AT trail damage from Hurricane Helene
- Thread starter hikeritz
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Help Support vftt.org:
The upside of this is that it provides a great opportunity to do some volunteer trail clearing and reconstruction.
Somehow, I think the people who live in the area and depend on hikers for income that potentially will be affected for the next decade by this event might disagree.
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ImYourHuckleberry
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I don't even think it's very easy to volunteer for trail work. After hiking Grafton Loop this year, I thought perhaps next summer I would clean up the trail a bit. I looked into how I could do that, and it's not easy to do if you want to follow the rules. First off, no chain saws without some special training, which requires also having other training like first aid. Also, no trail maintenance without being a member of MATC and taking some kind of multi-day trail maintenance course, or volunteering to go out with a trained crew. Except, they are not accepting volunteers at the moment, because of something to do with a housing shortage? Anyway, I'll either go ahead and do it "off the record", or I guess give it a pass.
Now maybe it's easier to volunteer down south? But I would assume AT committees would likely have similar rules.
Now maybe it's easier to volunteer down south? But I would assume AT committees would likely have similar rules.
Work I’ve done in the Whites was organized and supervised by the Forest Service, and we worked alongside professional staff. They were just thankful to get extra hands to help with the heavy ice damage.
hikeritz
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I'm sure there are a lot of folks who'd be interested in helping restore the trail. Perhaps the AT Conference can organize something.
Seems likely, though also very possible that with some of the storms and declarations of disasters that it may be easier to relax or work around those rules that apply under "normal" conditions.
sierra
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Volunteers can be more of a liability than they are worth. Not that they are not needed, but from the article, it will take professionals to move a lot of the trees. The last thing they need down there is unskilled volunteers getting hurt and putting additional strain on local resources. With all due respect, it's a footpath, there are more pressing issues in that area to be dealt with.
Creag Nan Drochaid
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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is the hikers' contact for volunteering after H. Helene. Please go to them for updated and
authoritative info. Clearing blowdowns and restoring the 862 miles of AT closed from hurricane damage is happening as fast
as the local workers can get there. Only safety-trained and certified sawyers should attempt clearing tangles of blowdowns
of that complexity and risk. After they have moved on, teams of swampers can clear debris from the footpath. This takes
time, after the great ice storm of Jan 7-10 1998 we spent that season and most of '99 cutting blowdowns at about 50/mile.
We only counted those needing sawing, the swampers didn't bother with such numbers.
Sierra is right, there be lots of work to be done once the immediate needs of residents are met, and the local infrastructure
can again support crews going to the woods to re-build trail. If you recall H. Irene in VT and NH and ME, you recall how long we
were building roads and bridges. The GMC asked me to survey three sites of former bridges east of Maine Jct. one week after
Irene, which I did They were all washed downstream somewhere, needing total replacement. In due course, they were.
My point is, if we want to volunteer for disaster relief, there are many ways to do that. A decent respect for our suffering
neighbors requires we do that before we give much attention to trails. If we cannot or will not do that, we can at least stay
out of their way until locals like the ATC call for volunteers to fix the trail.
Mistah Mod'ratah, I yield the floor...
authoritative info. Clearing blowdowns and restoring the 862 miles of AT closed from hurricane damage is happening as fast
as the local workers can get there. Only safety-trained and certified sawyers should attempt clearing tangles of blowdowns
of that complexity and risk. After they have moved on, teams of swampers can clear debris from the footpath. This takes
time, after the great ice storm of Jan 7-10 1998 we spent that season and most of '99 cutting blowdowns at about 50/mile.
We only counted those needing sawing, the swampers didn't bother with such numbers.
Sierra is right, there be lots of work to be done once the immediate needs of residents are met, and the local infrastructure
can again support crews going to the woods to re-build trail. If you recall H. Irene in VT and NH and ME, you recall how long we
were building roads and bridges. The GMC asked me to survey three sites of former bridges east of Maine Jct. one week after
Irene, which I did They were all washed downstream somewhere, needing total replacement. In due course, they were.
My point is, if we want to volunteer for disaster relief, there are many ways to do that. A decent respect for our suffering
neighbors requires we do that before we give much attention to trails. If we cannot or will not do that, we can at least stay
out of their way until locals like the ATC call for volunteers to fix the trail.
Mistah Mod'ratah, I yield the floor...
Many towns and businesses along the AT benefit from the dollars spent by hikers, whether for a day, a weekend, a section or a thru. In the article:
< Chris Donochod is looking ahead with his Big Pillow Brewing, which flooded when the waters rose in Hot Springs. He hopes to reopen in December and have his taproom in full swing by spring, when he typically sees the most thru-hikers pausing for a meal while they resupply food or switch out gear. They represent an important part of his businesses.
Hot Springs “will be somewhat ready for hikers,” Donochod said Thursday. He added a caveat, though: “I’m really not sure what the town will look like at that point.” >
I'm sure everyone would like to get the trail up and running ASAP -- along with all the other infrastructure -- in order to get the tourist money.
About the issue raised in the article of the trail not being as peaceful, I suppose that may be the case for some hikers. But in my experience, it's really fascinating to see a storm or fire damaged area, and observe how nature regenerates itself.
< Visual evidence of a violent storm can strip away the beauty and solace many find in wilderness, he said.
“If you like the Appalachian Trail the way that it was, and it gets devastated, you’re going to be reminded of the disaster,” he said. “And that’s an impact of the disaster that can last for a decade plus.” >
Moreover, you might want to come back again and again, to see how it regrows and changes.
< Chris Donochod is looking ahead with his Big Pillow Brewing, which flooded when the waters rose in Hot Springs. He hopes to reopen in December and have his taproom in full swing by spring, when he typically sees the most thru-hikers pausing for a meal while they resupply food or switch out gear. They represent an important part of his businesses.
Hot Springs “will be somewhat ready for hikers,” Donochod said Thursday. He added a caveat, though: “I’m really not sure what the town will look like at that point.” >
I'm sure everyone would like to get the trail up and running ASAP -- along with all the other infrastructure -- in order to get the tourist money.
About the issue raised in the article of the trail not being as peaceful, I suppose that may be the case for some hikers. But in my experience, it's really fascinating to see a storm or fire damaged area, and observe how nature regenerates itself.
< Visual evidence of a violent storm can strip away the beauty and solace many find in wilderness, he said.
“If you like the Appalachian Trail the way that it was, and it gets devastated, you’re going to be reminded of the disaster,” he said. “And that’s an impact of the disaster that can last for a decade plus.” >
Moreover, you might want to come back again and again, to see how it regrows and changes.
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