Virginia Creeper Trail Club Newsletter

Virginia Creeper Trail Club
Newsletter
Spring 2012
www.creeperkeeper.com
www.vacreepertrail.org
Vol. 15, No. 1
The Virginia Creeper Trail Club is a private, nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to maintain, promote and preserve the Virginia
Creeper Trail corridor and to help develop and conduct public education programs regarding the scenic and natural qualities of the
Virginia Creeper Trail.
In this issue:
President’s Message
VCTC 2012 Calendar
News and Events
Trail Report
Naturalist Corner
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
This month, Virginia Creeper Trail Club President Wayne Miller shares
his letter of appreciation for Abingdon’s support of the Virginia Creeper
Trail.
Dear Fellow Citizens:
On behalf of the Virginia Creeper Trail Club and all users of the Trail
from around the globe, I would like to express our appreciation to the Mayor and
Town Council of Abingdon for their strong support of the Virginia Creeper Trail,
and for their foresight in insuring the trestles along the Trail. Thanks to them, we
will soon enjoy traveling across a new wooden trestle replacing Trestle 7 which
was totally destroyed in the tornadoes of April 2011.
We also want to give a special thanks to Kevin Worley and his staff of
Parks and Recreation (and other town staff) for their continuing excellent
responsiveness to Trail maintenance issues. They had the Trail reopened for use
within two days after the April 27th tornado that blew many trees across the Trail
near town. They are constantly adding surface materials to muddy areas, cutting
and chipping overhanging brush, smoothing the trestle approaches, removing
rockslides and fallen trees, mowing the shoulders and open areas along the Trail,
collecting trash, and generally keeping the Abingdon section (miles 1-12) in
excellent shape.
By virtue of the Creeper Trail linkage to Damascus, Abingdon recently
was recognized as an “Appalachian Trail Community”. The Appalachian Trail, the popular 2,180 mile foot trail,
runs through Damascus along the Appalachian Mountains from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in
Maine.
The Virginia Creeper Trail is an important resource to this region, providing substantial economic impact
and improving the health of those who use it. Let’s show our appreciation for those who maintain this beautiful
Trail by getting out there and enjoying it!
My fellow Creeper Keepers, contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be on Medicare to volunteer
for the many worthwhile Club projects to keep the Creeper Trail safe and beautiful and informative for the
growing number of users each year.
Wayne Miller, President
5/3/2012
CURRENT VCTC OFFICERS, BOARD MEMBERS and COMMITTEES
President: Wayne Miller (2013), Vice President: Eliot Cannon (2013), Secretary: Jeff VanCleef (2013)
Treasurer: Greg Meade (2013), Past President: Link Elmore.
Board: Chris Lindeman (2012), Lawrence Dye (2013), Tom Boyle (2013), Joe Lane (2013), Belle Avery
(2013).
Committees, Chairs: Maintenance: Bob Horsch and Roger Reynolds, Newsletter: Debbie Stern, Archivist:
Jane Caldwell, Webmaster: Link Elmore, Events: Chris Lindeman, Publicity: Greg Meade, Nominations: Greg
Meade, Merchandise: Wayne Miller, Membership: Amy Sullivan
2012 VCTC CALENDAR
June 27
Membership meeting at 7PM at Washington County Public Library
Guest speaker: Stephen Rainey on trestle repair
July 25
NO MEETING
July 28*
Virginia Highlands Festival “Ride with the Legend”
Meet at 8AM at the engine ready to ride with Lawrence “the Legend” Dye.
August 4*
Possible booth set up for the Virginia Highlands Festival
August 29
Membership meeting at 7PM at WCPL
Guest speaker: Joe Tennis
September 26
NO MEETING
September 30
Club picnic- dish to pass (location to be determined)
October 31
Membership meeting if needed
*Please check the Creeper Trail website for more information on events (www.vacreepertrail.org)
*A fun-filled year of events planned! Please volunteer and sign up! All meetings are on the last Weds of the month at
7PM at the Washington County Public Library.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Lawrence “The Legend” Dye Interviewed
Jack Murray, Digital Media Coordinator at
Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine, interviewed
Lawrence Dye on April 12, 2012. The article is
scheduled to be published in the July 2012
issue of the magazine.
Lawrence also
accompanied Mr. Murray and VCTC President
Wayne Miller on a trail ride from Abingdon to
Alvarado and back. You can get a sneak
preview at Mr. Murray’s blog on the ‘Legend
of the Virginia Creeper’ along with video of
their trail ride. The video features Wayne
Miller performing the song he composed about
the Virginia Creeper. Mr. Murray’s blog,
video, and another interesting article about
Lawrence and the Virginia Creeper Trail can be
found at http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/ .
Pictured above: Lawrence Dye and Jack Murray
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Trestle 7 Replacement Project
Kevin Worley, Town of Abingdon Director of Parks and Recreation, reported that an engineering firm has been
tentatively selected for the Trestle 7 replacement and is pending final approval by the Abingdon Town Council.
Once approved, the engineering firm will commence with data collection, geotechnical and property surveys,
followed by structural engineering. Construction will start after the 2012 fall leaf season. The Town’s goal is
to keep the trail open during construction with only limited closure for equipment and material mobilization.
The replacement trestle design will be similar to the original trestle in appearance but will utilize modern
materials and fabrication methods to control costs and facilitate construction. Trestle 7 was destroyed by an F3
tornado that left a path of destruction from Abingdon to Glade Spring, VA on the night of April 27, 2011.
Below: Photo of Trestle 7 taken in June, 2010 by Wayne Miller
Bottom: Rendering of selected trestle replacement design
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Emory & Henry Students Capture Virginia Creeper Trail Oral Histories
The Virginia Creeper Trail Club partnered with Professor Twange Kasoma’s “Writing, Reporting, and
Editing II” class of the Mass Communications Department at E&H this past semester. The class project
produced a series of interviews that were gathered into an oral history of individuals with knowledge or
involvement with the founding and development of the Creeper Trail. The students also captured the
interviews on video and photographed recent grant work completed on the trail for inclusion in the grant
report. Highlights of the interviews were presented by the students at the VCTC meeting on April 25,
2012. Look for these interviews in future issues of this newsletter and on the Club website. Here is a
list of the participating E&H students (listed first) and individuals they interviewed (listed second):
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Mark Robertson: Charles Seaver, President of the Historical Society of Washington County, VA
Evan Williamson: Beth Merz, Ranger at the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area
Olivia Bailey: Senator Rick Boucher, on securing State and Federal implementation funding
Jacob Lishen: Bruce Wankel, owner of the Virginia Creeper Fly Shop, on how the trail impacted
the local business community
Wes Polly: Eleanor Grasselli, Damascus resident who recalled memories when she and her
brother walked the tracks in the days when the Virginia Creeper train was still active
Megan McMillen: Dr. Mel Heiman, who was instrumental in getting the trail started
Consuela Perry: Tom Taylor, former director of Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area
Emily Carrier: Al Bradley, Abingdon Town Planner at the time of trail implementation
Sarah Goldwasser: Ed Morgan, Mayor of Abingdon, on the impact of the trail on local tourism
Keran Billand: Lawrence Dye, who discussed history of the trail and perspectives from an athlete
Becky Sharkey: Dr. French Moore, who was instrumental in getting the trail started
Cat Richardson: Tom Horsch, owner of Sun Dog and Adventure Damascus bike shuttle services
Drew Piscopo: Bob Horsch, past VCTC Maintenance Chairman and dedicated volunteer
Washington County Public Library Builds New Damascus Branch Library and Tourism Center
Washington County is building a new branch library to replace the old one that dates back to 1986. In addition
to traditional library services, the new 6,500 sq. ft. building includes a visitor and tourist information center, a
meeting room, and offers high-speed wireless internet access, an expanded computer lab, storage for hikers’
gear and bike racks. There will also be a kiosk to provide information about local recreational, historic, and
business resources in the area. Known as “The Friendliest Little Library on the Trail”, the Damascus library has
proven to be a popular attraction with visitors from 42 states and 12 foreign countries this past year and caters to
the needs and wants of outdoor enthusiasts, including Appalachian Trail hikers and Virginia Creeper Trail
bikers. The VCTC recently donated $5,000 to the library building fund for finishing the interior spaces.
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2012 VCTC Events – Trail Cleanup
Many devoted Creeper Keepers turned out for the annual VCT cleanup on March 31, 2012 despite the damp
weather. After starting out with a snack to boost their energy at the trailheads in Abingdon and Damascus, the
groups headed off to their appointed sections. Many thanks go to those who volunteered and to Andy Wilson,
manager of Food City in Damascus for donating coffee and donuts for the volunteers.
Pictured left to right: Wayne Miller, Mary & Brad
Lamontagne, Turner (Jeff’s dog), Jeff VanCleef,
Margaret Gregg, Mary Moffatt, Sharon Miller.
Amy Kaywood and her Damascus Middle School Eco
Club students.
Here’s how the Trail Cleanup day proceeded from Chris Lindeman’s perspective…
Confessions of This Creeper Keeper
At the crack of 9:30 on the morning of March 31, 2012, the annual Creeper Trail trash cleanup was
under way! Our partner, Food City of Damascus, graciously provided coffee and donuts for the volunteers.
While the volunteers gathered inside the store to enjoy the sweet, strong energy, Anne and I assigned trail
sections to be cleaned up. Andy Wilson, manager of Food City, took his volunteer employees and Anne and
Nancy had a group of middle school kids and off they went. That left the section between Mile Markers l0 and
12, known locally as the BULL PEN, which was a new area of the trail for us.
It was a misty morning, but we quickly shed our raincoats and enjoyed a beautiful morning on the trail.
Spring had arrived early this year so the woods along the trail were blooming! Oh look: a large flowered
bellwort, a wood anemone, great chickweed, and ramps. I dropped my orange trash bag and got out my camera.
Steve was way ahead of me working hard, and it looked like he had the trash under control! We both stopped to
watch a fox squirrel watching us. The trail was waking up as the fog lifted and we greeted riders on horseback
and kayakers on the river. I will confess that I did not pick up much trash, I was just enjoying being on the trail
on a lovely spring day! Luckily that section was not in need of much clean up!
Chris Lindeman, Events
Abingdon Recognized as an Appalachian Trail Community
The Town of Abingdon was recently designated as an Appalachian Trail Community by the Appalachian Trail
Conservancy. As a community already connected to the Appalachian Trail by overlap of the AT with the
Virginia Creeper Trail, Abingdon has been a tourist destination for AT hikers wishing to take a side trip to visit
attractions like the Barter Theatre. This recognition will surely enhance and highlight our efforts to protect the
natural, cultural and recreational resources in this region as trail popularity continues to increase.
Lawrence “The Legend” Dye Mileage Report
Lawrence’s total mileage on the Creeper Trail was 167,370 miles as of April 25, 2012!
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TRAIL REPORT
Memorial Bench Installed
A memorial bench was recently
installed along the Virginia
Creeper trail near Wye Park on
2/21/2012 to honor Dick and
Patti Pepin, Rebecca Pepin’s
recently deceased inlaws. Mrs.
Pepin is a co-anchor for
Channel 5 News on WCYB.
(Pictured
right:
Roger
Reynolds, Wayne Miller and
Mike Tackney)
Whitetop Station Gets a Facelift
The Virginia Creeper
Trail Club provided
the volunteers and
materials to paint the
siding of Whitetop
Station this spring.
Last year, the USFS
completed extensive
building
repairs.
The Station is now
open to visitors.
(Pictured
below:
VCTC
volunteers,
2012;
Pictured
bottom:
Whitetop
Station as it appeared
around 1913.)
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NATURALIST’S CORNER
Botanist John Fraser left his mark by the future Virginia Creeper Trail
Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750 - 1811) visited the fledgling United States of America in the late Seventeenhundreds in search of new and usual plants that might have medicinal qualities or provide beauty in the gardens of
Europe. During his explorations in the mountains of western Virginia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, he
discovered one plant and two trees that to this day share his surname in their common names.
The first of the two trees named for Fraser is the Fraser Fir. These lofty clingers to altitudes above 4,000 feet were
in decline until they became favorites as Christmas trees. They are now so familiar that no illustration or photograph of
them must be provided. If you wish to see Fraser Firs growing near the Creeper Trail, visit Green Cove.
The second tree is the Fraser Magnolia, also known as the Mountain Magnolia. It is best known for its large
leaves and large flowers. One grows by the east side of trestle number 39, so near you will believe you can almost reach
out and touch its foliage.
The plant growing along the Virginia Creeper Trail bearing Fraser’s name is Fraser’s Sedge. At first glance, if
not in bloom, it might appear to you to be a member of the Lily family because of its long, narrow, evergreen lea ves. Its
flowers resemble an unlikely white version of English Plantain flowers. This observer has discovered few occurrences of
this plant along the Virginia Creeper Trail between Damascus and Whitetop Station. The most populous colony of Fraser
Sedge so far found is located west of trestle no. 31. Although some of our neighboring states list it as threatened or
endangered, Virginia appears to be silent on that subject.
George Kelley
Fraser Magnolia
Fraser Sedge
Close Encounter with a Bat Near the Creeper Trail
This bat suddenly showed up in my house near the Creeper Trail. When he landed on the floor I covered him with a large
stainless steel pan. I slid two empty potting soil bags under the pan, moved the pan and bags over to the bottom of a pizza
pan and carried all to my backyard. I removed the upper pan. When I saw that the bat was just lying there all gathered
together I went back in the house to get my camera. When I returned he had flaired out his wings. I encouraged him onto
the pizza pan and called my
neighbor Larry Ginn to see. He
was very impressed with the size
and beauty of the animal. After we
had taken a few pictures, Larry
with his phone and I with my
Nikon, the bat started to try to fly.
We then cooperated to move the
bat onto one of the bags, from
which Larry launched the bat,
which flew away.
Eleanor Grasselli
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VCTC Members, please note: You can pay your annual dues online (Visit Club website:
vacreepertrail.org/join.html or creeperkeeper.com) or mail in with the form below.
VCTC MEMBERSHIP FORM
Mail Membership forms to:
The Virginia Creeper Trail Club
P.O. Box 2382
Abingdon, VA 24212
Name ____________________________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip (5 + 4 digits) __________________________________________________________
Phone # __________________________________ Today’s Date __________________________
Email address _____________________________________________________________________
Committee interests: ____ Membership
____ Publicity
Individual $10 _____
Family (household) $25 _____
Lifetime membership $100 ______
The Virginia Creeper Trail Club
P.O. Box 2382
Abingdon, VA 24212-2382
To:
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____ Merchandise ____ Events
____ Trail Maintenance
____ Other ___________________________________
Business $100 _____
Donation $_________
(any amount is appreciated)