The thousands of trees felled by Hurricane Helene left their giant trunks and branches on the ground across trails and roads and buildings all through North Carolina and Tennessee. In addition to all this firewood-to-be is each tree’s “root ball” – a collection of dirt and roots and rocks and even boulders that once held…
Read More Roots and rocks and Helene damageIt’s a gorgeous morning in my Charlotte neighborhood. The sun is shining, wind is still. Hard to believe we got hit by Helene yesterday. Not everyone got through unscathed. Just 2 1/2 miles northwest, residents were evacuated as the Catawba River swelled past its banks. Three miles west of my house, the road into Mount…
Read More After the stormIt was way too hot in the afternoon. But it was pleasant under the trees at our campsite. It’s fun to hang out with my hiker pals. They’re smart, strong and always interesting. The forecast for the evening was light rain, maybe. Suddenly, that changed to severe thunderstorms. I decided to climb into my hammock…
Read More Mother Nature’s sense of humorI got to spend Labor Day weekend with 3 of my favorite hiker pals, on a two-night camping trip. It was too damn hot. I was too damn out of shape. My pals weren’t ready to run marathons, either. Still, we had the best time. We were in the woods! Our adventures included a 7-mile…
Read More Two nights in the woods!
Shallow ditch dug alongside the trail, to make it easier for water to drain off.
I’m proud to say I’ve been given the responsibility to maintain a tiny piece of the Appalachian Trail. Duties include trimming weeds and branches that encroach on the trail, removing trash, and repainting the 2-inch-by-6-inch white rectangles (“blazes”) that mark the trail. (Luckily, “my” section of trail has neither a shelter nor a privy, so…
Read More Trail maintenance: Nov. 10 2020