This Friday we have been invited by the good folks at Holmes Educational Forest to enjoy coffee at 8:30. They promise to have an entertaining day lined up for us and perhaps a repeat performance the following Friday. Note the later start time - let the school traffic clear out. Please let me know if you will be out this week. Bill

P.S. has anyone got a chain saw bar oil bottle in their back pack? One has been missing several weeks now. Also my folding pruning saw has taken leave - anyone know where it might have gone?

Folks, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is ready to get back to work. We will go back to the log pile and try to get some more down the hill. Howard needs the big logs for the base section of the shelter and then the decking lumber, so we will work on those items. Asheville folks meet at Home Depot at exit 44 of I-40 at 8:00. Hendersonville people at Ingles at 7:20. Please let me know if you are coming. Skip

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

Since this is the "High Season" for shooting deer, we will keep out of the big woods and settle in close to home this coming Wednesday. Also: we may not get out due to rain planned for early morning. Nevertheless here we go. Let's meet at 74A on BRP at 8:00 AM (weather permitting). Looks like 1/2 miles in (south bound) toward MP 386 there will be trail work, sidehilling, root covering etc. etc. We will need one saw and I will bring same...unless Mr. Brooker has all certifications...trail tools etc. Should be no deer hunters in the Asheville residents' backyards. Don may have some work for us to do on his section(s) as well. Look for "weather abort" email at 6:45 to 7:00 AM Wednesday...Jorge, please call Mr. Hamberger for us. Hope to see you if not raining. As usual, please REPLY. JS

Howard McDonald's Saturday Work Crew

Hi all, very much depending on the weather, we are planning to go back in this coming Saturday to start putting logs above the sill logs. There was snow on the ground there this Friday which made the trip down the hill rather hairy! I have asked John Webb to keep us informed of what is happening there, but I might not get the word to you until Thursday night or even Friday. Let me know if you are planning to come. Thanks. Howard

nyone interested in joining the trail crews contact: Hendersonville area-Bill Newton, 828-693-4033, Brevard area-Dick Johnson, 828-884-3685, Asheville area-Skip Shelton, 828-891-3264 or Piet Bodenhorst, 828-298-8371, Misha Lazer, 828-259-9729, lazerm@bellsouth.net , Mike Lang, 828-658-1914, mlang626@buncombe.main.nc.us

USFS policy is that no sawyer ever operate a saw alone. So the minimum work party size is two -- the sawyer and one other person, call them what you will - swamper, assistant, safety valve, etc. This policy is in the USFS Health and Safety Code Handbook -- so it's policy based on regulation, tied to OSHA. I believe that ATC policy mirrors this. For chainsaws, that the second person is NOT required to have any special qualifications == doesn't have to be saw certified, doesn't have to be certified in First Aid or CPR. Of course, there is value in that person being able to give first aid and CPR if the sawyer is hurt, but it's not a requirement. There's been a lot of discussion in a lot of circles about that issue, and the rationale came down to having the sawyer be certified because he's the one person who we are sure is going to be onsite if the saw is operated. And, lots of saw accidents involve injury to folks other than the actual sawyer. Pete Irvine, AT Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 pirvine@fs.fed.us phone: 304-535-6737

Those of you wish to get your certification or re-certification done, the Transylvania American Red Cross is offering first aid courses on the following schedule:

CPR: Tuesday, November 30 6 PM - 10 PM
Saturday, December 11 2 PM - 6 PM
Thursday, December 16 9 AM - 1 PM

CPR: Refresher (Must have a current Adult CPR card & a skill card with them)
Tuesday, November 30 6 PM - 9 PM

First Aid: Wednesday, December 8 9 AM - 1 PM
Saturday, December 11 9 AM - 1 PM (Note this is "piggy- backed" with CPR so both certifications can be accomplished on the same day.

The costs for the classes are: CPR - $30.00 First Aid - $20.00. This expense is NOT reimbursable by the Forest Service. If you wish to wait until the classes are held on the Pisgah Ranger District, the District will likely pick up the entire costs.

There is also a "Wilderness First Aid Basics" course that will be offered if enough are interested. The course is approved by the American Camping Association and the Boy Scouts of America and is very comprehensive for those of us that work the "back-country". I am in the process of trying to determine if this course will meet the requirements of the U. S. Forest Service. Anyone interested in this 2 day class, please let me know. Bruce Ryden, Volunteer Trail Maintenance Coordinator, Pisgah Ranger District, bruceeryden@aol.com .

Our agreements with the Forest Service and other government entities require that chain saw operators be certified in chain saw operation and that they have first aid and CPR training. The Education Committee has developed a CMC centralized database recording the sawyer certifications and expiration dates. An up to date list of qualified sawyers is maintained on the CMC web site. It is the individual responsibility of each sawyer to report certification changes to: cmctm@carolinamtnclub.org .Currently 60% of the chain saw operators do not have the required certifications. Please do NOT saw for the CMC or any other public organization unless you are properly certified.

Hendersonville Friday Trail Maintenance Volunteers in order of seniority, active member

Congratulations to all of the members of this crew. As you can see the dedication is deep in this team which goes back to the late Harlow Hoskins and his efforts for about 20 years leading this group. Now Bill Newton has taken everything to a new level. Please thank each of these folks when you see them. Think about how much work has been done over the years by these maintainers. Thank you for all you do!

D. R. Kulp * Jan. 12,1990 Jim Tanquary * Jan. 12, 1990 Tommy Wilson * Feb 9, 1990 Dale Vogel * Oct. 29, 1993 Jack Mazurowski July 29, 1994 Bill Newton * Sep 30, 1994 Neal Andreae * Dec 16, 1994 Terry Eld * Jun 9, 1995 Pete Petersen * Jan 26, 1996 John Van Valen Jun 21, 1996 Jerry Kuhlmann * Oct 18, 1996 Dave Beardsley * Jun 27, 1997 Bob Broderick * Jun 30, 2000 Jim Crouse * Jun 30, 2000 Al Williams Feb 16, 2001 Robert Rehrer * Mar 1, 2002 Harvey Fichtelberg * Mar 8, 2002 John Soldati * Nov. 8, 2002 Jack Luebbe Jan. 31, 2003 Larry Schwake Oct. 24, 2003 Ralph Turnberg Apr. 9, 2004 Walt Weber * Sep, 29, 2004 * Original members – start of crew.

Save the date - February 5, 2005 - for the FMST Annual meeting in Greensboro, NC. This years guest speaker will be Deirdre F. Hewitt with the RTCA program under the National Park Service in Asheville, NC. She will tell us all about the RTCA program; you can visit here for more info: http://www.nps.gov/rtca/ . The FMST is discussing along with the Department of Parks and Recreation in using this program for the MST East Plan. This meeting of Task Forces has proven to benefit the MST with reports and planning for the new year. Information will be mailed out in the near future about this meeting. Thanks for your time. Jeff Brewer www.ncmst.org

A record of each person certified to operate a chainsaw on trails that the CMC maintains has been added to the web site. The list is intended to serve several purposes. First, the list will show for the first time the names and location of the sawyers that are available to contact to help clear the trails that we are responsible for. Second, the listing also accumulates for the first time our expiration dates for the three certifications that you must have to remove trees for the Forest Service and National Park Systems in our region. The three certifications are: Sawyer, First Aid and CPR. The typical terms of certification are 3 years for sawyer, 2 years for First Aid and 1 year for CPR. the listing may viewed here: Sawyer Certification List

Seems a few of us plan to eat too much for Thanksgiving, so need to walk it off Friday. Those who wish this needed exercise meet at the ranger station at 8 and we will go to our MST section by hwy 215 to Heywood Gap and use the crosscut to remove a few trees. Good exercise! Please let me know if you will be out - may bring another tool or two. Bill

Folks, There are a few hearty folks who want to work off Thanksgiving dinner and will be going out on Friday the 26th. Right now this group consists of Piet, Allen, and Howard and they plan on cutting out the trees remaining on the Brown Gap to Max Patch Road section and possibly the big tree down between Lemon Gap and the new shelter. If your plans have changed, and you want to join this happy bunch, meet them at Home Depot at exit 44 of I-40 at 8:00. Please let me know if you are going to be there so I can tell them and they don't take off early and leave anyone behind. Hope everyone has a great Holiday and is ready to join us again on Friday December 3rd. Skip

John Soldati's Wednesday Work Crew

Officially we will take a "Holiday Break" the day before Thanksgiving. The weather is lousy, the day will be bleak. So let's take a day off. Of course anyone needing a day in the woods can go. Hope each of you has a grand day on Thanksgiving Day. See all of you on the 29th hopefully. JS

Mile Lang's Monday Work Crew

The on site sign construction team continued their operation at Old Bald on the MST. In several locations signs had been torn up causing potential problems for hikers. We installed 4 signs with posts only interrupted by a quick trip to Lowes for emergency first aid on a tool. Post hole diggers work very poorly with just one handle (it's not yours Piet). There are at least three trees down on the trail and more signs to be constructed, with at least one being badly needed. This will be the goal for next Monday. After two sign installation trips the three afore mentioned maintainers are certified (your choice as to what in). The certification process consists of a 4 mile hike with a 100 lb. bag of cement on ones back and a large post in each hand. Your lucky you don't have to carry water to mix with the cement. Barth