A Cadillac Crew Recalibration - January means Skill-Building
By Molly McKinley, Ellen and Dan Feer
Lacerations, abrasions, falls, climate threats and medical emergencies, oh my! Safe trail work is much more than schlepping and shoveling.
No surprise, but January work trips do not always go as planned. That doesn’t mean they can’t be planned. With the depth of talent and generosity of the Cadillac Crew and the AT community in general, amazing events can happen. The plans for our January 2026 trip began in January 2025 when Scott and Lisa Jenkins agreed to again host the Cadillac Crew at their home, the beautiful Mountain Home Bed and Breakfast outside of Front Royal. The AT runs practically across their front porch in the Mosby District. There is always work to be done in
Jon and
Katherine Rindt’s District so planning the trail work is just picking a priority. A creek crossing near Whisky Hollow shelter was the winning priority for our January 2026 trip. As it was going to be January, we also started thinking about contingency plans for bad weather. What kind of event could we plan that would be fun and a good use of everyone’s time? The top priority is always trail work, but wielding a mattock isn’t the only skill we need. A first aid refresher sounded like a great plan B.
Most of the crew has had first aid training but rarely uses the skills. Moreover, formal first aid classes are often just an introduction with little time spent mastering the skills. There are also considerations unique to trail work that we need to address directly. Several crew members helped design a day of first aid featuring big- and small-group working sessions focused on first aid kits, CPR, critical decision making, and teamwork. Crew members
Molly McKinley,
Brian Napier,
Robert Fina, and Crew Leaders
Ellen and
Dan Feer made sure it would be ready if inclement weather made outside work impossible or inadvisable.
As the January trip got closer it became clear it would be too cold to work outside. You can’t sidehill when the ground is frozen solid. Sharp tools and slick footing are a bad combination. Rather, we left our tools stashed for warmer days and instead started off with everyone pulling out a different set of tools, their first aid kits.
Brian and Molly led a group discussion about first aid kit components and how to organize them for different outings. A trauma kit might not be necessary on a day hike but it’s a necessity when the crew hits the trail. Everyone made lists of missing items and threw away old medications (whichmany of us were guilty of harboring among aging bandages). Afterware, breakout sessions included CPR led by Ellen and Dan and bandaging and splinting led by Molly and Brian. Later we regrouped for Robert to facilitate litter fabrication using backpacks and other creative materials. Most importantly, we workshopped as a group how we navigate wilderness decisions such as letting first responders come to us or bringing an injured crew member to the trailhead.
We wrapped up with a mouth-watering pasta bar dinner courtesy of hosts Scott and Lisa. We all left with plenty of time to get home before “Snowcrete” hit, poetically reminding us that nature remains a force deserving our respect on and off the trail.
The Cadillac Crew works from Charlottesville, Virginia to Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and from Turkey Run in Virginia to Sleepy Creek in West Virginia. We welcome members of all ages. Contact us at ccrewpatc@gmail.com if you’d like an invitation to our trips.