DatesSep 7th - Sep 13th 2008 Service ProjectTrail Maintenance -- Turnpike construction, erosion control with waterbars and checkdams Free DaysClimbing a peak, fishing, photography, soaking up the wilderness AccommodationsBackpack Camping -- two mile backpack to basecamp Trip RatingStrenuous : Hiking, digging, lifting, carrying, bending, moving rocks and logs. LeadersCarter Bland Equipment |
High, wild, and lovely, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA) is unique in Virginia. Often called the "rooftop of Virginia," all of the state above 5,000 feet in elevation is in this area where the three counties of Grayson, Washington, and Smyth meet. As a result, this is a land of contrast and surprise unlike anything else in the state. Visitors compare it to a Canadian-type climate with its spruce-fir remnant forest. Others imagine a chunk of Montana Big Sky country transported to the Blue Ridge Mountain range when they experience the recreation area's high, timbered ridges that suddenly open to grassy alpine meadows in the thin, crisp air. Our trip will be in the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness, one of three wilderness areas in the NRA. Adjoining Grayson Highlands State Park, Little Wilson Creek Wilderness is within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Elevations range from 3,220 feet near the southern border to 4,857 near the northern boundary. The vegetation is primarily upland hardwoods with sugar maple, beech, yellow birch, and some stands of red spruce and Fraser fir. Deer and bear, grouse and quail, and numerous small mammals and birds are found here. Both Big Wilson and Little Wilson Creeks contain native trout. Our work project will include turnpike construction (a turnpike is a section of raised trail in a meadow), and waterbar and checkdam construction. This trip is suitable for beginners in good shape who want to learn about trail maintenance as well as seasoned hands. This will be our first trip ever in Virginia – come make history with Wilderness Volunteers and Give Something Back in one of the largest recreation areas in the East!
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