AHS Volunteer Vacation Photos at
Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area
Evan, Lee, Tarek, and Sherri (in background) dig out the side hill to widen the trail tread surface. Erosion had caused the trail to slough off over a period of years, narrowing it and thus endangering hikers. We performed a variety of maintenance chores on four trails during our project, and each trail ran through magnificent scenery. With 400+ miles of trails, they were grateful for our assistance.
Tom, Daphne, Sarah, Carie, and Lee enlarge the trail, cut back encroaching vegetation, and smooth the surface to improve safety and enhance the hikers' trail experience. Notice the safety gear used by the volunteers: hard hats, gloves, and baseball catcher leg pads.
Tarek, Chuck, Evan, and Lee pose by Feathercamp Branch after disassembling a large nature-made dam of downed trees and miscellaneous debris which had rerouted the stream onto the trail and eroded away over half of the width of the trail. Rocks and boulders were used to fill the deep hole just behind Tarek, making the trail usable again and returning the lovely cascading stream to its normal course and natural beauty.
The hard-working crew:
Front row (l to r): Lee, Evan (our Forest Service leader), Tarek, and John
Back row: Tom, Daphne, Chuck, Sarah, Carie, and Sherri