Team Conasauga Quickly Clears 200 Fallen Trees from Wilderness Trail
Two hundred fallen trees along 1,000 feet of Wilderness trail can seem like a nearly impossible task that might require several months of work to clear, using only traditional tools instead of chain saws and other power equipment. However, a dedicated group of volunteers from Team Conasauga and the Southern Appalachian Backcountry Horsemen came together to complete the task in less than a month.
In early November 2009, a tornado or massive wind shear blew through 15 to 20 acres of Northwest Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness. This included a section of the Rice Camp Trail, approximately three miles from the trailhead. Trees were piled on top of each other in every direction, causing a huge mess that totally blocked off the trail.
“I thought it would be February before we opened the trail,” said Larry Thomas, Operations Team Leader for the Conasauga Ranger District of the Chatahoochee National Forest. “We have it completely clear now. That’s thanks to this great team of volunteers we have that works in this district.”
The volunteers used only traditional tools (crosscuts, axes, bow saws, loppers) to clear the blowdowns in keeping with the wilderness minimum tool philosophy. Troy and Wanda Brown, who have combined for more than 15,000 hours of volunteer trail work over the past two decades, mostly in the Cohutta Wilderness, scheduled and coordinated most of the project.