Tales From The Wood Booger: Working Walk Through My AT Section (Round Knob Rd. To Big Butt)

Friday, April 7, 2023

Working Walk Through My AT Section (Round Knob Rd. To Big Butt)

With the start of the Appalachian Trail (AT) Thru-Hiking Season. However, behind the scenes, another season has started, and that is the maintenance of the trail. So, what this means for me is I have taken on the task of a part of the 2,000+ miles of the AT. My section stretches from Round Knob Road Connector (AT MM-300.8) to Big Butt (AT MM-303.7). In this three-mile section, there is a shelter, Jerry Cabin (AT MM-301.8). So, when Paul Curtin, Trail Supervisor at the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC). He was going out with me on a walk-through of my section with the main goal of maintenance at Jerry Cabin. What that really meant was recycling the privy.

See, I came to oversee this section after I ran into Dave Jones when I was camping at Jones Meadow last October. He told me the CMC was looking for maintainers and he said the section with Jerry Cabin was open since this area of the AT also has one of my favorite spots Coldsprings Mountain Meadow (AT MM-302.8). I also love the old Jerry Cabin Shelter, so I decided to take it on. I had talked to Paul, and he suggested a walk-through. We first thought December, which became January, then February before long March had arrived. We had planned to go on March 19, but we had a really fridged cold snap (wind chills in the single digits) that made it impossible to do what we needed...safely. So, we settled on the 30th. While this was my first time on my section, it was my first time working with the CMC. As I have mentioned, I went out in December, January, and then March.

Last October

Trail work (L) Dec., (TR) Jan., & (BR) Mar.

So, I met Paul and met at Allen Gap. Then we rode up together to Jones Meadow which we were hiking out of. Well, it was a good thing, Viking Mountain Road was in the worst shape I have ever seen. I hope they scrape it...soon! While we had four miles to hike to reach the shelter, we took the AT over Big Firescald Knob for the incredible view. Once we reached the AT Southend of my section at the Round Knob Road Connector. The first we noticed was that the trail sign was missing. Then we reached a large down tree. Sadly, it was what I called the Elephant Tree.

Trip to Jones Meadow

(T) Old Camp Creek Bald Lean-to (Paul didn't know about it), (B) On the AT past my tree.

Views from Big Firescald Knob

(L) The Round Knob post in 2020, (R) Now it was gone.

The sad end of the Elephant Tree

When we finally reached Jerry Cabin Shelter where we first had lunch, and then we got to work. See the privy here is the moldering type. After taking the top off, you dig out the last bin about three feet. Then, you shovel the contents of that one into the last bin. All the while, pick the trash out (thankfully, I brought my trash picker), which was quite a haul. Then you shovel the crap into the second hole and cover it with leaves and put the wood covers back over. Yes, it smells as bad as you think, but it has to be done. We did get a lot of thanks from thru-hikers, so that was cool.

Working at Jerry Cabin Shelter

Anyway, that was really all we had time for, and headed back to Jones Meadow. Paul left a little ahead of me, and he went back to the AT. Since I was pretty gassed, I went via the Bad Weather Trail, and I was the first back. Oh, one more thing at Allen Gap Pisgah National Forest finally replaced that ramshackle sign so it matches the newer Cherokee one. Well, the thing about maintenance is that there never is really an off-season...