Clearing the Appalachian Trail in Virginia After Hurricane Helene: A Photo Story
December 19, 2024
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s impact, the Appalachian Trail in Virginia—a state boasting more miles of the A.T. than any other state—faced incredible challenges. Thanks to the tireless efforts of skilled volunteer and professional saw crews, the Trail is open all the way through the state again as of December 13, 2024. Even though the Trail has been cleared and stabilized enough to reopen, there is still much work to do to restore the Trail to pre-Helene conditions in Virginia. In Tennessee and North Carolina, trail clearing efforts are still underway, and some areas are still closed. Hikers should check the current conditions before setting out and use caution on storm-damaged sections.
The scale of destruction in southwest Virginia would have taken much longer for local trail club volunteers and USFS personnel to clear on their own. A professional NPS saw team came to Damascus, and the Mount Rogers A.T. Club was hard at work. Meanwhile, thanks to the swift generosity of donors to our A.T. Resiliency Fund, ATC staff were able to accelerate their efforts and send the additional people like skilled saywers and equipment needed to clear heavily impacted areas of the Trail.
In just a few weeks, professional crews cleared over 1,400 downed trees over about 20 miles of heavily impacted trail, working in close coordination with Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff, the Mount Rogers A.T. Club (MRATC), and the U.S. Forest Service.
Joining this monumental effort, 20 dedicated volunteer sawyers from five other trail clubs in Virginia answered the call to lend a hand to the Mount Rogers A.T. Club. Over the course of two events coordinated by ATC, based in Marion and Damascus, volunteers removed another 200+ trees and repaired significant tread damage in four heavily impacted areas.
This incredible work was made possible by the generosity of donors to the A.T. Resiliency Fund. We’re endlessly grateful to everyone who supports our mission to rebuild, reconnect, and protect the Appalachian Trail.
Scroll through the photos below to see these amazing crews in action!
Volunteers & Professional Crews in Action
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Volunteer sawyers from 5 A.T. Clubs gather at Trimpi Shelter on November 14. Left to right: Jim Webb (RATC), Trudy Phillips (NBATC), Curtis Bailey (PATC), Mike Custodio (PATC), John Phillips (NBATC), Joe Sinegra (PATC), John Hvozdovic (OCVT), Doug Levin (MRATC), Jerry Kyle (ATC staff), Dave Buckalew (NBATC). Photo by Pete Irvine.
Volunteer sawyers clear a downed hickory tree from the A.T. with a crosscut saw in Raccoon Branch Wilderness, November 15. Photo by Pete Irvine.
Volunteer sawyers begin to address a complex blockage on the Trail in Raccoon Branch Wilderness, November 15. Photo by David Buckalew.
Volunteer sawyers hiking through cleared Helene blowdowns near Trimpi Shelter, November 15. Photo by David Buckalew.
Volunteer sawyer Carl Boggess of NBATC cuts the top off a stake supporting freshly-built log cribbing to repair tread damaged by rootball uplift, south of Damascus on December 4. Photo by Tyler Irving.
MRATC Trail Supervisor Doug Levin works on repairs to Helene-damaged A.T. tread south of Damasus, December 4. Photo by Tyler Irving.
A cleared section of the A.T. south of Damascus on December 4, threading through a landscape of downed trees and upturned rootballs. Photo by Tyler Irving.
A recently-cleared section of the A.T. South of Damascus, Virginia, on December 4. Photo by Tyler Irving.
Volunteers from MRATC and other Virginia A.T. clubs hike in with tools to repair tread damaged by Hurricane Helene south of Damascus on December 4. Photo by Tyler Irving.
Professional sawyers with Rx Fire Effects contracted by ATC clear downed trees from the A.T. near Beartree Gap, November 14. Photo by Jim Baum.
Professional sawyers move debris after clearing a cluster of downed trees from the A.T., November 14. Photo by Jim Baum.
Professional sawyers find their way through dense storm damage to clear the A.T. near Lost Mountain Shelter, November 15. Photo by Jim Baum.
Freshly cut logs line the A.T. where a professional saw crew contracted by ATC cleared the Trail near Lost Mountain Sheler, November 15. Photo by Jim Baum.
Professional sawyers survey storm damage near Lost Mountain Shelter on November 15. Prior to Hurricane Helene, this area was a full-canopy mature forest. Photo by Jim Baum.
Contract sawyers assess a downed tree near the intersection of the A.T. and Iron Mountain Trail north of Damascus on November 25. The tree's uprooted rootball includes a directional sign for hikers. Photo by Jim Baum.
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