Pisgah 400 Hiking Program Details
|
|
Pisgah 400 Hiking Program Details |
Introduction
There are approximately 400 miles of maintained trail in the Pisgah District of the Pisgah National Forest on 120 trails. Hike all those maintained trails and you are eligible for the Pisgah 400 Award. You may walk them alone or in groups and take as long as you want, there is no time limit.. Trails you hiked before the creation of the Pisgah 400 award don't need to be hiked again.
Rules
1. The "program map" is the National Geographic Trails Illustrated ( http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/products/southeast.cfm ) map of the Pisgah District current at the time of application. For the Bent Creek area the program map is the latest edition of the Bent Creek Trail Map (http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/ or http://srs.fs.usda.gov/bentcreek)
2. "Official trails" are trails designated for foot travel on both the trail list and map of the program maps.
3. To be eligible for the Pisgah 400 Award an applicant must have hiked all the official trails and be a member of the Carolina Mountain Club, http://www.carolinamtnclub.org/
4. There is no time limit for the hikes, and trails walked prior to the formation of the Pisgah 400 program may be included.
Required Documentation
1. A record of the trails you have walked. This record can be a copy of the program maps with the walked trails marked or a log of the walked trails including dates, or a hike journal covering your hikes of the trails or any combination of these 3 record types. We prefer a log, and a combined log and application form can be found here.
2. Brief comments (no more than a page each) on your favorite and least favorite trails or hikes in the Pisgah District, explaining how they earned those designations.
3. Whether you want your certificate and patch mailed to you or presented at the Club's annual meeting. All those completing the program during the previous year are honored at the annual meeting..
4. A signed and dated statement that "In compliance with the rules of the Pisgah 400 program I have walked all the official trails in the Pisgah District of the Pisgah National Forest." Sign your name and then print it as you will want it to appear on your certificate.
The award and patch are free to Carolina Mountain Club members. If you are not a member, apply for club membership (http://www.carolinamtnclub.org/Membership.htm for a membership application) and mail in your Pisgah 400 documentation and CMC membership application in the same envelope.
Send everything to Dave Wetmore, 110 Tree Haven Drive, Brevard NC 28712. All checks should be made payable to "Carolina Mountain Club".
Questions
If you have any questions or comments please contact the program administrator, Dave Wetmore at 828-884-7296 or by email at mailto://dwetmore@citcom.net .
FAQ
1. Where can I get a copy of the program map? In the Asheville area, both Diamond Brand and Black Dome carry them. In Brevard the map is sold at Highland Books and the Pisgah District Ranger Station. If all else fails, try the National Geographic http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/products/southeast.cfm.
2. There is no index by trail number to the program map. How can I look up trails? You can get a printable index of trails by number by clicking here.
3. Are there other useful maps? Yes. The Pisgah District Ranger Station has a free map of the trail network around the Station. There is also a very good trail map for the Bent Creek area. It can be found at http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/
4. What about unofficial trails ("folk trails")? They are a real problem, especially in the Bent Creek area.. Often they are more heavily used than the official trails. Usually close attention to your map and compass will keep you on the right track.
5. How do I handle trails I've already walked? If you're using a marked map, just mark them as traveled. In a log or hike journal, put the approximate date you hiked them.
6. Are there other useful web sites? Of course there are. For the current weather conditions in the area, check out the video cam at http://216.48.37.155/index.asp. The Bent Creek site has been mentioned above, the Pisgah Ranger District web site is http://www.fs.fed.us/pisgah/..
6. If CMC membership is required, what happens if my membership lapses? Nothing, the award is for walking the trails, not for being a CMC member. You will be kept on our records of completers.
7. Is there a list of Pisgah 400 completers? Yes, click here to look at it.
8. Can I buy additional patches? Yes, they are $5.00 each, payable to Carolina Mountain Club.. You can order them at the time of your application or later from the program administrator.
9. What about all the roads on the map? Don't worry about them. All the official trails have a number inside a parallelogram.