Forest Service work on Rebecca Mountain section

[ednotmilkman]

For those of you interested, the FS is planning to use the mini-bulldozer this week to cut sidehill trail across the ridge on Rebecca Mountain to put the trail back in the woods instead of on the gated, grassy road section that has the nice views.

They sent out an e-mail asking all interested volunteers that can help put the finishing touches, to meet at Bull Gap Tues morning.  I'm planning to be there for two to three days . I'm sure prepared late comers will be welcomed. Even if you only have half a day, it would be worth your while just to see how the machine works.  Lesley H expects it to take 10 days or so.

I was expecting someone to post it here earlier, but I guess I'll do it now.  Let me find the note to paste in FYI.

Hello everyone!!!!

I have been waiting and waiting to finally send this message and the time is here! 

We have scheduled August 23 to construct the final section of the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail across Rebecca Mountain.

We will need the help of our volunteers.  A SWECO machine will do the construction but we need help "swamping" behind the machine (root grubbing, replacing soil back on the trail, removing limbs, blazing, gps etc).

This is a historic moment for us and I hope a lot of yall will be able to be a part of the final construction of the Pinhoti across National Forest lands.  Please RSVP to this email if you will be able to help starting August 23.  The total construction time should last around 10 working days.   

Please forward this message to those you think may be interested.  Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing you out there!!!!

Lesley

Hello everyone!!!! 

Thank you to all of those who responded to my original message with your willingness to help. 

We will meet at 9:00am on August 23 at Bulls Gap Trail Head parking lot (located off highway 148). 

Please bring PLENTY OF WATER, lunch and snacks, work gloves, hearing protection (ear plugs), a hard hat, safety glasses (sun glasses work fine), bug spray, and sun screen.  Please dress appropriate for safe work on a hot day (light colored shirt, long pants, sturdy shoes/boots).  If you do not have a hard hat we will have some on hand.  We will also have trail building tools but if you have a favorite tool for trail building please bring that along. 

We will be machine constructing approximately 4 miles of trail which should take around 10 to 14 days. 

If you have any questions please let me know.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you there!

Lesley

Lesley M. Hodge
Natural Resource Specialist
USDA- Talladega National Forest- Shoal Creek RD
45 Highway 281
Heflin, AL 36264
256/463-2273 
256/463-5385 fax
Email: lhodge@fs.fed.us

[stevebo]

   What section are they rerouting?  Are you talking about the section near wormies pulpit?   

[stargazer]

No, the section they are doing is on Rebecca Mt. not Bull Gap Mt.  They are meeting in Bull Gap's parking lot.  It has space for several to park.  Rebecca Mt. is across Hwy 148 from Bulls Gap.

[blisterbob]

Tues. and Wed. was re-routing the trail from FS 680 north for just over 1 mile.
This is the location of the north communication tower.
The new trail will eliminate the steep climb on the concrete drive.
After that section is done they will be doing the same going south from 680 for 3 miles.
This area has the old microwave tower.
The new trail will be more sidehilling and fewer hard climbs and also less ridge top trail.
The start and finish will still be Bulls Gap and FS 603A

[ednotmilkman]

I have to admit that I never made it up to help out.  Lesley thought I should wait a day to see how well they got going the first day. So I waited, and then nobody conatcted me about coming up later, so I decided to stay home and do some fall gardening work the rest of the week.  I was assuming they had enough volunteer help or they would contact me again ??  I don't  know who the volunteers are or how to contact one of them.  Next week I'll have to work most if not every day so won't be able to make the 3 hour drive then I'm pretty sure.

Now the word is that the SWECO operator needs Friday and Monday for travel days back and forth to and from  DeSoto State Park , so they will only be working Tues through Thurs.

Sounds like a cushy gov. job don't it 

[milkman]

Hello Everbody,
I was directed over here by Mountain Dog on WhiteBlaze.net to find out more about the Pinhoti Trail. Like ednotmilkman I was supposed to work with Lesley Hodge on the Rebecca Mountain extension but a death in the family caused a change in plan. I have a map that Gloria Nielsen sent me but it's to large and won't download. It has an area marked in yellow that as of this past weekend at the chainsaw certification class Gloria told me was completed. I was wondering if anybody was there or if anybody has hiked this new section. I can email the map if anybody is interested. My name is BobbyJo Sargent and my trail name is milkman. I am with the AHTS. I will be on the trail this weekend from Bull Gap to Porter's Gap. If any of you are out there I hope we meet. This is a really cool forum. I think I'm gonna like it here. Again, I hope to meet some of you out on the trail.
P.S. ednotmilkman are you the same ednotmilkman I see in the USFS letters and the one over on WhiteBlaze?