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Camping Weekend May 6-8 - Registration now open!

Come and spend a week-end hiking in the Smokies.We will based at a private campground in Townsend, just outside the Smokies. Two levels of hikes will be offered each day. All details are at: http://www.hikertohiker.org/tsmokies/ This trip will fill up quickly. So if you are interested in coming, sign up now. Unless you have a question not covered by the website, there is no need to email the leader. Just sign up! Danny Bernstein danny@hikertohiker.org

On April 2nd Tom Bindrim and Dave Wetmore will be teaching an all-day map reading course. The course has one goal: To help people figure out just where they are on a trail. After an hour or so of introduction the rest of the day will be a training exercise in the Bent Creek area. Registration information will be in the next “Let’s Go!”. Enrollment will be limited, so register early. Dave Wetmore

We need your help. Tom Thomas isn't able to attend the March session of the train that trainer on First Aid and CPR. Although, hopefully we will get him in at the next session. So we really need someone that is trained in First Aid and CPR to jump in and help all of the volunteer groups by becoming a trainer. Anyone interested? Ask your regular group members as well. The training will take place March 2nd, 9th, and 10th from 9am to 5pm. Please let me know. Thanks! Kriste J Little Pisgah Ranger District kjlittle@fs.fed.us

I am pleased to announce that the registration materials for the 3rd Southeastern Foot Trails Conference are currently available online at the following link;

The conference program is shaping up to be an excellent one with a great list of presenters and entertainers. We will be holding a Leadership Council Meeting on Sunday May 1, 2005 from 9 AM – 2 PM (EDT), so I hope that each of you will be attending the conference.

I would also like to ask for your assistance to help publicize this important biennial conference. Some of our coalition members have already added a link to their organization’s web page. Others have included something in their newsletter about this event. Please take a few minutes to ensure that your organization is publicizing this opportunity to your members and volunteers.

I also want to encourage you to attend our excellent pre-conference workshops. We have assembled some incredibly talented people to teach sustainable trail design, construction & maintenance skills. The Institute for Conservation Leadership will be teaching a class entitled Board University. This class is designed specifically for non-profit Boards, and will teach you how to take your organization to the next level. Finally, American Hiking Society Grant Writer Sonja Carlborg will be teaching a Grant Writing class. She is nothing short of excellent, so you do not want to miss her class.

Please think about sending representatives to each of these classes. They were specifically designed with the needs of the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition members in mind.

Private accommodations at beautiful Table Rock State Park are somewhat limited. Camping is encouraged. Please give some consideration to having your club rent and share a cabin for the weekend. If you are unable to find accommodations at Table Rock, I have some very limited accommodations at the adjacent Table Rock Wesleyan Camp. Please contact me directly for more info about those accommodations.

Its that time again. We are collecting names of volunteers who have provided 25 - 50 years of service. The most recent edition of the ATN included a brief announcement/reminder of this, and I'm beginning to get calls and emails from individuals. I will track these requests, but it is my hope that one representative from each club can collect the names and forward them to me in one submittal from each club. In past years we have had as many as 80 names for 25 years and 10 for 50 years. It would help considerably if the requests could be consolidated. If you unsure who was submitted in past years, let me know. I can forward you the names of awardees from 2001 and 2003.

In addition, we are again seeking names of volunteers with 4000 hours of service. You might recall that we requested names for this award in 2002 and finally received the plaques in 2004, as the kinks were being worked out. Through that first request we recognized more than 150 volunteers with 4000 or more hours! This is now an annual Presidential Award coordinated through Take Pride in America. Recipients will receive a plaque and a letter from the President. I have attached a description of the complete recognition program for your review.

In order to have the 25 and 50 year plaques ready for the biennial and to get the 4000 hour awards to the Take Pride office, I will need names submitted to me for all 3 categories no later than Friday, April 1, 2005.

Pins, patches, caps and vests can be requested as needed. We are now keeping a small stock of vests on hand since we have caught up to the initial demand. If you have a large order of vests we might not be able to fill it directly, so allow time for vests to ordered, embroidered, and sent to you.

(See attached file: 2005 ATPO VOL RECOGNITION PROGRAM.rtf) _________________________________________________ Rita Hennessy Outdoor Recreation Specialist Appalachian National Scenic Trail phone - 304-535-6170 fax - 304-535-6270

Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Shore Road Hike and Public Meeting 1pm, Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Bryson City, NC Dear A.T. Supporter:

I am writing to invite nearby Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) members to an upcoming public meeting, hosted by the National Park Service (NPS), concerning the proposed North Shore Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). The ATC is concerned about the potential impact of this road to both the GRSM and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.). Before the meeting, hike with ATC staff beyond the tunnel on the “Road To Nowhere” and see how this proposal would forever alter the backcountry of the Smokies. This hike and public meeting provide an excellent opportunity to learn first hand about the issues, and the meetings are exciting, informative and an excellent way to participate in the decision process.

For the last several years the staff of the GRSM has been involved in preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) concerning the "North Shore Road". The EIS evaluates alternatives that arise from recent Congressional direction stemming from a 1943 agreement between Swain County, NC, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the State of North Carolina, and the U.S. Dept. of Interior (for the NPS). Background information on this issue and process is available at <http://www.northshoreroad.info/>, the GRSM website for the EIS process.

This issue has divided Swain County residents into essentially two camps, those who want the road built as originally promised, and those who want a financial settlement in lieu of construction. Although the financial settlement is projected to cost about $52 million, the cost of the proposed road is expected to be many times that amount (road cost projections should be available for the first time at the Feb. 22 public meeting). This does not include significant environmental impacts to the GRSM and the A.T. if the road is built.

Citizens of Swain County who favor the financial settlement far outnumber those who want the road built. In a margin said to reflect the countywide split, the Swain County Commission (SCC) passed a resolution by a vote of 4 to 1 endorsing the financial settlement, also endorsed by NC Gov. Easley. (The funds will be placed in a trust with interest used by the SCC to benefit Swain Co.)

The GRSM provides the A.T. with it longest roadless stretches and most remote setting in the Southeast, if not the whole Trail. Impacts the proposed road would have on the A.T.: • a significant increase in noise from traffic near Fontana Dam, • significant visual impacts from the road cuts and lengthy bridges to the nationally significant views visible from along approximately 10 miles of the A.T. , • a significant decrease in the quality of the wilderness experience provided by the Trail, • an increase in use of the A.T. associated with improved access to trails on the north shore of Fontana Lake, • a co-alignment of the road with the A.T. at Fontana Dam creating new potential safety hazards for hikers.

Additional impacts to the GRSM: • decreased water quality and damage to fisheries and other flora and fauna as a result of newly exposed acid bearing rock (the reason construction of the road was halted in the sixties), • improved access for poachers, • significant disruption of the route of the Benton MacKaye Trail through the GRSM, • a significant reduction in the size of the largest roadless area in the Southeast, and • considerable impacts to pre-historic cultural resources.

The Strategy: Citizens for the Economic Future of Swain County (CEFSC) http://www.4swain.com/citizens.html and the conservation groups working with them believe it would be very beneficial to have a large turn-out of pro-financial settlement advocates (particularly from North Carolina) at the Bryson City public meeting to show support for a positive financial future for Swain County. CEFSC and the SCC feel the financial settlement will lay the foundation for a New Vision for Swain County and is the preferred alternative for the EIS. ATC agrees.

We view the hike and attendance at the public meeting as an excellent way to obtain background on this issue in preparation for providing comments. The Feb. 22nd NPS public meeting is the last one before the draft EIS is released in the fall of 2005. Comments on the draft EIS will be of critical importance to the fate of Swain County, and the GRSM and A.T. in this locale. We hope many A.T. supporters will comment on the draft EIS, along with ATC.

The Hike: We will meet at 1 PM at the Calhoun Inn, 135 Everett Street, Bryson City, NC, then car-pool about 10 miles to the end of the “Road To Nowhere” (the remainder of the previously aborted North Shore Road construction project) for an easy 3 to 4 mile hike. The hike will contrast the environment of the road with the environment of the wild GRSM.

Dinner: In Bryson City at the Calhoun Inn or other restaurants of your choosing.

The Public Meeting: Swain County High School (we’ll pass it on the way to and from the “Road To Nowhere”). 5:30 PM, with introductory remarks by GRSM staff and EIS consultants. Displays and exhibits will also be there to provide background information. You may provide verbal comments at the meeting, or pick up materials for written comments to the NPS.

Alternate Meeting Dates and Locations: If you can’t make the Feb. 22 meeting in Bryson City, there will also be NPS hosted meetings in Robbinsville (2/24, Robbinsville High School), and Asheville (2/28, Renaissance Hotel). See <http://www.northshoreroad.info/> for more info.

Directions to Calhoun Inn: take exit 67 off US 74 into Bryson City, turn right at first red light onto Main Street. Turn left at next red light onto Everett St. Cross the Tuckaseegee River, it's the 2nd or 3rd door on the left. Parking is along the street.

Did you know that you should carry the “10+ essentials” on every outing, no matter how short it is or how familiar you are with the trail? Your best bet is to leave a list of the necessary items along with the items themselves in your daypack. This way when you find yourself with the time for a “quick hike” you can dash straight for the trailhead knowing you’re prepared. No more scrambling to find where you left your compass, knife, or fire starter.

Over time you can tweak your list to include things that you prefer to take with you that might not be essential, but still nice to have, such as binoculars, a camera, or your favorite candy bar. To see a list of things you should bring with you on every hike, visit www.americanhiking.org/news/pdfs/safety.pdf .

If you haven’t already done so, please pay your 2005 dues. All members who joined before October 1, 2004 are required to pay 2005 dues.

As agreed at the Club’s Annual Meeting on November 6, effective January 1, 2005, CMC dues are $20 per year for individuals and $30 per year for families. Please also consider becoming either a Silver member ($50 per year) or a Gold member ($75 per year), or making a contribution to support our trail maintenance and education functions. All payments above basic membership are tax deductible. Please send your dues payments and contributions, along with your name, address, home, work and cell phone numbers, and e-mail address to: CMC P.O. Box 68 Asheville, NC 28802

If you have questions about your dues payment status, either check the membership data base on the CMC website, or contact Lenny Bernstein by phone (828-236-0192) or e-mail (Lsberns@worldnet.att.net ). Many thanks.

Hi Don, I've been meaning to contact you to tell you that I was finally able to make it up to the Rattlesnake Lodge site last year. The interpretive sign is just wonderful. Really a great job, and I really appreciate the acknowledgment to my father. Thanks for all your hard work making this happen. Good luck in your new job! Drew Barton