Session
Overview: Session 6 went very well;
we had our oldest member yet! At 76, he was one of the hardest
workers and would not give up. He had a great attitude and tenacious spirit. Addy’s
10 years of trail work experience was a tremendous help and Joanne’s hard
working military background brought a lot to the group. This is Mary’s 4th
session; she is a regular assistant to our crew. JR and David will be here
again next week.
We got
about 4.0 miles of work accomplished this week. We also saw a Mama bear and two
cubs that we steered clear of!
We did not
finish the mile between Spence and Russell because we figured our time would be
better spent working south of Mollies. Franklin seems to be very active in his
section so we wanted to get to the other part.
Results and Measurable Accomplishments:
·
Total
Trail Mileage: about 4.03 miles
·
Logs
Cleared: 1
·
Water
Bars Installed: 1
·
Check
Steps Installed: 3
·
New
Drains Installed: 15
·
Drains
Cleared: 76
Day 1: We hiked
in from Cades Cove via Anthony Creek Trail and Russell Field Trail. The crew
did great and we made it to Mollies Ridge Shelter Safely.
Day 2: We covered
1.22 miles of trail we installed 6 new drains and cleaned 20 existing along
with brushing. We put in 1 log water bar.
Day 3: We worked
on 0.8 miles of trail today and had a visit from Dick Ketelle with some
brownies! We installed 8 new drains and cleaned 18 existing drains.
There is a section of trail just south of the Ekaneetlee spring that is
in need of some steps. It is badly eroded and the trail is 4-5 feet wide.
There are plenty of rocks available. This is something I would like to schedule
for next year’s S.W.E.A.T crew to work on.
Day 4: We brushed
and cleaned 23 drains on 1.21 miles of trail down to Doe Knob. We also added
three steps to an existing series. The crew really enjoyed building these!
Photo: Step installation before and after
Day 5: We
installed 1 new drain and cleaned 15 existing drains covering 0.8 miles. We had
a Boy Scout and his father joins us for a couple hours. We taught him how to
clean a couple drains and allowed him to brush a little. His father said he
could use that time for a badge!
Day 6: Hike out
to Soak Ash and break down.
Week
Summary: This was a successful week. We were glad we got down to Doe Knob. I
wish we could have installed some rock steps in the badly eroded area, but
hopefully they can next year.
