RATtreks

Work Trip on Appalachian Trail – 9-25-2012

I was recently contacted by my friend and fellow trail maintainer Doug Corkhill, and informed that he was planning a work trip to Big Bald to work on his trail section. We had both been invited earlier in the month of September by the Trail Supervisor, Tim Carrigan and long time trail worker and former Trail Supervisor and engineer extraordinaire, Howard McDonald, to go in with them but they ended up canceling so Doug said we would go anyway. On Tuesday, September 25th, we met at the trail head to my section at Spivey Gap where I left my car and rode with Doug (who goes out of his way to drive to Spivey Gap to pick me up) to Big Bald. We obtained a key to the gate and drove to the grasslands below the bald and down the old road to near the shelter. My girlfriend Linda went with us and helped me paint all the blazes on my entire section which is over 5 miles long. We first had to hike to the shelter (The Carolina Condo) where we met a nice local couple who had been out hiking for about a week. From there we continued on the ridge the 2 miles out to the top of Little Bald (aka Big Hairy, aka El Grande Chi Chi) where my section start/ends. Doug accompanied us to that point where we all had lunch and then he went back the way he had come to work his section on the way back to Big Bald.

View from TN side of Little Bald summit looking towards No Business Knob, Temple Hill, with Erwin and Johnson City in distance

The good thing about his section is that he would finish and get to hike up to the summit of Big Bald and watch a killer sunset before making the trip home. The good thing about my section would be starting at the top as it would be mostly downhill to the car but painting blazes in both North and South directions is difficult to say the least. It was much easier by having Linda there to help watch behind us for blazes before we got too far past them. She was also very good at removing limbs and debris from the trail and helping me saw out small blow-downs plus she painted all the blue blazes for me at Whistling Gap and at High Rocks. We got some good views from the Tennessee side of Little Bald before we began our long and steep descent down the mountain.

Linda hanging on to tree on the edge of the drop off at the look off on the TN side of the summit of Little Bald

View from TN side of Little Bald summit. You can see High Rocks, Flattop, and Unaka Mtns.

White blaze before painting them. (you can see how some of them were in dire need of being repainted)

White blaze after being painted

It took all day until late evening to clear the trail and paint all the blazes in both directions.  We met a Southbound thru-hiker who had already ran across a maintainer and had a white blaze painted right on his pack !

Fresh painted white blaze for South bounders (behind us)

South bound thru-hiker with white blaze painted on his pack posing beside blaze I had just painted. (notice he is carrying a pair of channel lock pliers)

New blazes show up good !

We took a break at the AT Rock where a strange looking blue bug came out from under a rock to check out my blue-blazed hat !

AT Rock with fresh paint

Blue bug checking out my blue-blazed hat !

From the AT Rock it is not far on down to Whistling Gap where we took a short break and Linda painted the blue blazes down to the water source. After we left the gap, we came across a large blow down at the top of the first hill that was too large for my hand saw to cut. The saw crews have since removed this tree.

Linda painting blue blazes at Whistling Gap

Linda beside the blow down above Whistling Gap

We did take the time to climb up High Rocks to have a rest before doing the last 2 miles to the car. Someone had removed the lounge chair and I did not see it anywhere. I will miss that chair !

Linda painting blue blazes on the side trail up to High Rocks

View from High Rocks looking back towards Little Bald

View from High Rocks looking towards the West

View from High Rocks looking West towards Cold Spring Mtn.

View from High Rocks looking at Flattop Mtn.

View from High Rocks looking towards Roan Mtn.

It was late evening by the time we reached the car and we were both very tired and I was not looking forward to going home knowing I had to work an 8 hour shift but, we were ready to get something to eat and take a shower. We had a great day in the woods and got everything done leaving only the water-bars to be cleaned out after all the leaves fall. Hopefully sometime in late November or early December I can get that done.

Hairy Ent

Tree Moss

Shrooms

Bottle Gentian

Bumblebee getting high on nectar