Our Trail Life Troop VA-9713 has been cleaning a section of the Lake Trail and also the Lake shore in the fall for about 4 years. This year we will be inviting the Geocaching community to take part with us for a CITO event. The Volunteer Coordinator is looking forward to the cachers helping to clean up the trails and lake shore with our troop. If you have a canoe or a kayak this is a great time to put it to excellent use and have fun in the water at the same time. Everyone with a watercraft will be going around the edge of the lake and gathering all wind blown trash that can’t be accessed from a trail. For those that don’t have a floating device or don’t really care about that type of trash pick up there are numerous trails with different levels of difficulty ratings you will be assigned to check for trash or debris. Late entry- The event will start at 9:00 AM that will be plenty of time to clean the assigned areas and be at the upper end of the lake for lunch. I will give you the cords and or the locations of the different trails as you arrive either Friday evening at the Greet, Meet and Camp event or on Saturday morning at the CITO event. The plus side to the trail cleaning is there are geocaches on almost every trail and by the date of the CITO there will be more caches to find as they are approved by park staff.
By attending this event you will be given a parking pass to enter the park for the CITO service you will be doing for the park as a reward. These passes will be given out to the ones camping on Friday evening and to the ones that sign up for water or trail clean up on Saturday. At the end of the event we will meet at the upper end of the lake and have a hot dog lunch. I’m in the process of rounding up the food and making arrangements for cooking it at the ending coordinates of the event. Knowing the number coming will really help with food arrangements.
Coming from Marion on Hwy 16 turn right on SR617 and you will see sign for Boat Ramp .09 of a mile and turn left on SR750 and follow the road to the water.
Things to bring: gloves to handle trash, paddle propelled or electric water craft, good hiking shoes(if on trails and water shoes for boating), day pack with weather related clothing as needed, your GPS with the park caches downloaded. I have a canoe and a kayak along with PFDs if anyone needs to borrow them. Anyone on the water is required to wear a lifejacket per park rules.
As you log a will attend please let me know if you will be walking or floating during this event so groups can be formed for a more efficient clean up.
We will provide the meal but if any of you great desert makers could bring some sweets it would be greatly appreciated.
The lunch meal will take place back at the group camping area where the Greet and Meet was held on Friday evening. Cords again for that location is N36 52.362 W081 31.581 The drinks will consist of water and bug juice. PS ask any scout what bug juice is (Kool aid)
I will add comments to the page as time gets closer or anything changes. The fall colors should be at their peak or just past depending on the moisture we have in the next few weeks.
Hope to see you at the CITO.
Difficulty Rating: and Terrain Rating: were posted as a 2.5 but the level will go up or down depending on where you decide to pick up trash on trail or water, Sorry it's the best I could figure out.