News (blog)

Don't forget our upcoming club meeting on Tuesday.  Show up around 6:30 for a bit of socializing. This is our annual business meeting which will begin at 7pm. We will be voting on 3 new Board members and 1 encumbent. Great presentation by Leonard Adkins will follow.

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Theresa

Please check out www.appalachiantrail.org/updates for the latest updates regarding the impact Hurricane Sandy has had on the Appalachian Trail.

Hurricane Sandy will have major impacts on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England states. If you had planned to hike this week, postpone your plans.  If you are hiking now, use extreme caution during and following the storm. Please honor the closures below by exiting the Trail. Impacts from flooding and tree damage from high winds are likely to be extensive. Small stream crossings will become extremely hazardous with rainfall exceeding 6-to-8 inches in some locations. Emergency response may be delayed or nonexistent due to heavily taxed resources and access issues. Cell and electronic communications may not be available for an extended period. In some areas of the trail, users should be prepared for the potential of snow accumulation that could hinder foot travel and hasten the threat for hypothermia or frostbite. Hikers should always remember their obligations to potential rescuers, and stay safe and out of trouble. This is your responsibility!

Several areas that the Appalachian Trail passes through have been closed or have issued alerts. Pay attention to local agency closures and weather alerts for more information.  Known closures:

NH White Mountain National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/whitemountain

VT Green Mountain National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/greenmountain/alerts-notices/?aid=15249 

New York State parks www.governor.ny.gov 

NYDEC (state forests) http://nynjtc.org/content/catskill-trails-updates 

New Jersey State Parks http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/ 

Maryland State Parks: http://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2012/10/28/maryland-state-parks-closing-for-hurricane-sandy/

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: http://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm

Pennsylvania State Forests (Michaux SF): www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/michaux/index.htm

C&O National Historical Park: www.facebook.com/chesapeakeandohiocanal

www.nps.gov/choh

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: www.nps.gov/hafe 

Shenandoah National Park: www.nps.gov/shen

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm

Monitor National Weather Service for up-to-date forecasts and local conditions as well as agency websites for closures and advisories. Be prepared with extra food, water, batteries, clothing and find adequate shelter during the storm.

Special Note to A.T. Maintainers: Please do not venture into the woods until any damage has time to settle, and follow local agency closures and permissions before venturing out. As you learn more, please let your ATC staff know about conditions on the Trail.

Running late is better than not running at all...

Anyone with information to contribute to the final newsletter of 2012, please do not delay! Currently, missing activities, new members, maintenance, etc.  Photos are welcome, but please get approvals from those in the photos before submitting.

THANKS!! Your participation is really appreciated!

Katie V.

kdveilleux@nc.rr.com

People are saying great things about this course sponsored by Blue Ridge Mountain Sports.

Check it out here WFA_flyer_2012summerautumn_BRMS_v7.pdf 

Hello ODATCers,

A newsletter will be coming out at the end of August. It has been a long, hot summer, perhaps you've braved the heat for some outdoor activities. Please submit a paragraph about what you've done and a photo or two if you have them.

Your contributions will be greatly appreciated. Just submit to odatc.newsletter@gmail.com.

Thanks!!

Katie

Thanks to our club sponsored trail magic event last month. 

It inspired even more magic from 2 club members...

The Sunday after the official club trail magic day (I had a conflict) my wife Carol and I headed to the trail for a bit of magic. We had planned on setting up at Dripping Rocks, but found it already occupied by more magic-ers. We headed down to the Tye river crossing. We had the grill set up in the back of the truck and Carol had a serious spread laid out . I cooked burgers, dogs and brats and she oversaw everything else. Two hiking friends on the way back from their 40^th anniversary trip stopped by to help. We ended up feeding 18 through hikers.

Sure enjoyed the magic from the other side last year. Almost as much fun on this side.

Russ & Carol Starke

Dear Maintaining-Club Leaders:

I’m writing to bring to your attention the upcoming publication of a landmark book about our work, The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail, as part of our observation of the Trail’s 75th anniversary this summer.  Copublished with Rizzoli International, a leader in high-end illustrated books, it won’t be be on store shelves September 25 but has already been rated in the top 10 of fall travel titles by “Publishers Weekly.”

This 332-page hard-cover book, with the foreword written by Bill Bryson at our request, combines more than 300 stunning current images from all parts of the Trail with a survey history of the Trailundefinedfrom Benton MacKaye’s imaginings in 1921 to as recently as this January, as well as a brief essay on what climate change might mean for the A.T.  Included are images of numerous artifacts from the early years and a number of photographs from the scrapbooks of Myron Avery and others that have never been published.  The hiking experience is covered, but the point of the book is the untold story of building, protecting, and managing “the people’s path” for the people.

Contact information for all clubs is included in the appendix, since we hope readers will become involved not only nationally but locally.  A reproduction of the cover is attached, with some further information.

Clubs with active sales sites of their own might wish to purchase copies from us for resale.  They and others might want to buy a few as gifts for volunteers being honored at year-end occasions or for other purposes.  Also, we hope you can find ways to bring this book to the attention of your members (and local bookstores!); individual preorders are being taken now at www.atctrailstore.org.

As always, clubs are able to purchase from us at a 40 percent discount off the retail price ($50 in this case).  If you are able to preorder before the Trail’s 75th-anniversary date of August 14, we will make that discount 43 percent for this title.  (Higher discounts are available for orders of more than 100.)  All orders should be placed through our sales manager, Renee Rodgers, at (888) 287-8673 or rrodgers@appalachiantrail.org.  We expect to be able to start shipping preorders by September 20.

And, thanks for all your fine work!

     Mark

Mark Wenger

Executive Director

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

P.O. Box 807 | 799 Washington Street

Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807

Phone: 304.535.2200 x116

Fax: 304.535.2667

mwenger@appalachiantrail.org

www.appalachiantrail.org

Please check out the latest copy of the July & August Walker under the newsletter menu. 

Thanks Katie for all your hard work on this!

Shuttle Bus from Bear to There

Tom Kneipp, Park Ranger, Bear Creek Lake State Park

In the early 20th century, some of the great National Parks, out west, used shuttle buses to move visitors to the various panoramic sites, even to other National Parks. Some visitors had arrived by train and so needed transportation, and also the shuttle was a way to avoid vehicle congestion at popular sites. National Parks like the Grand Canyon and Denali make routine use of shuttles to protect pristine environments. So expand your horizons! Explore a new world, and leave the driving to us!

A shuttle will be available at Bear Creek Lake State Park on Saturday June 2, 2012 to take hikers to several points along the Willis River Trail, in the Cumberland State Forest, so that they can hike back to the Park. This will allow them to avoid either backtracking to return to the Park, or using two vehicles to get back and forth.

The Willis River Trail is a wonderful 16 mile linear trail developed by the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. It winds through several distinct ecosystems found in the piedmont. It is a recreational gem waiting to be enjoyed. The BCL Shuttle will let folks off at three and six mile points up the trail, further by request. A Park Volunteer will act as a "sweep" to ensure folks get going the correct way. While it is regularly maintained, it is still a narrow hiking trail. Its use is for prepared hikers who have some experience. The terrain does not have long steep grades, but will involve some unlevel terrain on slopes and creek crossings with banks. If you like to hike and want to discover the Willis River Trail, this is a good introduction.

On Sunday, the shuttle will take BCLSP visitors on a day trip to High Bridge Trail State Park. We will let folks off at a parking lot about a mile or so from the iconic High Bridge itself. After a couple hours visiting this "rails to trails" Park, we'll shuttle folks back to Bear Creek Lake, stopping at both the campground and the cabin area.

There is a $5 per person fee for the shuttle (family rates available), and spaces are limited. For more information and to register for a seat, contact the Park Office at 804-492-4410, or bearcreek@dcr.virginia.gov.