As I noted on the A.T. relocation on Black Mountain begins album (#44) we were going to be at Sam’s Point Preserve this weekend but because of a big fire, Sam’s Point Preserve is closed. We will try to get there in the fall. So it is on to a relocation of the A.T. on Black Mountain.
This is our second crew outing (weekend) working on the A.T. relocation on Black Mt.
Friday morning was spent re-rigging the high-line wire then shortly after getting a big rock in a sling, a block we use as part of the high-line Grip-hoist system failed. A snap ring fell off the axle causing the block to fall apart. There was no way anyone could find the small snap ring on the forest floor. We had to find repair parts before we could use the high-line again, so that meant no moving big rocks until it got repaired. Erik hiked back to the truck and after going to 4 stores, finally had the parts and tools needed to repair the block. By the time Erik hiked back up the mountain it started to rain steadily, so we called it a day and hiked back down to the truck. Saturday was much better albeit very cold for May, Sunday was even colder. Having larger crews on Saturday and Sunday we moved a lot of big rocks, built crib-walls, made a lot of crush and placed several steps. As you can see in the video, most of the big rocks we moved were not being used as steps. Instead they were used to build 2 important crib-walls. Moving such big and heavy rocks puts a strain on the Grip-hoist’s safety device (shear pins). When too much weight is attempted to be lifted, the pins will shear off before the Grip-hoist drops the load. The pins in our Grip-hoist did not shear off but they did show signs of stress. Since we will be lifting many more big rocks during this relocation we felt it best to be proactive and replace the pins before they needed it. Making crush was also the order of the day with both upper and lower crib-wall sections needing lots of it, so yes everyone is kept busy. The new trail is really taking shape. We started working on one of the most difficult sections of the relocation and the rest of it will follow the lead.
New volunteer Mihal got right to it crushing rock with the big hammer and operating the Grip-hoist, we look forward to seeing her out again.
As with most relocations, we are going to bypass a steep and eroded section, adding a few new steps and a smoother trail. We are also going to rehabilitate an additional section uphill from the relocation by adding more steps and clearing the trail of loose boulders. This project is expected to take us a few months to complete so Come on out and join in.
