McAfee Knob Task Force Patrolling “Virginia’s Triple Crown” How many have heard of McAfee Knob? Of Virginia’s Triple Crown? Diana Christopulos President, Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club dianak16@earthlink.net 540.387.0930

“Triple Crown” named by others

Groups and individuals from all over Organizer of Washington DC Meetup group claims he originated the term a decade ago

“VIRGINIA’S TRIPLE CROWN” RATC’s busiest section TOTAL RATC SECTION OF AT 120+ miles Rt 611 (Giles County) to Blackhorse Gap (Blue Ridge Parkway) THE “TRIPLE CROWN” About 28 miles Dragon’s Tooth McAfee Knob Tinker Cliffs

Dragon’s Tooth McAfee Knob Tinker Cliffs

Seasonal visitors: 2011-2015 Catawba = McAfee Knob/Triple Crown Pre-Task Force Total seen over 7 fall weekends = <2,400

Roanoke metro area = >300,000

Virginia Tech/Blacksburg = >30,000 students + MSA >162,000

Within 250 miles… Washington, DC Philadelphia Charlotte Raleigh-Durham Include: Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland, Charlotte, Atlanta Within 500 miles… New York Philadelphia Cleveland Indianapolis Atlanta

McAfee Knob Anonymous star of “A Walk in the Woods” 8-mile round trip Ridgerunner counts: 55% more hikers each year >600 visitors per day on busy fall weekends Driven by Virginia Tech (spring and fall) and spreading fame (year-round) Of course McAfee Knob is the primary draw, with a recent assist from Hollywood. Very grateful to ATC for getting a premier in Roanoke at the Grandin Theater and helping raise funds to start the McAfee Knob Task Force

DRAGON’S TOOTH = US Forest Service McAFEE AND TINKER CLIFFS = NPS stand-alone A complicated place to manage

RATC Special rules for McAfee and Tinker Cliffs (Va 625 to US 220) Maximum group size, backpacking/camping: 10 Maximum group size, day hikes: 25 No camping or campfires outside of 7 designated areas (see map) No camping or campfires on McAfee Knob or Tinker Cliffs No alcohol Dogs must be kept on leash at all times

2015-16: McAfee Knob Task Force 30 trained volunteer ridgerunners Training led by Appalachian Trail Conservancy (Kathryn Herndon) National Park Service (Todd Remaley) US Forest Service (Pete Irvine) Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Of course McAfee Knob is the primary draw, with a recent assist from Hollywood. Very grateful to ATC for getting a premier in Roanoke at the Grandin Theater and helping raise funds to start the McAfee Knob Task Force Attracts new volunteers: All ages Often highly educated Many never before active in club

2015 totals: McAfee Knob Task Force (18 trained volunteers – additional 12 trained in 2016 ) May 29-October 25, 2015 (Fri-Sat-Sun) 522 volunteer hours 9,300 visitors seen Direct contact with >5,000 visitors 154 gallons of trash removed 34 fire rings dismantled Includes distinguished regional environmental leaders, middle school faculty and administrator, Virginia Tech student/faculty/staff

What we learned on the ground Virginia Tech students drive heaviest usage (spring and fall) Illegal camping is a significant issue Food left in shelters leads to bear problems Parking and road safety are important concerns

And… social media can help deliver our messages APRIL 1: ALERT: McAfee Knob closed for repairs in April. Maintainers for the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club report that the AT to McAfee Knob has been closed for repairs due to heavy overuse, including repeated jumping on the iconic undercut rock slab of the Knob itself. "We'll do the best we can," said a club leader in an April 1 press release, "but we may need to call in the US Army Corps of Engineers for this work, and that could be time-consuming." Northbound hikers are advised to take the North Mountain trail after they descend from Dragon's Tooth and return to the AT at Tinker Cliffs. APRIL 2: UPDATE: Great news! At 12:01 AM on April 2, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers - and the end of April Fools Day - RATC announced the reopening of the AT around McAfee Knob. Please treasure it and leave no trace. Special restrictions on camping, campfires, group size, etc may be found on our website http://www.ratc.org/mcafee-knob-and-the-triple-crown/. Idea from Roanoke City’s Olympics hoax Posted Leave No Trace trainers jumping on McAfee Knob with April Fool’s message Shared on AT Section Hikers (about 20k members) Went viral by our standards – reached almost 9,000 people, with many shares April 2 posted update directs people to our website with map and regulations for section; uptick On recent backpack of our section, thru hiker still thought it was closed; others corrected him, and I told the story

Facebook drives traffic to website

We celebrate by hiking Tinker Cliffs

Visit us At our website http://www.ratc.org/ On Facebook www.facebook.com/RoanokeATC On our RATC Meetup page http://www.meetup.com/Roanoke-Appalachian-Trail-Club/ On our McAfee Knob Task Force Meetup page http://www.meetup.com/McAfeeKnob/