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 on the trail today!
Clearing brush on the uphill side is essential to a trail’s survival. You can often completely ignore the downhill brush.
In this jungle, rhododendrons often lean their way into the trail corridor.
When rebuilding a section of trail, first scrape the leaves aside so you can use them later to naturalize. With luck, no one will ever know you were there — the ultimate goal in wilderness trail work.
Pine Gap Trail has serious water issues that need to be resolved. In the warmer months the water is just messy and erosive, but now that winter has arrived this north-facing slope gets no sun and can build up treacherous ice on the trail.
