There are a few dams to cross on the AT.
Anyone know about restrictions when crossing dams this year?
Team GAK
Damn Dams - Appalachian Trail
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#1
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#2
Yesterday, I heard the drought is still affecting the Southeast.
Water levels will be down.
Ken J
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#5
Barricades & guards at dams. Can Hikers cross? Maybe the ATC knows. How about the Fontana Hilton?
Dam Walker
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#6
As of mid-November, hikers were indeed forbidden to walk across Fontana Dam. Apparently, the park service is shuttling hikers around. I don’t if this is still in effect or how long it will last.
While I don’t believe that there are other current closures on the trail associated with dams, there may be issues with other “strategic” areas including local water supply, military/government installations, communications towers, etc., all of which can be found in close proximity to the trail at various locations. For example, the trail in MD passes quite close (within 10 miles or so) of Camp David, so don’t be surprised if you see some guys in suits and dark glasses eying up hikers whenever the Pres. takes a weekend off.
Ken G
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#7
Whoa, that’s pretty intense. Must have been interesting for the SOBOs the majority of whom I think were still north of the Smokies in Sept… Hopefully the restrictions will not last for long. I have mixed feelings on hearing about this. I don’t think that the stretch through MD comes close enough to Camp David that it will be a problem. That’s a different situation it seems to me. The AT is on an independent corridor miles from the camp, the land for Camp David is probably a fortress in and of itself.
Sweeper
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#8
Geez, even the AT can’t be ‘normal’ after 9/11.
Next we’ll be rerouted around pastures, to assure the safety
of the food supply!-)
Dammit!
Ken J
Ken J
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#9
You are correct in saying that Camp David is quite far from the A.T. corridor, but it is apparently not as far and as protected as you think. The reason I mentioned it was because there was story (perhaps apocryphal) in this month’s AMC magazine about a group of local school kids who were hiking the A.T. recently and took a side trail. The side trail apparently got too close to a communications tower or some other such installation related to Camp David and the kids found themselves staring down the barrel of a secret serviceman’s gun until things could be straightened out. As I said, I don’t even know if the story is true, but it sure makes you think.
Ken G.
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#10
I picked up a SOBO at Springer about a month ago and he said that there was a big flap about crossing Fontana Dam when he did it. Seems as they wanted thru-hikers to take the twenty mile trail and then cross over the river below trhe dam and then roadwalk the considerable mileage back to the AT. Well, he thought that a little far fetched and took the normal route down shuckstack, out of the park and across the Dam to the Hilton. He said that the bathrooms and all were already closed (normal for that time of year), but he stopped to use the phone and while he was on the phone the TVA Cops showed up and gave him the hairy eyeball until he was off the phone, then just asked that he “move along”. No big deal. He asked if the dam was closed to hikers and they said it was, but made no effort to detain or otherwise F… with him. He said that there wer no further incidents between there and Springer.
If any of you are familiar with the Forest Service roads around the southern end of the trail you know that FS28-1 passes along the eastern perimeter of Camp Frank D. Merrell, the Army Ranger training base near Hawk Mountain. If you have ever driven that way from Nimblewill Church up to Cooper Gap you will recall that the base had an open front gate without so much as a guard shack or anything, and the side roads off FS 28-1 to the various parts of the base were basically unguarded…NOT ANY MORE! there are those big concrete barriers like they use on road construction, copious amounts of razor wire and lots of guys with M-16s and M-60s who are NOT friendly AT ALL! You can still use the Forest Service Roads, but don’t even THINK about slowing down or stopping (as I did) anywhere NEAR the base! They are not very nice about telling you to get the hell on…
Hacksaw
Hacksaw
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#11
Anybody hear about the dam just outside of Hampton, TN. Are they restricting it too? Then there is the Lynchburg Dam too, any news on it?
Mr. Boo
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#13
Hiked through that area just before Thanksgiving and there was no problems at all. No police or National Guard.
Scooby99
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#14
The school group got in trouble below PenMar near High Rock. High Rock is 200’ off the AT and is on public land. It is OK to visit here. What happened was the school group went up to the summit of High Rock Mountain which has a road leading from High Rock to the summit. The actual summit area is actually on the Fort Richie Military Base. The summit area is marked by several towers. some are military. You do not want to be here. This summit area was patroled way back in 1999. Security is just much tighter now. The overlook near the AT and the AT are open and available to daytime visitors.
Wyoming Skateboarder
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#15
In addition to the High Rocks/Fort Ritchie area, hikers should be aware of other sites the in the vicinity of the AT where one may encounter increased security in the wake of 9/11.
- The Mt. Weather installation in VA upon crossing Va 605 (before Sam Moore Shelter & Bears Den Hostel) Its on the AT map. This is about a mile off the AT but it’s the site of the ‘shadow govt’ bunker we’ve been hearing about so beware nonetheless.
- ‘Lamb’s Knoll’ communications relay installation 1.6 miles south of Rocky Run Shelter in MD. This shows on the AT map as ‘towers’ near the ‘white rocks’ view. You can see this from the AT & the trail crosses the access road south of it. Heed the tresspassing signs as the county monitors this road & will fine.
Peace -
Goldbond
Goldbond