RATtreks

Work Trip on The AT – 3-15-2016

March always brings with it the first chance us trail maintainers get to do a Spring ‘walk-thru’ of our trail sections along the Appalachian Trail. It is usually then that the Winter snows have finally melted enough to allow us better access to the top of Big Bald. This year would be no different as my friend and fellow maintainer Doug Corkhill provided the transportation to pick me up at my trail head in Spivey Gap so that I could start on top of Big Bald where his section is, making it possible for me to walk mostly downhill one way on my section. I was happy to be accompanied by my son Tyler on this adventure. The only sad part was learning that this would be the last time that Doug would be doing this as he is giving up his section due to a job promotion that requires a move to a different location. I will mostly miss his company as we always walked his entire section to where it ends and mine begins on the summit of Little Bald which is where we would eat our lunch before I would continue onward while he backtracked to work his section. I will also miss his generosity since he went out of his way to drive the many extra miles to pick me up at Spivey Gap to which I will now have to make different arrangements in the near future. It was a beautiful and warm sunny day so our day in ‘the office’ was going to be amazing as it usually is.

My son Tyler on top of the world at Big Bald along the AT

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