Trail Work

A tree had fallen across Pine Gap Trail and was removed by volunteers today.    

After braving the snow covered trail today to reach the icy Hawksbill summit, Wild South volunteers were able to scrub the rock clean of recent graffiti.  This is only a warm-up exercise for work to come because this charcoal mess … Continued

Volunteer crew worked in the snow today along the Kistler Highway bordering Linville Gorge.  Trails were too icy and dangerous for trail work, so instead the roadsides and campsites got a nice trash pickup.  

Trailbed restoration on Pine Gap Trail today, following up on the great brush work last weekend.  This is the tough stuff, but it’s the part that lasts.  Kayakers carrying their boats down the trail immediately noticed the improvement. Even day hikers with … Continued

A great crew did amazing work today on Pine Gap Trail, clearing brush back on the uphill side of the trail to uncover the original trailbed.  Clippings were used to tie down the badly eroded corridor.  Some sturdy rock work was rediscovered. … Continued

Wild South has stepped up to sponsor the trail restoration project along the Linville River corridor this winter.  Today there was some planning in the field and also the beginning of restoration efforts on the Pine Gap Trail.  Lots of dangerous ice … Continued

A host of hemlocks, killed by the wooly adelgid, are beginning to fall throughout the gorge.  The problem is serious in the north end, where giant snags four feet in diameter will soon block trails and have to be cleared … Continued

It would be nice if we in the gorge community could make it a habit to check for campfires abandoned on Sunday afternoons.  Especially on three day weekends, these ticking time bombs are frequently seen at popular sites.  

Full beer cans are heavy but people carry them in anyway.  Empty cans weigh almost nothing and take up little space, yet are typically left behind.  No worries — somebody else will pick them up.      

Crew restored a campsite out of control today.  Whole trees had been laid across the fire ring.  A site similar to this started the 2013 Table Rock Fire, when an abandoned campfire climbed over the stones and along an oversized log.