October Worktrip a Cool Success

Rural Retreat, Va. -- After a full day of weed- eating, PATH members descended on the Rural Retreat farm of PATH member Willie Hall and his family for an enjoyable cookout and a chance to warm up by the campfire.

The Oct. 17 event, held a short distance from the site of the '97 Multi-Club meeting, has become something of a tradition with PATH, thanks to the generous hospitality of the Halls.

The weather during the weed-eating was cool and clear, according to Don Childrey, adding that Stony Fork campers woke up Saturday morning to a bit of frost. Don described the worktrip and cookout as a well-attended and fun day of events.

PATH members put in hundreds of hours this year and last helping build a swanky shelter at the Mt. Rogers (Va.) Visitors Center, southern terminus of PATH's 50-mile stretch of the AT. The shelter was built in memory of Thomas R. Baldwin (1961-1995), a young man who fell in love with the AT and Virginia mountains. The shelter, dedicated June 6, was a joint effort of the ATC, PATH, the US Forest Service and the Baldwin family, which initiated and partially funded the project.