CMC Weekly Hike News
12//24/03
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Looking Ahead....
All Day Sunday
ALL DAY No. A0304-280 Dec. 28 North Slope / Art Loeb Trails 8:00 AM Hike 8, Drive 70, 1300 ft. ascent, Rated B-B Larry Modlin 828-251-5092 lmodlin@warren-wilson.edu A good winter hike and a pretty trip, especially if there is some snow. We'll follow the Art Loeb Trail from the Davidson River Campground up to Neil Gap, then down the Connector and North Slope Ridge Trails to the campground, then follow the river back to the cars. Topos: Pisgah Forest, Shining Rock
All-day hikes submitted by Bruce Bente 692-0116, bbente@cytechusa.com . Driving distance is round-trip from Asheville. All Saturday and Sunday hikes assemble at Westgate Shopping Center near I-240 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
Half Day Sunday
Half Day Dec. 28 No Hike Scheduled Happy Holiday!!!
Half Day hikes submitted by Paula Robbins 828-687-1651 paularww@bellsouth.net and Pat Elias 828-281-3253 peliasy@aol.com . Leaders: Mail please mail your sign-up sheets. Meet at Westgate unless otherwise noted.
All Day Wednesday
ALL DAY DEC. 24 NO HIKE SCHEDULED. HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE.
ALL DAY DEC. 31 NO HIKE SCHEDULED. HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE.
Wednesday Hikes are submitted by Kenneth & Carol Deal, 828- 281-4530, KMCDeal@aol.com and Paula McNabb, 828- 274-0057 gcmcnabb@charter.net. The meeting place for each hike will be designated by the hike leader and will appear in the hike description. Driving mileage will be listed, round trip, from the first designated meeting place.
Wednesday Hikers:
Unfortunately there is an error in the Wednesday CMC 1st quarter hike schedule. Two identical alternate hikes are listed on the same days. Boyd Brasington is doing Penny Rock or Leader's Choice on January 21st. Please cross out the Tom Sanders hike listed on the same day. Tom Sanders is doing the Hot Springs Area Ramble on March 17th. Please cross out the Boyd Brasington hike listed on the same day. Ken & Carol
Wednesday All Day Hike Scheduler Needed
"With the lst quarter of "04, we find we've been scheduling Wednesday hikes for 5 years, and think it's about time that we let someone else have the opportunity". Ken & Carol Deal
We sincerely appreciate the years of dedication that Ken and Carol have made faithfully scheduling the Wednesday All Day Hikes. Paula McNabb will be continuing alternating every other schedule but we will need a new scheduler starting the 3rd quarter of 2004. Please start thinking about who will be inspired to come forward and help with this important rewarding duty. Don Walton
Adopt-A-Trail (Section) Maintainers Needed!
We currently have several sections on the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) that would love to have a caring individual who can adopt a section of their very own. As a trail maintainer, you would be the MST's most important advocate and protector. In this role, you would become familiar with trail maintenance techniques so that you understand the big picture as you perform the simple, recurring maintenance and repairs necessary to keep the trail in good repair. One your most important duties would be the "eyes" and "ears" of your section. The section supervisors are responsible for all of the "heavy duty" work and should be contacted to perform trail work you would not feel comfortable doing.
If you are interested please contact me or any of the following and we will explore finding just the right section of trail for you. Don Walton, walt7258@bellsouth.net , 828-298-5084, Stan Smith, ssmith111728@aol.com , 828-456-3042, D.R. Kulp, kulpdr@juno.com , 828-692-0783, Les Love, leslove@aol.com , 828-658-1489, Jorge Munoz, jmunoz@buncombe.main.nc.us , 828-658-0606.
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Looking Back......
All Day Sunday
ALL DAY No. A0304-278 Dec. 21 Kitsuma Peak 9:00 AM Hike 8, Drive 60, 1600 ft. ascent, Rated B-A Lenny and Danny Bernstein 828-236-0192 lsberns@worldnet.att.net Note later starting time. Our hike up Young's Ridge offers great views of Greybeard, Green Knob and the Mt. Mitchell area. Also there's a grandstand view of the Swannanoa valley from our lunch spot. Second meeting place: McDonald's in Black Mtn.(exit 64) at 9:20 AM. Topos: Old Fort, Black Mtn.
Post Hike Report: On Sunday, twelve of us went on the Kitsuma peak hike. It was a short hike, 7.5 miles, but appropriate for the (almost) shortest day of the year. The weather was bright, sunny and the sky was blue. The views on the way up were very good. As we saw peak after peak, there was a lot of discussion and analysis of the mountains we were seeing. The hike, itself, was easy to describe and easy to walk. We went up and we came down. Because we reached the picnic area at Old Fort at 2:30 P.M., several of us went to Black Mountain and checked out the map store, Outdoor Paths. A smaller subset of hikers then replenished all the calories that were lost on the hike. Danny
HALF DAY No. H0304-300 Dec. 21 MST from Craven Gap or Ox Creek 1:00 PM Hike 6, Drive 14, Rated B-C Ruth Hartzler 828-251-0886 Ruthmtn@aol.com Note early start time. Depending on where BRP is open we will either start at Craven Gap or Ox Creek. Only meeting place will be the Folk Art Center back parking lot.
Post Hike Report: The hike was originally planned to start at Craven Gap or Ox Creek Road, depending on where the BRP was open. Several club members emailed the leader to tell her the BRP was closed at the Folk Art Center. Additional snowfall persuaded the leader to check access at Craven Gap. When our conscientious leader drove up Town Mt. Rd. in the morning to check conditions, the road had not been plowed near the top. It was only luck that a private plow was clearing a drive, providing a place for the leader to turn around. So, the hike started at the Folk Art Center on a clear, crisp, cold afternoon. Four hikers thoroughly discussed all the current movies. At Lunch Rock, we stopped for a snack of chewy, chocolate fudge bars provided by the leader. (The recipe is Marlene’s.) We hiked in the snow, appreciated the blue sky, saw a pileated woodpecker, enjoyed each other’s company, and had fun. Ruth
All Day Wednesday
ALL DAY No. W0304-291 Dec. 17 Wagon Rd. Gap to Pisgah Inn, annual Cookie hike, 10 am Hike 6, drive 0, rated B-C Fred Chaffee, 828-692-8937 Note later start. An easy traditional hike to the Pisgah Inn. Lunch on the back porch of the Inn's motel for a pre-Christmas celebration. Bring a few homemade goodies to share. The leader will provide info on the historical significance of our cookie hikes, which began in Dec. '88. A portion of hike will be on a trail at the base of Frying Pan Mtn. to the lower campground at the Inn. A side trip up Frying Pan Mtn., may be included. In case of dubious weather, call the leader the day before the trip. Meeting point: Cold Mountain Overlook at Wagon Rd. Gap on the Blue Ridge parkway at Hwy. 276.