I am looking for a few volunteers who might be interested in helping me work the Love Gap Fire Road off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and my Section of the AT. The plan would be for a two-day work trip, string trimming the shoulders of the fire road and the paths in the Maupin Field shelter area one day and swing blading, cleaning water bars from Maupin Field to Gid Spring the next day.   All tools, power trimmers, etc. would be provided. The dates would be June 15-17th, Tuesday thru Thursday, interested people can text/call my cell or email me.

Pete Burch
psburch3@me.com
508-0026

Take a hike on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), no matter where you are!

From now until June 30, you can unlock the A.T. on the Walk the Distance app when you donate $5 or more to the ATC! Your donation helps us on our mission to protect, manage, and advocate for the Trail.

Walk the Distance uses your daily steps tracked through your smartphone and converts them to miles hiked on the Trail. You can track where you would currently be on a northbound A.T. hike, and you can see other users completing the same route. Checkpoints along the virtual footpath highlight trivia on iconic views, shelters, ATC projects, and more, providing fun facts and Trail history on your virtual journey!

Visit appalachiantrail.org/walk-june to donate and get your code today!

GET YOUR CODE

Walk the Distance is now available for both iOS and Android devices! Your A.T. map download code will work for both the iPhone and Android versions of the Walk the Distance app.

To receive your code, you must make a donation at either appalachiantrail.org/walk-june or by clicking the button above.

This offer ends on June 30, so donate today and join us for a virtual walk on the Trail!

Happy walking!

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy Team

TATC Club members, the time has finally arrived. The Board reviewed Commonwealth and CDC COVID guidance and decided to withdraw TATC’s COVID restrictions on our activities.

To celebrate, our General Membership meeting on June 9th will be in-person, outside, and with food (if you bring it) at Portsmouth City Park from 5-8 pm at the double shelter near the water.

The social festivities (eating and chatting) start at 5:00 pm. At 7:00 pm, we’ll start a gear giveaway. Bring camping, hiking, paddling gear that you no longer need and want to get out of your garage or attic. Be prepared to take home anything that no one takes.

Many groups do activities areas prone to dangerous ticks and mosquitoes, and the range for diseases like Zika, West Nile, and Lyme Disease is growing. Our organization, The Tick and Mosquito Project, focuses on providing content that people in tick and mosquito-prone areas might find useful.  You can find it here ( https://control-mosquitoes.com).  We provide information on controlling mosquitoes and ticks, two creatures that are not only annoying, but also very real public safety issues.

TATC's 50th Anniversary

Did you know the year 2022 is a big deal?  

Yes, it was the first year of the British Society for Mathematics.  

Also, it is the 50th anniversary of TATC’s founding in 1972!!

So, we plan to celebrate this important milestone with an event, and we need help to plan it, to organize it and to “git ‘er done.”

This message is from Steve Clayton and I will be the chair of a committee to do this, but we need a handful of members to be on the committee to help with establishing a date, a venue, publicity, a program, food, etc.  The Board is looking to this committee to make recommendations on these things, along with a budget.  I think it would be great to have a mix of new and old members.  No experience with events like this is necessary – only the commitment and enthusiasm to help.

To start, I anticipate a few Zoom meetings, beginning soon, followed by less frequent meetings as we get things decided and approved.  

Will you join me in support of this great TATC endeavor?  If you can serve on the planning committee or have questions or ideas, please contact me at: secretary@tidewateratc.com

May 24-28 National Wilderness Skills Institute

Sign up now for the National Wilderness Skills Institute (WSI) skills-building training classes set for May 24-28, 2021. They will be online and are free! The courses offer skill building and professional development opportunities for those who engage in wilderness and wild and scenic rivers work. These WSI skill-building courses are highly recommended by BMTA Maintenance Directors Bob Cowdrick and Rick Harris -- many BMTAers have attended in the past! Courses will include skills-based training for all levels of experience! The sessions will be recorded for those who are unable attend the live events and can be used to supplement current or future local training efforts.

To Register, go to:  https://bmta.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5dd8cc5bb99fe76c5af3587b7&id=2625bac833&e=cf832803ae

Registration closes on April 30th!

SPRING TRAIL MAINTENANCE

When: May 14 – 16, 2021

Where : TATC AT SECTION, NELSON COUNTY, VA (map)

Description: Spring Trail Maintenance, May 21-23, 2021

Where: TATC’s Appalachian Trail Section, Nelson County, VA

Camping: Williams Branch Camping Area, Sherando Lake Recreation Area, 96 Sherando Lake

Contact: Brittany Collins to sign up, trailsupervisor@tidewateratc.com

Description: This is the first major trail maintenance event of 2021 and will likely be subject to some degree of COVID restrictions. As the date approaches, check our website for updates www.tidewateratc.com

Free camping and no entrance fee if gate attendant informed of your purpose. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for own food, beverage and supplies for duration of your stay. TATC supplies tools. Our grand club- sponsored dinner is unlikely. It did not happen during Fall Maintenance because of Covid gathering restrictions and limited attendance.

This is a weekend for us to satisfy the reason for our existence: to keep the AT, Mau-Har, and White Rock Falls trails open to foot traffic.

Best to arrive between noon & dusk on Friday in order to establish

Camping and be ready for our Saturday 8:00AM meeting.

Note: You still have to complete the COVID education requirements to sign-up for trail maintenance.

First Landing SP Maintenance

When Thu, April 29, 9am – 12pm

Where 2500 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, USA (map)

Description Crew Leader: Ellis Malabad 757-285-1252, malabad2@gmail.com Meet 9:00 am for check-in with a 9:15 departure for light maintenance. Duration of work is 9:00 – 12:00 approximately . We’ll be working at the office area next to the Bay Beach this time. Bring drinking water, leaf rake, gardening tools, work gloves, etc. Tools should be sanitized. Work Needed: Clean up leaf and other debris from the beds around the buildings Club covid policy: Wear face masks, no carpooling unless from same household, maintain social distancing, hand sanitizer. Sign up in advance, walk-in's will not be allowed. Limit 10 persons. Directions: From Shore Drive Eastbound Turn LEFT at the Park Road (Rt 343) at the stoplight. Advise the attendant at the gate that you will be performing maintenance and you will be provided a free parking pass. To sign up and to receive further information please contact Ellis at malabad2@gmail.com

Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel - Update

4-6-21: TRAIL UPDATE –Beginning Monday April 12 the east parking trailhead will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians while Nelson County expands the parking area. The project should be completed in early May. The west trailhead parking area and tunnel will remain open for visitors entering from the west. Check back for continued updates. 

The Blue Ridge Tunnel was constructed between 1850 and 1858 beneath Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. CSX Transportation generously donated the tunnel to Nelson County in 2007.

The tunnel is located at the convergence of the southern entrance of Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive, the northern entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail, and U. S. Bicycle Route 76. Both Interstate 64 and U. S. 250 cross over the tunnel at Rockfish Gap

Blue Ridge Tunnel – VISIT NELSON COUNTY

Celebrate the natural beauty of the A.T. and its surrounding landscape with us! 

Through Friday, April 30, 2021, we are accepting submissions for our next photo series, “Natural Beauty: 14 States, Unlimited Inspiration.” Whether taken in the 1990s or today, we're looking for photos that capture the natural elements that inspire awe in millions of A.T. visitors each year. 

If your photo is selected for the series, you will receive a Hydro Flask® Journey 10L Hydration Pack for your next A.T. adventure! Only those with a United States mailing address are eligible for this prize.

For photo categories, terms and conditions, and to submit your photos today, visit appalachiantrail.org/natural-beauty-contest.