DIY Network

Road Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Road Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park From "Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean" episode DQOC-103

Figure A

The Appalachian Trail stretches from Maine to Georgia, and volunteers from the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club maintain the 72 miles that run through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park on a regular basis by. Volunteers search the trail for Mother Nature's litter as they go (figure A), removing leaves and branches and making sure the trail drains properly by keeping the water bars free of leaf and vegetation debris. This trail maintenance, which is done twice a year, is a lot of hard work that pays big dividends: it creates a lot of self-satisfaction and gives Mother Nature a much-needed helping hand.

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	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

• The volunteers make sure trail markers are visible and understandable (figure B).

  
  

• They rid the trail of blown-down trees and limbs, and trim back new growth along the trail (figure C). Hardly noticeable, the pruning gives hikers a clear view of the trail's direction so they don't get their packs snagged on overhanging branches. The goal is to maintain a six-foot height clearance on a four-foot-wide trail to accommodate people and packs.

  
  

• Overnight shelters along the trail are checked for roofing leaks and soundness of structure (figure D). Litter is removed and firepits are cleaned of ashes.

  
  

• Leftover food and food litter such as aluminum foil is removed. (This is very important since any food or food litter on the trail area can attract animals, especially bears, which will begin to depend on the food finds. If the bears become a nuisance in constant search of this type of trail food, they will have to be relocated to a new area of the park or, unfortunately, destroyed.)

  
  

• Bathroom facilities (figure E) are maintained and cleaned.