VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP MAINTAIN OUR SECTION OF THE AT

Work Day Scheduled July 16

Paul Trueworthy, CVOA's AT Trail Maintainer, needs help with trail maintenance on the CVOA section of the Appalachian Trail (on the backside of Sugarloaf)

A work day has been scheduled for Saturday, July 16th with a rain date of Sunday, July 17th .

Five people are needed for brush cutting and blaze painting. The climb is strenuous with a 2,000 vertical foot gain. Tools will be provided.

Volunteers should bring work gloves and boots. We will meet at the Rack at 8AM.

Please contact Paul at: petrueworthy@gmail.com or call 865-9038 to sign up for the crew.

The CVOA maintains a 2.8 mile section of the Appalachian Trail on the west side (backside) of Sugarloaf.

The club's section begin's 4.3 miles up the Caribou Valley Road. There is a small parking lot at this spot but most people park about 4 miles up the road because a steep, washed out area above a wire bridge and walk the rest of the way. As you begin the hike, the trail pitches down hill about 300 yards to very nice flat camp site next to a branch of the Carrabassett River.

The trail then crosses the river. For the next mile or so the trail ascends moderately but then becomes quite steep. At about 1 1/2 mile you break into an open ridge with great views of Spaulding, the Abraham  , and Saddleback mountains. This steep section lasts about 3/4 mile before becoming more moderate again.

There is a low wet moose bog area just before reaching  the end of CVOA's section  at the junction of the AT and the blue trail to the summit. CVOA  also maintains this blue section which is 1/2 mile long.

All section of the AT are maintained by volunteer workers. A normal trail crew is usually 4-6 people. It is their duty the keep the trail clear of fallen trees and brush as well as watching for and fixing trail washouts.

Every few years they will also repaint the 2 x 6 inch white trail markers. One marker is supposed to be  in a person's sight at all times although this is not always possible.The markers are also supposed to be at about 5- 6 feet off of the ground to allow for snow pack.

Anyone who uses a chainsaw or ax to maintain the AT is supposed to be  certified via a US Forestry Service Class. In order to get the cert they must also have taken a CPR and first aid course. You must update and be recertified evey 3 years for chainsaw use. Because the AT is Federal property, anyone working on the AT is protected by the government in case of accident.

A maintainers section is supposed to be cleaned up as soon as possible in the springtime. In the CVOA's case, there is often too much snow remaining on the back side of the Loaf and we must wait till late spring or early summer. Such is the case this year. Some years there is very little damage or tree blowdowns on the trail. Other years find the trail to have sustained severe damage and thus require many trips to fix the damage.