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I am proud to announce that Barth Brooker, 17 Stonebridge Drive, Asheville, NC 28805, 828-299-0298, barthb@bellsouth.net has volunteered to accept the position of section supervisor of the MST from the Folk Art Center and ending at the Black Mountain Campground. This involves supervising some 10-12 section maintainers in keeping this section of the MST in good trail hiking condition. The rewards include helping volunteers learn how to do basic trail maintenance and working in some of the most beautiful high country in the eastern US.

Barth retired to Asheville over a year ago from a long career with IBM that included living in Hawaii. Barth has been working with the CMC Monday crew for about a year and has recently been leading that crew. Barth is already familiar with this section and with his previous experience as trainer I anticipate a very short learning curve. Please welcome Barth and support him in his new responsibilities. Don Walton, MST Coordinator.

We need 2 section maintainers for the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) for the section starting at Rich Knob and ending at Potato Field Gap and for the section starting at Commissary Hill and ending at Higgins Bald Trailhead. This involves doing basic trail maintenance on short beautiful sections of the MST north of Asheville in the Mt Mitchell area. If interested please contact Barth Brooker barthb@bellsouth.net or Don Walton donwalton@bellsouth.net

The CMC Council is considering formation of a committee to address issues related to preserving the hiking experience in Western North Carolina, especially issues that impact hiking trails. If you are interested in being a founding member of this committee, or have questions or comments, contact Ruth Hartzler at ruthmtn@aol.com or 251-0886 by April 30, 2005. We will propose a mission and scope of the committee for approval by the CMC Council. This is a great opportunity to protect hiking trails, learn how decisions affecting the trail environment are made, and have a say in issues related to hiking.

For all those who are actively working on various trails of our beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, consider this eNewsletter yours! FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is privileged to work with such dedicated individuals who take seriously the need to keep our Parkway trails beautiful to hike and safe to travel. We would love to share your stories and photos with other Adopt-A-Trail teams and perhaps also reach out to inspire others to be a part of the Adopt-A-Trail program. Please send information and share with me your ideas!

I wanted to write and introduce myself and hope you can help me spread the word about this new Hostel in Asheville for backpackers and other traveling type. We offer trail pick up/drop off to Hot Springs Thursday, Sunday, and Tuesdays, a full kitchen for cooking, hot tub for relaxing, and we are within easy walk of shops, eats, pubs, post, and laundry. We also offer group rate discounts. Any help we could get in spreading the word would be so much appreciated. Hope to see some of you soon.

A friend of mine in Switzerland is planning to lead a hut-to-hut hike in the Dolomite Mountains (near the Austrian border) in September of 2006. I have been there and these karst formations are some of the most dramatic mountains in the world. It’s a two-week trek, hiking some 4-6 hours daily, most meals provided, requiring you to carry 15-20 lbs of gear daily. The cost is 2100 Euros exclusive of your flight to Munich. I have more information if anyone might be interested in this. – Gerry McNabb gcmcnabb@charter.net

On behalf of all of us involved in the planning of the 35th meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC), we want to extend a special invitation to you and your members to join us at this historic event. This biennial conference will take place in Johnson City, Tennessee from Friday, July 1 through Friday, July 8, 2005 at East Tennessee State University. Our theme this year is "Remembering Our Past, Preserving Our Future," a perfect way to celebrate our achievements and look forward to the future.

We expect nearly 1,200 hikers, volunteer trail maintainers, ATC staff, and others interested in outdoor recreation, conservation, and the A.T. to attend this year's meeting. Many exciting activities are planned including daily hikes, excursions to nearby historical and recreational attractions, and a special children's program. Workshops will cover a wide array of practical skills including fixing equipment while hiking, volunteer recruitment, and trail maintenance techniques, as well as informational topics such as wildflowers, geology and conservation. There will be many opportunities to share your stories of the Trail with others. At Saturday's opening meeting, the ATC family will offer a special celebration, commemorating our 80th anniversary, our stories and our future.

Your planning committee, staffed by volunteers from the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club (TEHC), Smoky Mountains Hiking Club (SMHC), Carolina Hiking Club (CMC), Nantahala Hiking Club (NHC), and Georgia Appalachian Trail Club (GATC) has been hard at work to ensure that your time is well spent. There are many opportunities available for you and your members to participate, including attending workshops, hikes, excursions, and exhibits. As many of you know from working on past conferences, there is also ample need for additional volunteers, and we invite you to consider this opportunity by volunteering to:

* Lead hikes (experienced hikers especially welcome!) * Staff booths * Staff registration tables * Help with hikes parking and logistics

Many of our volunteers will receive a special token of appreciation. We are most appreciative of any and all volunteers - it is only through such assistance beyond what our Club members can help provide that we can offer the many activities for this conference.

Come and spend a week-end hiking in the Smokies in the far western end of the park - too far for a day trip. I just scouted the area and it is beautiful, remote and quiet. We will be based at a private campground in Townsend, just outside the Smokies, accessible for both the Abrams Creek entrance and the Cades Cove entrance. Two levels of hikes will be offered each day. All details are at: http://www.hikertohiker.org/tsmokies/ . 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

As you will know National Trails Day (NTD) will be June 4, 2005 across the US. In the past the MST has had around 6-8 worksites across the state. Please consider hosting a work day on the MST. You can go to www.americanhiking.org and post your event. Once your post your event you will receive free promotional materials from American Hiking Society. Thanks for your time. Jeff Brewer

FOREST SERVICE ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR TRAILS AND RECREATION FACILITIES – COMMENTS DUE APRIL 18

Comment on Forest Service draft accessibility regulations for trails and outdoor recreation facilities by April 18! Trail organizations are urged to sign on to the attached comments from American Hiking Society or send in separate comments. Concerned hikers and volunteer trail maintainers are also encouraged to comment, using the talking points below. These guidelines significantly impact the design and construction of hiking trails that you hike and maintain on national forests across the country.

The USDA Forest Service recently released two proposed interim directives “to provide guidance for the agency to maximize accessibility while at the same time recognizing and protecting the unique characteristics of the natural setting of outdoor developed recreation areas and pedestrian trails.”

These interim directives address required accessibility of outdoor recreation facilities and hiking trails not addressed by existing accessibility standards. The Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines (FSORAG) would apply to new or altered constructed features including many of those located at campsites, picnic areas, overlooks, the routes connecting those facilities, and beach access routes.

The Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG) would apply only to trails that meet all of the following criteria: the trail is new or altered; it is managed for hiker/pedestrian use; and it connects either directly to a trailhead or to a currently accessible trail. The guidelines include “conditions of departure” and “general exceptions” intended to protect the natural setting of each area (see below).

American Hiking Society, along with the Appalachian Trail Conference, other trail interests, representatives of the disabled community, and state and federal land managers, participated in meetings since the mid 1990s to help develop regulations for accessible trails and accompanying trail facilities. American Hiking agrees with the underlying principle that whenever a new trail is being designed or an existing trail is significantly rerouted or reconstructed, accessibility should be considered. However, we are also working to ensure the guidelines are reasonable, understandable to the trail organizations and volunteers who will help implement them, and that primitive, backcountry hiking trails retain their natural character.

These FS guidelines are located on the FS accessibility webpage at http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/accessibility/.

Call for 2005 CMC Nominating Committee Candidates and 2006 CMC Council nominations CMC WANTS YOU!!!!!!!

This is your opportunity to get involved in your club's leadership. Applications are now being accepted for the 2005 Nominating Committee, and for officer and council positions for the 2006 CMC Council. Serving on the Nominating Committee is one of the most important responsibilities within the club. You participate in a process that determines the next generation of leaders of your association. Serving as a member of the council is a commitment that yields countless rewards. If you consider yourself a strategic thinker with the executive ability to get things done, then CMC wants you! I strongly encourage you take this opportunity to become either a member of the Nominating Committee or, serve on the Council as a councilor or as an officer of the club. Don’t forget CMC WANTS YOU to get involved, and become a part of your club’s leadership. Applications are due to cmcinfo@carolinamtnclub.org by April 30, 2005. Download the application and job description for the Nominating Committee. Download the application and job description for Councilor. For more information regarding CMC’s organization please refer to the Club Bylaws on the CMC web site, or contact Don Walton, donwalton@bellsouth.net Don’t be shy, get involved. Thank you. Don Walton Immediate Past President

The CMC is starting a Hike Information exchange system on www.Yahoo.com which can be used to exchange information relating to hiking. This group system is intended to help coordinate off schedule hiking activities that benefit the club and it's members. For example, a hike leader may need to scout a hike but cannot find anyone to go along or maybe someone needs directional help to adequately hike a trail.

The email address used to communicate is cmchikeinfo@yahoogroups.com . The address to use to join is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cmchikeinfo/ You have to be a yahoo member (free) to join. When you join you will need to provide your name in the setup in the "Real Name" field. This is desirable for people to know who you are. If you have any questions please contact me. Don Walton

The deadline for early registration for the 3rd Southeastern Foot Trails Conference planned for April 28 – May 1, 2005

The deadline for early registration for the 3rd Southeastern Foot Trails Conference planned for April 28 – May 1, 2005 at Table Rock State Park in Pickens, SC is March 31st. You can sign up after March 31st, but you won’t get a t-shirt, and you’ll miss out on the early registration discount. With a host of great activities planned, you won’t want to miss this great event. Please share the following announcement with your colleagues and fellow hiking enthusiasts! Thanks!

Join us for the 3rd Southeastern Foot Trails Conference planned for April 28 – May 1, 2005 at beautiful Table Rock State Park in Pickens, South Carolina. This event will bring together the conservation and hiking community for a weekend of “Building Skills & Strengthening Partnerships”. Representatives from a variety of government agencies will also be present. This event is presented by American Hiking Society and co-hosted by Palmetto Conservation Foundation and the Foothills Trail Conference.

The event will kick off on Thursday afternoon April 28. Hikes of varying length and difficulty will be offered and led by local trail groups along the gorgeous Blue Ridge Escarpment. Thursday evening dinner will feature guest speaker Brad Wyche of Upstate Forever. Evening entertainment will be provided by Johnson City, Tennessee photographer Jerry Greer. Jerry will treat us to a slideshow featuring the beauty of the Southern Appalachians.

Friday April 29th will offer a number of excellent pre-conference workshops including;

Board University – presented by the Institute for Conservation Leadership. This training class is designed specifically for members of non-profit Boards. Grant Writing – Sonja Carlborg, Grant Writer for American Hiking Society will lead this excellent full day course Sustainable Trail Construction – Come learn how to build sustainable trails from the experts!

Friday’s evening entertainment will be provided by Drovers Old Time Medicine Show. Plan to kick up your heels for some live bluegrass music!

Saturday will feature a full slate of concurrent educational sessions. The attached PDF file contains a listing of the sessions planned as of March 19, 2005. Additional sessions on Volunteer Management and GPS 101 are planned.

Sunday morning will feature naturalist led hikes in Table Rock State Park. Celina Montorfano, Director of Conservation Programs for American Hiking Society will also lead a session teaching folks how to approach your elected officials at the federal level.

To register for this event, please visit www.AmericanHiking.org . Early registration ends March 31. Options for a single day, partial, or full registration exist. For more information, please contact Jeffrey Hunter at (423) 266-2507 or jhunter@AmericanHiking.org .

See y’all in South Carolina!

Jeffrey Hunter

Southern Appalachians Initiative

American Hiking Society

175 Hamm Road - Suite C

Chattanooga, TN 37405

(423) 266-2507

jhunter@americanhiking.org

http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/sai.html

Bent Creek Experimental Forest, located just outside of Asheville within the Pisgah National Forest, will be conducting a Visitor Use Survey for a one-year period beginning in May. The information collected will be used by forest managers to better understand why people use the Experimental Forest, which will allow for making better management decisions in the future.

 How many visitors come to the Experimental Forest?  Where do the visitors come from?  What is their primary reason for visiting Bent Creek?  Request their permission to participate in a more in-depth phone survey to be conducted later.

The dates and times of the interviews have been randomly selected. Surveys will be conducted for 2-hour periods, 3 times per week. Field interviewers must commit to a minimum 3-hour time slot (2 hours for actual interviews, plus set-up and take-down time). Field Interviewers may volunteer for one session, or multiple sessions taking place over a week, a month or for the whole year the survey will be in progress.

If you are interested in taking part in helping with this survey or need additional information, please contact Julia Murphy at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest.

I wanted to let you all know that Landmark Learning, based in Cullowhee, North Carolina (an hour south of Asheville), will be offering a Leave No Trace Master Educator course April 25-29. The course will be held in the mountains of western North Carolina. The cost of the course is $480. Please contact the Landmark office to register 828-293-5384 or Landmark Learning <landmarklearning@earthlink.net >. You can also visit their website: http://www.landmarklearning.org Information about the course is attached.

Thanks, Ben Lawhon Education Director Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics P.O. Box 997, Boulder, CO 80306 P: 303.442.8222 x104 F: 303.442.8217 http://www.LNT.org