased fire danger, early spring: tinguished using helicopter ing groundwater conditions
Trail officials said. In southwest Virginia, a airdrops before it could de- improve—even historically
According to the April 2 February leaf fire in the back- stroy the wooden boardwalk strong springs have been re-
National Drought Summary yard of a house near the A.T. or nearby homes. ported dry in the mid-Atlan-
for the eastern United States, in Damascus went out of con- The U.S. Seasonal Drought tic region. Hikers going out for
conditions along the Trail trol in dry and windy weather, Outlook released March 12 by an overnight trip or longer
ranged from abnormally dry burning several acres of brush NOAA’s Climate Prediction should be prepared to carry
and moderate drought in north and severely damaging the Center indicates moderate to more than one day’s worth of
Georgia, to near normal con- trestle that carries the A.T. severe drought extending from water.
ditions in North Carolina and and the Virginia Creeper Trail Georgia to Maine; its extended Volunteer Trail maintain-
Tennessee, to severe and ex- into town. The Trail was re- forecast through June 2002 ers in some areas may infor-
treme drought from Virginia routed along city streets while predicts “slow improvement mally attempt to provide wa-
north to Maine. The mid-At- volunteers and federal land likely” for the East Coast, but ter at certain Trailheads and
lantic states, in particular, face managers assess the damage. drought conditions will per- road crossings, and post infor-
below-normal rainfall for the In New Jersey, the newly sist. Below-normal precipita- mation at Trailhead bill-
middle and late summer, ac- constructed boardwalk across tion is expected from central boards, where possible.
Fire aftermath (left)
along Pochuck
boardwalk (photo:
Trail area
Larry Wheelock).
Fire damage (below)
in Damascus (USFS
photo). Drought
areas (right); map
adapted from NOAA.
Drought in
mid-April
Abnormal
Moderate
Severe
Extreme
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 9
S
IDEHILL
News from clubs and government agencies
New Georgia shelter employs experimental techniques
A
new shelter in Georgia
will test out some new
theories about campsite
construction and location
meant to prevent damage to
the natural area immediately
surrounding Trail shelters.
The new Gooch Mountain
Shelter, dedicated last October
13 by the Georgia Appalachian
Trail Club (GATC), was built
after two years of planning and
a year of work in the field that
saw volunteers contribute
about 5,000 hours of work and
build more than a mile of
new trail. The shelter project
was a cooperative effort of
the Conference, GATC, the 2002 long-distance hikers at newly-constructed Gooch Mountain Shelter. Photo: Joel Rash
U.S. Forest Service, and pri-
vate citizens. for the designated spots and cess of placing the cable sys- The project began early in
The new shelter is located the shelter, the area is too tem at all its shelters. 1999 when members of the
near one of the most venerable steep for comfortable tenting, Another problem that typi- von Seggern family of Daw-
shelters on the Trail, the old thus minimizing trampling cally plagues shelters is sonville, Georgia, contacted
Gooch Gap Shelter, which it and damage to nearby vegeta- muddy, eroded trails to and ATC to explore the possibil-
replaces. But, instead of being tion. from the A.T. and to and from ity of donating funding for a
built on the same level hilltop Another experimental fea- nearby water sources and shelter in memory of Kurt von
site that the old shelter occu- ture at the site is a “molder- sanitary facilities. At Gooch Seggern, an avid hiker who
pied, the new shelter was ing privy”—a new design that Mountain, the existing A.T. had died a few days earlier.
planned on steeper ground, employs bark shavings, followed old roadbeds and the Work began on the new
several thousand yards farther worms, microbes, and other fall line of the ridge, resulting trail in the rain during Decem-
south on Gooch Mountain. organisms to compost human in a route that required con- ber 2000 and continued during
The site was chosen ac- waste. With traditional pit tinual maintenance to prevent the snow in January 2001.
cording to the recommenda- privies, waste is treated with erosion. For the new shelter, More than fifty club volun-
tions of Virginia Tech recre- lime and buried. If the new the A.T. itself was rerouted teers participated in the early
ation ecologist Jeffrey Marion, privy works properly, main- near the shelter using “side- stages. The treadway was ex-
who has worked with ATC to tainers will be able to recycle hill” construction technique, tended farther in March by
develop new lower-impact the compost and won’t have to a design that puts the path on two groups of college stu-
ways of building shelters. In- dig new “privy holes.” the side of the hill so that wa- dents—ten from the Univer-
stead of being located in a flat Food-hoist cables also were ter can drain off it more eas- sity of New Hampshire and
area, as A.T. shelters tradition- installed at the site to make it ily. The new portion is de- twelve from the University of
ally are, the site is sloped to easier for hikers to hang their signed with frequent dips that Missouri—who spent their
discourage random tent camp- food and keep it away from facilitate water runoff and spring vacations helping with
ing around it. For tenters, six bears and other animals, minimize erosion. A Trail this project. Together, they
level “tent pads” were dug which have been a nuisance in crossing at Blackwell Creek completed an additional 1,700
into the nearby hillside to along the Trail in parts of was accomplished with rocks
provide desirable sites. Except Georgia. GATC is in the pro- rather than a bridge. Continued on page 27
10 MAY–JUNE 2002