| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Elevation Gain |
Average Moving Time |
Year to Date Miles |
|---|
| 8/20/2022 |
8.4 |
8 hours 4 minutes |
1,982' |
1.9 mph |
605.4 |
Parking:
Maps:
Directions:
A tough trail maintenance day.
We had our trail supervisor ask the forest service about re-grading the gravel portion of Garenflo Gap road to the trailhead. So far, they haven't. They re-graded it last year, but its back to having deep ruts that are challenging for a regular car.
I'm having shoulder issues and am in PT. Using a swing blade or hazel hoe is out. So, I just brought loppers and Glen was in charge of the swing blade. Our goal was to make more progress, if not finish weed whacking. It was a cool day, but still very humid, so we were dripping sweat during the climb. We hiked up to within 0.4 miles from the summit. Then we started working on our way down. The bugs were relentless. They ignored my bug spray. Glen is covered in bug bites. I lopped & cleared branches out of the way for Glen's weed whacking. The stinging nettle and jewel weed were very tall though. I started lopping them, and then just switching to pulling them out by hand, while Glen worked more quickly at it. Pulling out stinging nettles is not so fun. Last year I had a fantasy that since we did so much work clearing them, that this year they wouldn't come back. They came back with a vengeance. We saw a backpacking group led by Blue Ridge Hiking Company - I felt bad for the group having to hike through the nettles - especially if they're new to hiking.
Our swing blade broke - we lost the bolt & screw on one side. So that was it for weed whacking. The good news is that we finished the worst of the stinging nettle sections. Still more weed whacking to go. So, we changed plans and removed 2 trees. One was a pain - we had previously left it for a sawyer, but Glen ended up removing it today. It was tree that you needed to crawl underneath to get around.
On our way out, we skipped the last mile of trail and took the forest service road instead. When a trail crew comes out, they have a key to unlock the gate so they can drive up the forest service road. We ended up using our extra time to remove down trees and branches from the road. This will make it much easier the next time the trail crew comes out and drives up the road.
Krummholz is becoming a great trail dog. While we work, he gets to hang out, dragging his leash behind him. It's the only time I let him hike off leash (well, dragging the leash). He stays with us. And when we stop and work, he either just lies down, or he rolls around in the stinging nettle! He also packed out trash we found on the trail. He likes trail maintenance days!
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| Yikes - a new down tree since last month. This one doesn't look too safe. |
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| Stinging nettle and Jewel Weed. Our work for today. |
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| Jewelweed is the antidote for stinging nettle |
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| White Snakeroot (poisonous) |
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| Filmy angelica, often covered in bees |
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| Phlox |
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Challenging tree. Luckily only one cut needed.
Then we sat on the ground and were able to push it off trail with our feet. |
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| Napping while Glen saws |
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