[at-l] Trail Maintenance Weekend in SW VA

[janl2@mindspring.com (Jan Leitschuh)]

	 New hiking insights emerged from what I thought would be a dull,
dutiful weekend.

	My July mountain experience: I traveled with Susan A. ("sands" on the
WomenHiker list)  to do Trail maintenance on a stretch of the AT in SW
Virginia. They (PATH - Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers) went easy on
me and gave me the simple, mindless task of briar lopping, and sent
Susan off to babysit me (or make sure I didn't run off with the PATH
tools). I guess "they" is a "me" now, since I gave them my 15 bucks and
joined.

	Susan and I had a companionable stroll in and dutifully lopped our
section, finishing early. We ate our lunch on a log high on a ridge, and
picked a few sweet blueberries the bears hadn't yet found. 

	Susan had promised me a tour of some of the section's "high spots," one
of which was the new-ish Partnership Shelter at the Mt. Roger's
Visitor's Center. We were going to backtrack our trimmed section, return
to the car and drive to the Center. But when Susan mentioned it was only
three miles away by Trail. I asked if she minded if I hiked forward and
met her there. She released me with her blessing (and the PATH tools!)

	Striding out, I realized I was inordinately happy to be on the Trail
again. Happy beyond reason. I REALLY like hiking alone! This is a
revelation to me, as I would have never gotten on the Trail if I had had
to do my first hike "alone." There is an inertia that needs overcoming,
the uncertaintly of the unknown. Yet, once "dumped" by myself trailside,
I would rather hike alone.

	The irony is that  I very much enjoyed Susan's companionship working,
and am also very happy to meet other hikers. Almost invariably, we pause
and exchange a few words. If they have been hiking any distance, for a
number of days, another curious phenomenon occurs. Within a few
sentences, we are down to some really deep subjects, like why we are out
there and what changes are occurring. This is the stuff of Oprah, this
soul-baring, yet here are two strangers getting right down to it
mid-Trail. I think the Trail slows the mind down a bit, though in me, at
least, it is still nattering away. But there is a little more space for
good stuff to come out.
	It would be a poorer place for me if I didn't have other hikers to
speak to, esp in the evening's camp. I just want to hike by myself.

	Now, I had on a Jansport daypack stuffed with food, rain gear,
sunscreen, heavy gloves, water, a filter bottle, etc. (Why? because I
could - it only came to about 15 pounds, even with the huge, weed
whacker). But I found the whole arrangement far more stressful on my
shoulders than my heavy Jack Wolfskin pack. I couldn't get comfortable.
I need a hipbelt to take the strain off my shoulders - revelation number
two.
	But the good news was, here I was on the AT with only 15 pounds instead
of my usual backpacking 35. And I flew! I had wings. The uphills still
made my heart pound, but I was motoring, vastly unlike my usual
backacking trudge/pause/trudge. What a revelation (#3)!
	 Downhills were a snap, no knee pain, sure-footed and deft. Now, none
of this is news, but the force of it hit me like a mid-Trail
noggin-beaner - I HAVE to get may packweight down! The whole experience
of traveling over mountainous terrain is vastly more pleasant
lightweight. 
	 I do have a Moonbow sysytem on order, and the promise is that I can
discard my Kelty Clark (about 3 pounds) and my faithful JW (6 pounds!)
for a 2.5 pound pack/tent-tarp combo. So that should save me over 6
pounds right there, and get me under 30 lbs. for starters.

	I ran into another Trail maintainer and learned a bit about "hiker
psychology." He said if a thin branch hung out into the trail, before
long, there would be a new path worn around it. So lopping weeds and
overhanging branches did more than make for pleasant hiking, it
preserves the path and surrounding flora.
	 He was weedeating, and said he had experienced some hiker hostility in
the past, as in "why are you doing this? it's not a park. " I'm sure
that weedeater whine could be a little dissonant after five days in the
backcountry. Yet, as he explained it, the process wasn't to keep the
path "groomed" but merely open. "It only has to be done once a year," he
explained. 
	It makes me a little sad that there are hikers out there that feel the
need to be rude to the very folks - volunteers! - who keep the Trail
open. A day spent with Trail maintainers would go a long way toward
increased awareness, to say nothing about giving back to the Trail (to
say nothing about getting out in the mountains again!).

	In any case, before long I came upon the Visitor's center, and 100
steps behind it the new-ish Partnership Shelter. I believe it's been
there a couple years, but still looks new. It was a Hiker Hilton! The
two-story log structure yet smelled of pine pitch, and the overhang was
generous. There was a second story, with shuttered windows in the gable
ends. There was a privy, a picnic table and a shower! Pleanty of room,
and lots of information on the bulletin board.

	The register spoke of general hiker awe and gratitude toward PATH and
friends for providing the beautiful facilities. But hikers being hikers,
several entries bitched about the "luxury" and hoped it wouldn't become
a trend of the future. Hot showers at every shelter? Hardly! As I
understand it, the Partnership was a win-win solution to the problem of
smelly hikers washing bottles, clothes, pots and bodies in the nearby
Visitor's center wash basins. The Center didn't want to discourage
hikers, yet didn't want to smoke out their more domesticated visitors.
Thus, the Partnership" was born.

	After Susan picked me up, we visited a beaver pond that was no more -
one beaver had been run over by a train (? I saw not tracks anywhere
near) and the others had been trapped illegally. The boardwalk bridge
still marks the Trail thru the lowlands and over the creek. Within 1/4
mile the local ecology changed from sunswept meadow to forest to
hillside to swamp. Quite a spectrum in so short a space.
	The Virginia meadow was in full glory, with armloads of wildflowers and
blackberries ripening. We counted 11 kinds of wildflowers - black-eyed
susans, orange butterfly weed, oxe-eye daisies, centenaura (sp?), huge
red clover globes, crown vetch, wild rose, feverfew, yellow tickweek,
blue chicory and tons of Queen's Ann lace. Deep in the mountains, some
white rhododencron still bloomed. Susan saw a beaver near our campsite. 
Probably more to tell, but long enough for now. Sure was good to get
out.
Best,
Jan Leitschuh
(say "light" "shoe")

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