President's Logbook
By Jim Fetig
I like falling asleep in my tent to the sound of gentle pattering rain drops splashing on the fly. It’s soothing white noise that offers an open invitation to dreamland. I will admit to occasional rain induced nightmares about packing up a wet tent.
The circumstances at the Hoodlums 32nd annual training workshop was slightly different. Have you ever tried to sleep with acorns hammering your tent fly like they’d been dropped by a B-52? It would be easier following a bass drum in a marching band.
The hard mast is good news this year. That’s the nuts and seeds such as acorns, hickory nuts, and beechnuts, which are high in fat and protein. The hard mast provides critical energy for bears as they prepare for winter hibernation.
What’s good news for bears is bad news for campers. As old rock music reviews used to say, it’s got a good beat, but you can’t dance (or sleep) to it.
Mid-September is also when the weather tends to cool with hints of autumn in the air. This year’s workshop featured greasy humidity and temps short of sweater weather. I left my campfire fleece at home and I’m glad I did. It would have been worthless.
The Hoodlums workshop, which takes place every year during the third weekend in September, is open to all club members. It offers tiered training appropriate for would-be maintainers with no experience, those with some experience and others who are seasoned veterans. Look for the announcement next year.
Congratulations to all the PATC club award recipients. We had an unusually high number Avery Award nominees this year. Each of them was deserving and it was a tough choice. The Avery Award is the club’s highest award and denotes the volunteer of the year.
Volunteer recognition helps keep morale high. ExCom and Council have approved this year’s award winners. For most people, the satisfaction of taking care of their trail section, cabin, trail patrolling, or leading hikes is more than enough. Knowing your work is appreciated generates a good feeling. It is also satisfying to recognize consistently outstanding service, especially over long periods of time.
Advocacy to protect public land is also part of the club’s mission. We have recently made public comment on two issues that threaten hiker safety, and otherwise the hiking experience and our ability to adequately maintain trails.
We opposed the so called “highway to nowhere,” otherwise known as the Corridor H highway running from Wardensville, WVa. to the Virginia state line, where it would end abruptly at the summit of Great North Mountain. If built, this highway would require Tuscarora hikers to cross four lanes of traffic at a blind spot.
We also filed in opposition to the revision of the Travel Management Rule in National Forests. The revision would allow roads to be built in what are now protected areas where roads are not allowed.
Thanks to Lynn Cameron who did the research and drafting; and to Lowell Smith, Chair of the Conservation Committee, who edited and offered comments.
Meanwhile, I repaired a small rip in my tent fly caused by something that fell from a tree that was larger than an acorn. Couldn’t find any evidence the next morning. Maybe Big Foot?