More Pine Mountain Trail work to clear tornado damage set for Saturday
The cleanup of storm damage on Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park’s Pine Mountain Trail continues Saturday as volunteers again are asked to chip in.
The Pine Mountain Trail Association was to host a group hike Saturday, but instead will organize a work day to remove fallen trees and other debris from last week’s tornado. Volunteers are asked to assemble at 9 a.m. at the WJSP-TV tower parking area off Georgia 85 near the Georgia 190 intersection.
“The tornado literally wiped out one 2-mile section of trail near Bethel Creek campsite and crossed the trail in some five more places,” association secretary Jim Hall wrote in an email to supporters. “The tornado path was mainly on the south side of mountain near Mile 18 of the trail. Each time it crossed a trail the path was one-quarter to a half-mile wide.”
The 23-mile trail’s east end remains closed to hikers, as does the road to Dowdell’s Knob, which is blocked by downed trees, Hall said: “Trail closure signs are posted at Mollyhugger Hill parking lot (trail Mile 11) east to the WJSP-TV tower end of the trail. While not all the areas along this route are blocked, enough sections are blocked to not make it safe to even find the trail route around the tornado-affected zones until cleared. The gate to the Dowdell Knob area is closed for now.”
A 2-mile span of the trail’s east end, from the radio tower to Cascade Falls, is part of the popular Wolfden Loop hike, which the association hopes to have open by the end of the day Saturday. After that, the group will schedule workdays to clear the trail’s Dowdell Knob loop and remove storm debris from trail Miles 12 to 13.2.
Hall adds: “We also need volunteers to go out and do nothing but hike some sections of trail to make sure there’s no damage to them. There will be someone at the parking lot to direct you to work areas and those trails that need hiking should you arrive after 9 a.m. Volunteers are asked to bring water, drinks and lunch for themselves. Leaf rakes and large clippers would be helpful tools to bring, but mainly we need folks to move limbs and logs after those with chain saws cut them away from the trails. Those who have chain saws are asked to bring them. Volunteers who can work during the week are welcome. Contact Jim Hall, 706-569-0497, or Carl Carlson, 706-628-5336, in the evenings for information.”
This story was originally published May 2, 2011 at 11:05 AM with the headline "More Pine Mountain Trail work to clear tornado damage set for Saturday."