SWEAT Crew Session 5
Derricks Knob to Spence Field Shelter
Day 1
Steve, our only volunteer this week, Matt and Katie headed out on the morning of
day one, being sent off by Meg, Julia, and David, who stood in for Chloë as she taught
a Leave No Trace course for CLC. After a few pit stops were made on the way to the
trailhead, at the grocery store, getting gas, and the backcountry office, we made it to
the trailhead. From there we crushed some miles up to Derrick’s Knob, making it
luckily before the rain. At the shelter we ran into Maury, the ridge runner, once
again and conversed with her while dinner was being made. The night went well,
except for the Bard owl that decided to wake us all up at 2 o’clock in the morning,
hooting above our tents!
Day 2
After breakfast and a quick stretch circle, since there were only three of us, we did a
quick orientation to trail maintenance and then began working. The morning
consisted of sun and clouds as we worked, but midday we got poured on, however
we were lucky enough that the rain only lasted about 45 minutes and we were able
to dry out some. But the rain gave us the opportunity to see our waterbars in action!
We did have a friend in a deer as we worked though; we saw him multiple times
during the day and had an eight-point rack.
Day 3
We worked on some awesome steps during the morning, making a steep section of
trail much nicer. It took us a while to find a nice log, and then a while longer to cut it
into the size we needed, but eventually we got one step in place as it began to rain.
But the rain did not last long, tapering off not long after it began. We then put in
another step, making the section of trail even better! After lunch, we headed down
to where we stopped the day before and continued working on waterbars and
brushing. But the time we made it back to camp it had begun to rain again, but later
we had a nice sunset and blue sky.
Day 4
We hiked out to our stopping place from day three and continued working, one
person on swingblade, one on waterbars, and one on lopping. We worked all day on
Brier Knob, ending the day at the top, where Matt was unfortunately stung by a
yellow jacket, but thankfully it was the end of the day, so he took some Benadryl and
then we began our hike back to camp. After arriving back at camp and making pasta,
it began to rain on us once again, so we all retired to our tents for the night.
Day 5
After a nice, beautiful morning, we began our trek out to work. Climbing Brier Knob
was tough, due to the steep slope, but we made it to the top and from there kept
working south, mainly working on brushing as that section of trail was very
overgrown. We moved slowly throughout the day, as the brushing was really hard,
but the work done was really great and rewarding, especially walking back through
what we had brushed. Steve got stung today, but luckily he is not allergic, so no
Benadryl was needed. The day was gorgeous, a little hot, but blue-sky overhead and
sun and at camp we talked about taking showers the next day!
Day 6
We got up early, packed up our stuff, ate breakfast, did stretch circle and then began
our hike out. On the way out, we stopped by the waterfalls we had hiked past on the
way in, the falls were gorgeous and Matt got in, walking under the falls. Once we
were off trail, we then took a detour to Cades Cove, since neither Steve nor Katie had
been there before and we were so close. We drove around the loop, took a picture
on the van, and got stuck in a bear jam. After our detour, we made it back to Soak
Ash for some homemade pizza made by Chloë. Our crew session came to a great end
and Steve was the volunteer of the week!
SWEAT Crew Session 4
SWEAT Crew Session 4
Dry Sluice Gap to Hughes Ridge Trail
Day 1
The crew, consisting of the Conservation Leadership Corps -Adri, Ni, Lucy, and Jay-
Cal, our wonderful and only non-CLC volunteer, and Chloë, who was standing in for
Matt who had to attend his sisters wedding. We headed out from Newfound Gap,
hiking towards False Gap. On our hike in we lunched at Icewater Spring Shelter, and
later passed Charlie’s Bunion. We also ran into two lovely ladies right before False
Gap that we had met at Mollie’s Shelter the week before! After making it to camp
and setting up just in time, it began to rain, which then turned into a thunderstorm,
but due to Cal’s great tarp work, we were able to stay dry before settling into our
tents for the night.
Day 2
After some decision making, we decided False Gap was not the best basecamp for
our crew, so we packed up and headed out to relocate at Hughes Ridge Cabin. We
avoided rain and thunderstorms on our way to our new camp, catching gorgeous
views from Laurel Top and Bradley’s View. Both of these views were untouched by
signs of civilization for as far you could see! After arriving at Hughes Ridge Cabin, we
took a short break and then began to set up camp, once again just in time as it began
to rain again. That night we were once again lulled to sleep by the sound of thunder.
Day 3
Our first day of work! We hiked up to Bradley’s View, where we took our morning
break, and were Chloë left us, and just enjoyed the gorgeous view of mountains
stretching out before us. We worked south on the A.T., clearing a heavy brushing
area and waterbars. Leanna met us around two, replacing Chloë! She was a welcome
sight to see and brought much energy to the group. That evening around dinner, we
caught Leanna up on what we had done the first two days and it once again rained
as we got ready for bed.
Day 4
Today we split up into two groups, one headed out to False Gap and the other group
worked from our stopping point from the day before. Maury, the ridge runner,
joined us today, which was awesome! We were able to clear all the waterbars
between False Gap and Bradley’s View, and hit the very bad grown-up sections of
brush. Maury also joined us for dinner that night, which was finally a storm free
night and we were able to eat out from under the tarp!
Day 5
We worked under a beautiful blue sky and sun today, working back from Bradley’s
View to Hughes Ridge trail. We finished clearing all the waterbars and brushing
through that section as well as installing one new waterbar. We then finished the
day out by clearing a few waterbars on the Hughes Ridge trail on the way down to
Peck’s Corner Shelter and then tiredly tromping out way back to camp. We made
jokes and Jay gave us some replays of what had happened on the radio today as
Shepard’s pie was prepared for dinner. That night we went to bed with showers on
our minds.
Day 6
Hike out day! Our hike out was along Hughes Ridge trail, then onto Bradley Fork
trail, eventually coming out into the Smokemont Campground. We were packed,
done with stretch circle, and on trail by 7:40! The crew crushed the miles as we
made our way down the mountain, passing over many blow downs from all the
storms. We were lucky that is did not rain on us as we hiked and the clouds actually
gave way to sun as the day progressed. When we finally made it to the Smokemont
Campground, Cal, Jay, Leanna, Lucy, and Adri, waded their way into the creek to cool
down their tired feet and enjoy the cold water. The crew was glad to back at the van
and we made our way to back to basecamp for some ice cream and pizza!
Dry Sluice Gap to Hughes Ridge Trail
Day 1
The crew, consisting of the Conservation Leadership Corps -Adri, Ni, Lucy, and Jay-
Cal, our wonderful and only non-CLC volunteer, and Chloë, who was standing in for
Matt who had to attend his sisters wedding. We headed out from Newfound Gap,
hiking towards False Gap. On our hike in we lunched at Icewater Spring Shelter, and
later passed Charlie’s Bunion. We also ran into two lovely ladies right before False
Gap that we had met at Mollie’s Shelter the week before! After making it to camp
and setting up just in time, it began to rain, which then turned into a thunderstorm,
but due to Cal’s great tarp work, we were able to stay dry before settling into our
tents for the night.
Day 2
After some decision making, we decided False Gap was not the best basecamp for
our crew, so we packed up and headed out to relocate at Hughes Ridge Cabin. We
avoided rain and thunderstorms on our way to our new camp, catching gorgeous
views from Laurel Top and Bradley’s View. Both of these views were untouched by
signs of civilization for as far you could see! After arriving at Hughes Ridge Cabin, we
took a short break and then began to set up camp, once again just in time as it began
to rain again. That night we were once again lulled to sleep by the sound of thunder.
Day 3
Our first day of work! We hiked up to Bradley’s View, where we took our morning
break, and were Chloë left us, and just enjoyed the gorgeous view of mountains
stretching out before us. We worked south on the A.T., clearing a heavy brushing
area and waterbars. Leanna met us around two, replacing Chloë! She was a welcome
sight to see and brought much energy to the group. That evening around dinner, we
caught Leanna up on what we had done the first two days and it once again rained
as we got ready for bed.
Day 4
Today we split up into two groups, one headed out to False Gap and the other group
worked from our stopping point from the day before. Maury, the ridge runner,
joined us today, which was awesome! We were able to clear all the waterbars
between False Gap and Bradley’s View, and hit the very bad grown-up sections of
brush. Maury also joined us for dinner that night, which was finally a storm free
night and we were able to eat out from under the tarp!
Day 5
We worked under a beautiful blue sky and sun today, working back from Bradley’s
View to Hughes Ridge trail. We finished clearing all the waterbars and brushing
through that section as well as installing one new waterbar. We then finished the
day out by clearing a few waterbars on the Hughes Ridge trail on the way down to
Peck’s Corner Shelter and then tiredly tromping out way back to camp. We made
jokes and Jay gave us some replays of what had happened on the radio today as
Shepard’s pie was prepared for dinner. That night we went to bed with showers on
our minds.
Day 6
Hike out day! Our hike out was along Hughes Ridge trail, then onto Bradley Fork
trail, eventually coming out into the Smokemont Campground. We were packed,
done with stretch circle, and on trail by 7:40! The crew crushed the miles as we
made our way down the mountain, passing over many blow downs from all the
storms. We were lucky that is did not rain on us as we hiked and the clouds actually
gave way to sun as the day progressed. When we finally made it to the Smokemont
Campground, Cal, Jay, Leanna, Lucy, and Adri, waded their way into the creek to cool
down their tired feet and enjoy the cold water. The crew was glad to back at the van
and we made our way to back to basecamp for some ice cream and pizza!
SWEAT Crew Session 3
SWEAT Crew Session 3
Written with the help of the whole crew
Little Bald to Gregory Bald Trail
Day 1
Majestic
Matt led our 9-mile ascent to magnificent Mollies Ridge. The weather was hot
and muggy with afternoon thunder. On our way in, we saw a bear as we were
approaching Russell Field shelter’s water source and a rattlesnake as we closed
in on Mollies Ridge shelter, which was just the beginning of all the wildlife
we saw this session. We made it to our camp that evening after a grueling hike
up Russell Field trail before hitting the A.T. and after Noah and James cleared
a blowdown along the way, and set up our tents behind the shelter.
Day 2
After
stretch circle, we headed out south on the A.T., working our way to Gregory
Bald trail. We make it about a mile and a half clearing waterbars and the
corridor. Matt, our fearless leader, was attacked by a bee at 9:13am and was
incapacitated by Benadryl by the afternoon, so he made his way back to camp to
rest. The rest of the crew continued on working, James and Noah saw another
bear, and by 4 o’clock we found ourselves an unknown distance from camp
(estimated mile and a half). David went forging for water, which he luckily
found under the blue blaze at Ekaneetlee Gap, before we headed back to camp to
be greeted by Matt who was prepping for dinner. After dinner, as Matt and James
were cleaning dishes, they found out someone had used our sump hole as their
privy!
Day 3
We
worked our way towards Little Bald in the morning. Sean was supposed to meet us
today, but he got held up in the office. So after lunch we headed back to the
shelter, where we stopped to refill on water and talk to some hikers. From the
shelter we kept on towards Gregory Bald trail, working from where we ended on
day two, clearing waterbar’s and brushing. On our way back to camp we came
across to more bears and later that night we also hog watched as a herd of hogs
came near camp.
Day 4
Sean
finally made it to camp in the morning after being held up all day at the
office the day before. From there we headed out to work on tread all day! Sean
left at lunch, but not before he and Matt saw another bear, but fear not we
were later greeted by the man himself, Randy Puckett (don’t worry Andy, we told
him you said hi). During our tread work, we also angered a nest of yellow
jackets and had to leave a section at the end of our sidehill alone, but we
completed about 206 feet of bench work!
Day 5
We
headed out to finish a section of tread work that we had begun at the end of
the day before. After finishing that section, we split up into two groups and
one group headed out to the end of our section, Gregory Bald trail, while the
other group worked from where we had stopped on day three towards the Gregory
Bald trail. The two groups ended up meeting around lunch, and after lunch we
worked on two short sections that desperately needed sidehill work. We also had
some trail magic, as Brad, a volunteer from session one and two, hiked up to
see us for the afternoon and brought us apples and bananas (however, he forgot
the cookies Chloë had asked him to hike up to us)!
Day 6
Hike out
day! We packed all our gear and the crew was on trail a few minutes after
8:00am, ready for a mostly downhill hike, which proved much easier than our
hike in. It took us about four hours to hike out, where we ended up in the
Cades Cove picnic area to the smell of some really good food being cooked over
fires. We then made it back to basecamp, where the crew cleaned the tools and
put away all the crew gear, and everyone finally got to shower! Chloë then
cooked us a great meal of burgers, veggie burgers, and salad, and we had the
rest of the night to hangout and talk before our awesome crew members left the
next day.
SWEAT Crew Session 2
SWEAT Crew Session 2
Pecks Corner to Balsam Mountain Trail
Day 1
After
eating a wonderful breakfast prepared by our Chloë, Matt and the crew headed
out with Sean to Newfound Gap. The first day consisted of the crew- Matt, Sean,
Bryce, Greg, Britt, Jessie, Evan, and Brad- hiking 11 miles in to Hughes Ridge
Cabin where we set up camp. Once making it to camp it was discovered that both
Britt and Bryce had forgotten to empty their packs after crew fit and had ended
up carrying in a few extra pounds in the form of sandbags! Thankfully, Sean
packed the sandbags out when he headed out Saturday. Around camp, Bryce made
himself comfortable, having packed in two roll pads and two sleeping bags,
while that night Britt found out his roll pad had a hole in it.
Day 3
Today we
cut the cheese – a two-pound block of cheese that Chloë sent in to the field
with us- and in less than 48 hours the crew devoured it.
Day 4
Katie
hiked in today to meet the crew after attending her brothers wedding, meeting
the crew as they were enjoying their lunch at a nice overview and from there we
continued on cleaning waterbars and brushing throughout the afternoon. Bryce,
who had left basecamp wearing a white shirt and white pants, was a sight to see
as his once white clothes were now stained by dirt and mud and was a testament
to all the work the crew had been doing. After dinner had been cooked by our
chef Brad, and dishes had been cleaned, we caught up on the latest
interworking’s of the National Park Service via our radio and then we piled
into Hughes Ridge Cabin to sleep (which to Matt felt like summer camp all over
again).
Day 5
This was
our big push day – Matt, Brad, Evan, and Bryce hiked 5.3 miles to Tri-Corner while Greg, Britt, Jessie, and Katie worked from the
day four stopping point towards Tri-Corner. After arriving at Tri-Corner, the
group ate lunch, filled up on water, and then began working back towards Pecks
Corner and the other group. The day was filled with long miles of work and the
crews came within a couple of 100 yards of meeting each other to finish our
section. After another great mean, we listened to Greg and Britt’s childhood
stories!
Day 6
Hike out
day/shower day! The crew was up and at it by 6:30am and then we were on trail
by 8:00am. Instead of hiking out on the A.T and to Newfound Gap, we took Hughes
Ridge trail to Bradley Fork trail, where we cleared a blowdown along the way, to
Smokemont Loop trail, about 11 miles of downhill. Finally, we arrived at our
crew van and made it back to Soak Ash for a late lunch and crew dinner made by
our beloved camp coordinator, Chloë.
SWEAT Crew, 2016, Session 1 by Joan aka Blue Jay
SWEAT Crew, 2016, Session 1 - Silers Bald Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter
We are the SWEAT Crew, 2016, Session 1. We are a group of 3 crew leaders and 6 volunteers.
Crew leaders are Katie, Matt, and Sean. Volunteers are Andy, Brad, Bryce, Jeff, Joan, and Ray.
We are from 5 states and range in age from 21 to 64. Some have completed hiking the AT
before; all feel the pull to help maintain this national treasure. We gathered on Sunday 6/5 at
the Soak Ash crew house for a gear and physical fitness shake down. We all passed! We had a
delightful meal and started transitioning from strangers to an organized work crew.
On Monday, 6/6, we drove to Clingmans Dome; our base camp is at Silers Bald shelter. We
hiked carrying packs heavier than some of us were accustomed to carry. We hiked with bluets,
Solomon Seal, and blackberry blossoms. Birds sang their sweet songs of welcome to the
backcountry. We arrived at Silers and set up our tents. It was (mostly) an easy day and the
weather proved to be delightful. We enjoyed a group meal and evening camaraderie, hopped
in our tents around sunset, and dreamed about hard labor.
Tuesday was our first work day. By 8 am, we were all ready for a day of hard work and a labor
of love for a trail that has special and personal meaning to all of us. The AT lives in the hearts
and minds of so many people all over the world. We, the Smokies Wilderness Elite, felt a sense
of honor and pride to be among its caretakers for a week. On this day that gave us perfect
weather, we – among other things - created 3 new water bars, cleaned out many existing water
bars, added stone treads over a sloggy wet area, cut back brush, reclaimed a short section
rerouted by hikers, found and crushed rocks for trail repair, and managed to stay safe and
happy all day. We retraced our steps back to base camp and were very pleased to hike over our
hard work. We enjoyed a community meal, assembled back at Soak Ash and rehydrated over
our camp stove in a huge pot. We had strong winds most of the night that sounded like flowing
water. The night was clear with a zazillion stars and was considerable cooler than our first
night.
Wednesday, 6/8, was our second work day. We awoke to a cool, clear, and beautiful morning.
We all were thankful for the weather, even with hats, gloves, and jackets on. We started our
day again with our Safety Circle. In Circle we learn a bit more about the lives of our fellow crew
members, we do a pretty complete set of stretches, and we remind ourselves about safety
issues that we could face in the day ahead. Like yesterday, we encountered various creatures
that call these woods their homes. There have been huge worms, snails, bright yellow spiders,
Jordan salamanders, bees, inch worms, and a few deer. We move critters as we work and try to
put them back in their homes when we finish. They are good and vivid reminders that we share
this lovely trail with creatures large and small, and they are part of what makes this trail, with
all its unique and abundant life, so special for so many. Again, we feel the honor of our work,
and that less-than- perfect night in our tents or those muscle aches become less significant to
us. We encounter hikers along the trail in our work. We shout “hiker up” so those working
ahead can put down tools and let the hikers pass safely. Often, very often, the hikers thank us
for what we are doing. That feels pretty good! What's a bit of dirt – actually a whole lot of dirt
– on our work clothes compared to the knowledge that we have helped to make someone’s
outdoor experience a good one?
Thursday, 6/9. Our third work day. It was a bit harder to get out of our tents this morning. Our
minds were willing but we had to push our bodies just a bit more. We were tired from two
good days of work. It's great to hear the pot of water boiling for coffee and breakfast, and our
Crew Leaders make sure we all hear the morning cracking of the whip. Actually Katie and Matt
never push us too hard; they encourage us, as good leaders do. Today was another reminder
that nature is prolific and relentless. We pushed back brush and weeds, knowing that in a few
short seasons it will look like we were never there. We cleared out existing water bars,
knowing that water is nature’s strongest force and rains will erode our good work. Sometimes
it's like the trees and the trail itself are laughing at our noble efforts. Yet we work on. And we
are pleased with our work. And many of us come back for other sessions; we come back for
more. And we love the ache in our backs and the tightness in our muscles and the cold nights
in our tents. We love the group meals. We love to clean the dishes together. We love the hike
back to camp each night, walking over the trail that we tended today and on the rocks that we
set yesterday and seeing the cleared brush from our first day. We know the trail will forget us
in its own good time. But we won't soon forget our time together and our work on this beloved
trail.
Friday, 6/10. Before this blogger tells you about how great Safety Circle was this morning, I
must digress a bit and talk about our meals. Last night’s was especially good. It was a bean
dish. We all joked about beans, of course. Everyone over the age of four jokes about farting
after eating beans. There are a couple serious things, though, one should know about eating
beans and camping. First, don't fart in a tent without really good ventilation. Keep all
vestibules open, no matter how cold or raining it is; it could be lethal otherwise. Second, never,
ever fart while in your zipped up sleeping bag. You can pass out if those smells seep out over
your nostrils. If the fart lingers inside your bag, it will penetrate into the down feathers and you
can never, ever get the smell out. There are reports of people having to burn their sleeping
bags after eating beans and not taking appropriate precautions. It may be a generational thing
or perhaps a gender thing, but some of us have trouble letting one rip when others are in close
proximity. It is not wise to hold things in; there will be trouble in the night. One can imagine a
group tent site the night of a bean dinner - there would be no concerns about bears coming
around! Moving on to this morning’s Safety Circle, the first safety suggestion was to fart often
and loudly. Today was our last workday. It was another glorious day. Bright blue sky and a little
warmer than other days. We have been a productive crew and yesterday we made it all the
way to Derrick Knob shelter, our farthest work point. So today we scouted for rocks to make a
few more water bars. There are large ascents in this section of trail, necessitating water bars.
We found rose quartz, granite, lichen-covered rocks, and rocks older than dirt. Working with
rocks was a good reminder that these Appalachian mountains are among the oldest mountains
on Earth. We smashed rocks to use for fill, used the best and perfect rocks, and built THE BEST
water bars ever made. They are works of art. We sweated in our labors today. We lived up to
our namesake. WE ARE THE SWEAT CREW!
Saturday, 6/11. We broke camp this morning about 8:00 and had our last Safety Circle. Some
of the safety issues today centered around how to eat our cold ice cream shake from the Shake
and Dawg when we get close to home. Our hike out of camp was fast, with a stop at the
Clingmans Dome Tower. We were a van full of hungry workers and there was much talk about
our Shake and Dawg stop. We were more than a little smelly but no one there called us on it. It
was a good week. It was a great week. We left last Monday as strangers; we returned today as
friends. That’s what a week at SWEAT will do for you.
-Written by volunteer Joan aka Blue Jay
We are the SWEAT Crew, 2016, Session 1. We are a group of 3 crew leaders and 6 volunteers.Crew leaders are Katie, Matt, and Sean. Volunteers are Andy, Brad, Bryce, Jeff, Joan, and Ray.
We are from 5 states and range in age from 21 to 64. Some have completed hiking the AT
before; all feel the pull to help maintain this national treasure. We gathered on Sunday 6/5 at
the Soak Ash crew house for a gear and physical fitness shake down. We all passed! We had a
delightful meal and started transitioning from strangers to an organized work crew.
On Monday, 6/6, we drove to Clingmans Dome; our base camp is at Silers Bald shelter. We
hiked carrying packs heavier than some of us were accustomed to carry. We hiked with bluets,
Solomon Seal, and blackberry blossoms. Birds sang their sweet songs of welcome to the
backcountry. We arrived at Silers and set up our tents. It was (mostly) an easy day and the
weather proved to be delightful. We enjoyed a group meal and evening camaraderie, hopped
in our tents around sunset, and dreamed about hard labor.
Tuesday was our first work day. By 8 am, we were all ready for a day of hard work and a labor
of love for a trail that has special and personal meaning to all of us. The AT lives in the hearts
and minds of so many people all over the world. We, the Smokies Wilderness Elite, felt a sense
of honor and pride to be among its caretakers for a week. On this day that gave us perfect
weather, we – among other things - created 3 new water bars, cleaned out many existing water
bars, added stone treads over a sloggy wet area, cut back brush, reclaimed a short section
rerouted by hikers, found and crushed rocks for trail repair, and managed to stay safe and
happy all day. We retraced our steps back to base camp and were very pleased to hike over our
hard work. We enjoyed a community meal, assembled back at Soak Ash and rehydrated over
our camp stove in a huge pot. We had strong winds most of the night that sounded like flowing
water. The night was clear with a zazillion stars and was considerable cooler than our first
night.
Wednesday, 6/8, was our second work day. We awoke to a cool, clear, and beautiful morning.We all were thankful for the weather, even with hats, gloves, and jackets on. We started our
day again with our Safety Circle. In Circle we learn a bit more about the lives of our fellow crew
members, we do a pretty complete set of stretches, and we remind ourselves about safety
issues that we could face in the day ahead. Like yesterday, we encountered various creatures
that call these woods their homes. There have been huge worms, snails, bright yellow spiders,
Jordan salamanders, bees, inch worms, and a few deer. We move critters as we work and try to
put them back in their homes when we finish. They are good and vivid reminders that we share
this lovely trail with creatures large and small, and they are part of what makes this trail, with
all its unique and abundant life, so special for so many. Again, we feel the honor of our work,
and that less-than- perfect night in our tents or those muscle aches become less significant to
us. We encounter hikers along the trail in our work. We shout “hiker up” so those working
ahead can put down tools and let the hikers pass safely. Often, very often, the hikers thank us
for what we are doing. That feels pretty good! What's a bit of dirt – actually a whole lot of dirt
– on our work clothes compared to the knowledge that we have helped to make someone’s
outdoor experience a good one?
Thursday, 6/9. Our third work day. It was a bit harder to get out of our tents this morning. Our
minds were willing but we had to push our bodies just a bit more. We were tired from two
good days of work. It's great to hear the pot of water boiling for coffee and breakfast, and our
Crew Leaders make sure we all hear the morning cracking of the whip. Actually Katie and Matt
never push us too hard; they encourage us, as good leaders do. Today was another reminder
that nature is prolific and relentless. We pushed back brush and weeds, knowing that in a few
short seasons it will look like we were never there. We cleared out existing water bars,
knowing that water is nature’s strongest force and rains will erode our good work. Sometimes
it's like the trees and the trail itself are laughing at our noble efforts. Yet we work on. And we
are pleased with our work. And many of us come back for other sessions; we come back for
more. And we love the ache in our backs and the tightness in our muscles and the cold nights
in our tents. We love the group meals. We love to clean the dishes together. We love the hike
back to camp each night, walking over the trail that we tended today and on the rocks that we
set yesterday and seeing the cleared brush from our first day. We know the trail will forget us
in its own good time. But we won't soon forget our time together and our work on this beloved
trail.
Friday, 6/10. Before this blogger tells you about how great Safety Circle was this morning, I
must digress a bit and talk about our meals. Last night’s was especially good. It was a bean
dish. We all joked about beans, of course. Everyone over the age of four jokes about farting
after eating beans. There are a couple serious things, though, one should know about eating
beans and camping. First, don't fart in a tent without really good ventilation. Keep all
vestibules open, no matter how cold or raining it is; it could be lethal otherwise. Second, never,
ever fart while in your zipped up sleeping bag. You can pass out if those smells seep out over
your nostrils. If the fart lingers inside your bag, it will penetrate into the down feathers and you
can never, ever get the smell out. There are reports of people having to burn their sleeping
bags after eating beans and not taking appropriate precautions. It may be a generational thing
or perhaps a gender thing, but some of us have trouble letting one rip when others are in close
proximity. It is not wise to hold things in; there will be trouble in the night. One can imagine a
group tent site the night of a bean dinner - there would be no concerns about bears coming
around! Moving on to this morning’s Safety Circle, the first safety suggestion was to fart often
and loudly. Today was our last workday. It was another glorious day. Bright blue sky and a little
warmer than other days. We have been a productive crew and yesterday we made it all the
way to Derrick Knob shelter, our farthest work point. So today we scouted for rocks to make a
few more water bars. There are large ascents in this section of trail, necessitating water bars.
We found rose quartz, granite, lichen-covered rocks, and rocks older than dirt. Working with
rocks was a good reminder that these Appalachian mountains are among the oldest mountains
on Earth. We smashed rocks to use for fill, used the best and perfect rocks, and built THE BEST
water bars ever made. They are works of art. We sweated in our labors today. We lived up to
our namesake. WE ARE THE SWEAT CREW!
Saturday, 6/11. We broke camp this morning about 8:00 and had our last Safety Circle. Some
of the safety issues today centered around how to eat our cold ice cream shake from the Shake
and Dawg when we get close to home. Our hike out of camp was fast, with a stop at the
Clingmans Dome Tower. We were a van full of hungry workers and there was much talk about
our Shake and Dawg stop. We were more than a little smelly but no one there called us on it. It
was a good week. It was a great week. We left last Monday as strangers; we returned today as
friends. That’s what a week at SWEAT will do for you.
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