Government shutdown...

[dug]

Doubtful this would impact NH, with so much volunteer and state employees doing this job, but worth noting:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/02/partial-shutdown-complicates-search-for-missing-idaho-hiker/

 

[TJsName]

The AT is not just one entity, it goes over private, local, state and federal lands. ATC manages it as National Scenic Trail under contract with the National Park Service. Therefore your question would have multiple different answers. If the land is not federal land, then it reasonable to assume that it is still open. This should apply to state lands. Your best shot would be to figure out who the regional maintaining location is and make a specific inquiry. In theory those clubs would have detailed ownership info on the trail corridor Do note that the ATC is privately funded and therefore they will answer the phone and can direct you to the local maintaining organization. Where it might get stickier is where the NPS has an easement over other lands not owned by the federal government. In that case, the NPS has the right to run the trail over other public or private land but they don't own the land under it. Given the NPS statement that NPS protections usually in place on the trail are not in effect with the shutdown, a property owner with an easement may elect to stop hikers from using their land as they may be concerned that they are opening themselves up for potential liability.

Given the apparent blanket statement by ATC that all trail volunteers are to cease maintaining the AT and side trail (without distinguishing between federal and other lands)they may be interpreting things differently.

The USFS volunteers only adopt trails on Federal Land. Trails not on federal land that are maintained by groups logically shouldn't be affected, but I don't know what agreements are in place.

 

[Snowflea]

So... technically speaking, clearing those couple of blowdowns and waterbars on the AT yesterday was illegal? Such civil disobedients we are!!

 

[Bob]

So... technically speaking, clearing those couple of blowdowns and waterbars on the AT yesterday was illegal? Such civil disobedients we are!!

hopefully the NSA is shut down and won't read that comment.

oops- I mean I Love the NSA!

 

[Billy]

Is Base Station Road (the road leading to Jewell and Ammo trailheads) open?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Base Station Road is not a WMNF road, so I can't imagine it would be closed.

Tim

 

[iagreewithjamie]

The USFS and AMC both cover their trail maintenance volunteers with liability insurance. If something happens to a volunteer doing work on behalf of the organization while the trails are officially closed due to the shutdown, there would be no liability coverage and the volunteers would be on their own. Given that not all of the trails under their jurisdiction are on federal lands, they're not going to spend alot of time or money determining which volunteers can keep working on behalf of the organization and which ones have to wait it out.

To err on the side of caution, both organizations have issued directives that NO VOLUNTEERS are to do trail maintenance during this time.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Base Station Road is not a WMNF road, so I can't imagine it would be closed.

Tim

And there's no gate on the road itself, only the USFS parking lot. Closing the Base Station Road itself would likely PO the Cog RR folks as well, given the level of touristo $$ it generates for them.

 

[peakbagger]

The Cog base road is state owned and the Cog is private property as well as I believe the auto road therefore they can not be closed per the WMNF. The summit complex is also owned by the state of NH and possibly one other private entity.

 

[Rainman]

The USFS and AMC both cover their trail maintenance volunteers with liability insurance. If something happens to a volunteer doing work on behalf of the organization while the trails are officially closed due to the shutdown, there would be no liability coverage and the volunteers would be on their own. Given that not all of the trails under their jurisdiction are on federal lands, they're not going to spend alot of time or money determining which volunteers can keep working on behalf of the organization and which ones have to wait it out.

To err on the side of caution, both organizations have issued directives that NO VOLUNTEERS are to do trail maintenance during this time.

If that is true, they need to do better getting the word out. I have not received any information that I should not do maintenance.

 

[peakbagger]

I received a notice from the MATC similar to what Roy posted previously with a bit more info. They didn't send me the attachments. Much of the AT is Maine is on NPS land so effectively the majority of the AT in Maine is technically closed but as there are no gates I expect folks will be using it at their won risk. Those making it to Baxter are okay as the AT Governor Baxter was quite specific that the federal government would not be involved with the park. To date the NPS seems to be far more strident than the USFS in implementing the shutdown.

Dear A.T. Volunteers:

As you all know now, at midnight September 30, the U.S. government shut down. All National Park Service units including the Appalachian National Scenic Trail are closed. All of our ATC Trail crews and seasonal staff are now exiting the woods and will stop working on federal lands for the duration of the shutdown.

A.T. maintainers and Trail club volunteers should cease work on the A.T. and its side trails immediately. The NPS Volunteers in the Parks program (on NPS and some state lands) is suspended. The Volunteers in the Forests program is also suspended. In the event of an accident, lack of those protections would expose A.T. workers, their clubs, and ATC to tort claims and medical costs. Therefore, all A.T. maintenance must cease for the duration of the shutdown.

National park lands are closed to public use. Except for two NPS-APPA NPS law-enforcement officers (Chief Ranger Todd Remaley and Park Ranger Travis Baker), all APPA park personnel have been furloughed, as have most of the staff in the six national park units crossed by the Trail. Incident reporting remains as in the past (see http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/report-an-incident). We urge your compliance in honoring the closures on our national parks and avoiding use of national park lands during the federal government shutdown.

We have learned from the USDA Forest Service that—unless an area can be gated—it will remain open. This is also the case on state lands crossed by the A.T.

The ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional Office in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, is owned by the NPS, and the agency has determined that it must be closed for the duration of the shutdown.

For A.T. volunteers in the states of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, northern Virginia and the Catawba Valley in Southwest Virginia (NPS-APPA administered lands excepting state lands) the attached signs can be laminated and posted at bulletin boards at Trail heads warning the visiting public about the closure. For this task only, volunteers are covered by VIP until noon tomorrow, October 2, 2013. I have also enclosed a fact sheet from the Department of Interior.

If you have any other questions, please call your ATC regional office http://www.appalachiantrail.org/who-we-are/locations or me here at ATC-HQ. We pulled your names from two lists, so there may be duplicates of this email, with apology.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

USFS yes, AMC no.

From the AMC: "AMC volunteers are never covered by AMC liability, so their status, should they get hurt while working on trails, is no different than normal circumstances."

This is shocking to hear. It seems like the least AMC could do.

 

[peakbagger]

This will impact folks plans this weekend. Lafayette place is run by the state and so far the gated roads arent locked so the unimproved camping sites on Cherry Mountain and North Twin roads are going to get busy.

http://nhpr.org/post/federal-shutdown-expands-privately-run-campgrounds-national-forests

 

[iagreewithjamie]

I wonder if there will be any civil disobedience. I think Yellowstone was giving people until today to get out. I wonder how many people will setup camp and refuse to leave. It's probably more of an issue out there where you need permits to even step into the woods, but even still... its prime season in NH, and if I'd taken a week off to camp and enjoy foliage, I don't think there's much that would stop me from doing so.

 

[Driver8]

Does closure of the NFs and of the AT mean that the AMC huts will be closing?

 

[David Metsky]

Does closure of the NFs and of the AT mean that the AMC huts will be closing?

They will remain open.

http://news.outdoors.org/2013/10/mohican-closed-due-to-federal.html

While the U.S. Forest Service is closed, excepting some essential services, the White Mountain National Forest is not under a closure order, so people are free to recreate on the forest. Likewise, special-use-permit holders like AMC are free to continue operations. Therefore, AMC Huts, backcountry campsites and shelters, AMC’s Joe Dodge Lodge, and AMC’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center on the WMNF are open. Visitors should anticipate the closure of some WMNF recreational facilities due to concerns over restroom maintenance and trash disposal. This could include campgrounds.

AMC’s Highland Center and Cardigan Lodge are not located on Forest Service land and so are not impacted by the current budget impasse.

National Scenic Trails Update:
The Appalachian Trail is officially closed across approximately 700 miles of National Park Service lands. However, the Appalachian Trail remains open where it crosses National Forest and state lands. This includes the section of the trail in the White Mountain National Forest. Because of the government shutdown, all Volunteers In Parks (VIP)-Volunteer In Forests (VIF) volunteer programs have been terminated, so volunteer trail maintenance activities on the A.T. have ceased. See the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s trail updates for current information.

 

[JCarter]

So, I just read a report that Pro Sports, Inc (campground concessionaire) is beng forced to close the campgrounds it operates in the WMNF.

Has anyone seen/heard that the WMNF has tried to close/block/or take any action about parking areas at trailheads? I'm particularly interested in the Lincoln Woods area, since I think it has an actual gate. I'm bummed that Hancock Campground is being forced to close, even though it was going to be self-service in about a week anyway.

 

[David Metsky]

Has anyone seen/heard that the WMNF has tried to close/block/or take any action about parking areas at trailheads?

No sign of it so far.

 

[Amicus]

The parking lot at Brickett Place in Evans Notch - the WMNF Ranger station - was open as usual yesterday. The "pay tube" was shrouded in plastic, so that you couldn't pay even if for some reason you wanted to. The outhouses appeared to be both locked and barred, by 2X4s, for emphasis perhaps. No relieving ourselves in comfort until Congress and the Prez get off the pot.

 

[gram]

Our Shenandoah Nat'l Park experience -

On Sept 30 we entered the park from the south and started up Skyline Drive. Did 2 short hikes and arrived at Skyland Lodge where we had reservations for Sept 30 and Oct 1. On the morning of Oct 1 we headed out to the dining room and found a notice taped to our unit's door.

Basically it said that all trails were closed immediately and Skyline Drive was closed for all but essential travel. We had to exit the park from the the middle of Skyline Drive - the east and west exits. The Drive north of the Lodge had been gated and we were thus barred from using the north exit to the Park. So we missed seeing the remaining 35 miles or so of Skyline drive.

You could have stayed in only the "immediate lodging areas" for another day. But unless you were going to sit and read a book, there wasn't much point to that! Skyland Lodge is run by Delaware North. We felt much sympathy for the employees there who are now out of work.

Making the best of a bad situation, we headed to Luray Caverns - great take in! Our remaining time was spent in 2 of VA's state parks that were simply beautiful.