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Members of the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club, including a Rockbridge County resident, aided in restoration efforts of the trail in Southwest Virginia last fall after the trail was damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Last September, the hurricane, which affected so many homes, businesses and roads across the southeastern United States, also left a path of destruction along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Virginia.
In response to this disaster, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) teamed up with public land managers, including the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service, to address urgent safety concerns of affected communities.
Fallen trees, landslides, rockslides, swift waters and blocked roads forced the Forest Service to close sections of the AT within the Chattahoochee- Oconee, Nantahala, and Pisgah National Forests. Additionally, parts of the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Grayson Highlands were also shut down due to the severe damage within the forested areas.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy witnessed an overwhelming surge of support from volunteers eager to assist in community, roadway, and trail restoration efforts, explained David Buckalew from Fairfield, a member of the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club.
By November, dedicated members from Appalachian Trail clubs in the affected areas could access open sections of the Trail to assess the damage and begin the arduous task of clearing and repairing it.
Thanks to the swift generosity of donors to the AT Resiliency Fund, ATC staff quickly organized and deployed teams of certified volunteer sawyers from Virginia AT clubs to clear blowdowns along the trail near Marion and Damascus, Buckalew explained.
Additionally, the ATC hired professional arborist crews to tackle severely impacted sections of the AT that were off-limits to volunteers and the public. In close coordination with ATC staff, the Forest Service, and members of the Mt. Rogers AT Club, the professional crews managed to clear over 1,400 downed trees along approximately 20 miles of heavily impacted trails and roadways.
Buckalew was one of five members of the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club who went down to Southwest Virginia in November to help with the cleanup efforts.
VOLUNTEER sawyers Joe Sinegra with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and David “Buck” Buckalew of Fairfield with the NBATC clear a downed hickory tree from the AT with a crosscut saw in Raccoon Branch Wilderness Nov 15. (photo by Pete Irvine)
VOLUNTEER sawyers from five AT clubs who went to Southwest Virginia last November to aid in the cleanup efforts on the AT gather at Trimpi Shelter near Mt. Rogers on Nov 14. The volunteers included David Buckalew (far right, kneeling) from Fairfield. (photo by Pete Irvine)
They were among 20 volunteers from five Appalachian Trail clubs in Virginia who removed over 200 additional trees and repaired substantial damage to the treadway across four heavily affected areas, including designated wilderness zones.
By mid-December, thanks to the efforts of skilled volunteer and professional saw crews, the trail had reopened through Virginia, extending south to the Tennessee border.
In Tennessee and North Carolina, trail-clearing efforts continue, with work still underway in some regions. -The local trail club – the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club - welcomes all interested hikers to its weekly hiking groups and/or trail maintenance crews. Information on the NBATC can be found at nbatc. org.
The club was established in 1930 during the planning of the trail’s route through central Virginia. In the early years, the National Forest here was named the Natural Bridge National Forest. In 1933 this forest became incorporated into the expanded George Washington National Forest.
Several Rockbridge residents actively volunteer as trail maintainers for NBATC: Buckalew, Dave Benavitch of Buena Vista, Laura Neale of Fairfield, George Richards from Kerrs Creek, Charlie Rogers of Glasgow, and Bruce Summers of Lexington.
