When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina in late September 2024, the damage to the Appalachian Trail from Virginia south was immense. While I can’t speak to all the work that has been performed outside of the Nantahala range, it has been significant in this area. Every trail club, including the Nantahala Hiking Club (NHC), is working hard to have as much of the trail open as possible for North Bound (NOBO) hikers this year.
We are fortunate in the Nantahala Range. Our largest amount of blowdown cleanup was between Mooney Gap and Standing Indian and between Deep Gap and Muskrat Shelter. Additionally, none of the 10 shelters and privies in our section were damaged.
As of Dec. 31, 2024, NHC’s Trail Maintainers put in over 790 hours of effort. Maintainers go out once a week, on Wednesdays, to work on the Appalachian Trail and other trails that hikers use in all seasons. NHC’s Trail Maintainers are led by our trail manager, Hygie Starr, who plans what areas need to be addressed by priority.
The difficulty in trail maintenance is, that even though each of the major areas on our section of the Appalachian Trail have been addressed, blowdowns happen all the time. So, literally, a blowdown can be cleared today, and another one can happen tomorrow. If you are out in the Nantahala National Forest and come across a major blowdown, please report it by sending an email to [email protected]. State the approximate size of the blowdown and the location. It helps to know if the blowdown can be stepped over or must be navigated around.
The Nantahala Hiking Club is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and one of 31 volunteer Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs within the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. NHC maintains 58.6 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Bly Gap at the Georgia/North Carolina border to Nantahala Outdoor Center on the Nantahala River at Wesser, N.C. For more information about NHC and to learn how to become involved, visit https://www.nantahalahikingclub.org/.