Cadillac Crew supports the Shenandoah Valley Chapter and gives the AT some love
By Karen Brown, Bev Carver, et. al.
A perk of being a roving trail crew is enjoying the variety of landscapes here in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Cadillac Crew travels the length and breadth of PATC’s trails, helping trail maintainers wherever their path is damaged by overuse or natural forces. Many enthusiastic stewards have little to no trail maintenance training, so the crew looks to District Managers and Chapter Heads to steer us toward volunteers struggling to meet their goals. We engage with them on their projects, sharing what we’ve learned from our years working the trails and in turn learning from the stewards about their experiences.
An email was sent from the Cadillac Crew to Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter (SSVC) President Pam Heinrich that they were looking for a December project in the southern section of SNP. Pam, who is the ultimate communicator and networker, immediately forwarded the outreach request to Dave Bowen, South District AT Manager, and Mark Perschel, President of the PATC Charlottesville Chapter, and also included trail maintainer Bev Carver because she was aware that Dave and Bev were concerned about deteriorating waterbars on her section of AT at Loft Mountain.
On December 1, Pam and Bev, along with Cadillac Crew heads Dan and Ellen Feer, scouted Bev’s section, a popular piece of the AT in the SNP near Loft Mountain Campground. It starts at the camp store and runs 1.1 miles north to the intersection with the Discovery Trail. Bev, who's been working her Loft Mountain section for 20 years, was spending much of her time keeping the heavily-vegetated path clear, removing smaller blowdowns that could be handled with a hand saw, and sweeping leaves out of waterbars, but the problems of the uneven, disappearing trail itself and dilapidated waterbars were a constant and just getting worse. Dan and Ellen Feer noticed many areas where the trail was washed out and the tread covered with hazardous protruding rocks and roots. They could see that the dilapidated waterbars–what Dan calls dragons’ teeth–needed to be replaced and multiplied by long-lasting, easy-to-maintain rolling grade dips. Obstructing rocks, roots, and fallen trees would be removed.
Since the SNP Loft Mountain Campground was gated and closed for the season, Pam and Bev coordinated with Corrina Wendel, SNP Volunteer and Youth Program Manager, and Ranger Eric Yount, NPS to get Agreements and 301b forms completed so that the large group could stage at the Loft Mountain Camp Store parking lot. On a frosty December 14 Saturday morning 18 crew members (Amanda Alleyne, Janet Arici, Eddie Becton, Martha Becton, Karen Brown, Alice DeCarlo, Kirsten Elowsky, Ellen Feer, Dan Feer, Robert Fina, Chris Glembocki, Bill Greenan, Molly McKInley, Don Oellerich, Steve Phillips, Cat Randall, Tysha Robinson, and Ellen Shaw) joined Bev and fellow SSVC trail maintainers Kevin Cwalina and Michael Seth at the camp store parking lot. Where was the work trip “linchpin” Pam? She had been detained–her grandbaby had decided to come into the world that very day! Armed with a truckload of macleods, shovels, pick mattocks, digging bars and other tools, we divided up with Bill Greenan’s group starting at the top, Kirsten Elowsky’s below him, Dan’s working a steep uphill grade, and Molly McKInley working with the SSVC folks above them. Walking the section with Bev, famed Cadillac Crew trail boss Robert Fina flagged areas needing water control and showed how to construct the rolling grade dips, then spent the day shuttling between groups, encouraging and joining in to help each work their sections with success.
By the end of the day the trail was really transformed. Tread had been cleared, downed trees sawed and removed, and 15 new rolling grade dips built. After leafing in, the trail didn’t look new, just much more inviting. All the improvements would make it far easier to hike as well as maintain! Working together, the SSVC team had learned some important maintenance techniques and the Cadillac Crew had honed their skills on Bev’s beautiful section.
Back at the parking lot we cleaned and packed up our tools and headed for the home of the Barbers, long-time PATC and beloved Cadillac Crew members. There we celebrated the end of our trail year with a holiday feast, complete with a visit from a Special Guest who brought presents for all–cool high-vis green shirts emblazoned with the Cadillac Crew and PATC insignias.
Finally, no matter how big or small the trail you maintain, if those pesky trail demons of rocks and washouts are getting you down, contact your area District Manager or Chapter President and let’s get together to make your section the best it can be. And if this is your kind of weekend, reach out to the Feers at ccrewpatc@gmail.com and join the crew.
