April 19, 2006

        Please send me your hiking news, hike and maintenance reports by Monday evening before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Monday evening May 1 to Danny Bernstein danny@hikertohiker.org. Include your email address at the end of your story. Thank you.

What's Happening the Next Two Weeks

Celebrate Earth Day, have fun, and protect our forests - April 21

Celebrate Earth Day this year by getting Into the Woods, at the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition’s third annual celebration and silent auction, Friday, April 21st, at 6:00pm at the beautiful Crest Center in Asheville. This special event will feature live music from the Greasy Beans.

Into the Woods includes food, organic wine, locally-brewed beer, live music, and a silent auction. “ I am always thankful to organizations like the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition for making it possible for me and others to step up our commitment to public land preservation by offering us a way to step out into a fun-filled evening like Into the Woods,” said Shelli Lodge-Stanback, a founding Great Forest Sponsor of Into the Woods. Last year’s event raised more than $10,000 to help protect forests in the region and this year’s goal is even higher.

All proceeds from Into the Woods benefit the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, a group of 22 of the leading public lands conservation groups spanning the six states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Some of the Coalition’s recent accomplishments include introduced legislation that will permanently protect over 55,000 acres of Wilderness in Virginia; discovering, mapping, and campaigning for the protection of over 111,000 acres of previously undocumented old-growth forests in the Southern Appalachians; and defending over 728,000 acres of pristine roadless forests in our region.

Into the Woods’ popular silent auction features something for everyone - with over 150 items. Past years included spa passes from the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, yoga lessons from Cindy Dollar, pottery by renowned Western North Carolina artists like Leftwich and Yummy Muddle Puddle, a Clinch Mountain Garden House weekend getaway, Orange Peel and Asheville Symphony concert tickets, a one-of-a-kind “tree of life” necklace by dORY, outdoor gear by Patagonia, a Hot Springs getaway and soak, a mountain bike from Hearn’s Cycling, and much more. Don’t miss out on capturing some of these wonderful items – all for a great cause!

Log on to the Forest Coalition’s website, www.SAFC.org, for more information and an updated list of sponsors and auction items. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased in advance by calling 828-252-9223 or emailing safc@safc.org.

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NEW PARK EXHIBIT TELLS CHEROKEE STORIES

Cherokee Indians attach special spiritual meanings, rooted in their traditional culture, to the mountains and valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains. Through a unique series of exhibits to be unveiled during a public ceremony, visitors will have an opportunity to learn about how these ancient mountains have affected Cherokee stories and beliefs for hundreds of years. The event will be held on April 21, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The event is also a celebration of the collaborative effort between the National Park Service, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, The Mountain Institute, the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Together they have created a physical and symbolic bridge between two cultures, linking the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee with the Cherokee Indian Reservation through seven interpretive exhibit panels that run along the Oconaluftee River Trail in the Park. Illustrated with local Cherokee artwork, the exhibits retell traditional Cherokee stories in both the English and Cherokee languages.
Eventually the project will tie into a proposed recreational greenway and heritage trail and continue along the Oconaluftee River in Cherokee, N.C. Eastern Band Principal Chief Michell Hicks, said that “The more projects we have of this nature, the more confident we can be that our authentic Cherokee culture is appropriately represented and that our visitors enjoy the essence of the Cherokee way of life."

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Other Important News

Parks Feel '80 Percent' Squeeze; Washington Post 4/17

Parks Feel '80 Percent' Squeeze
Visitor Services Getting Pinched in Move to Cut Costs

By Matt Stearns Knight Ridder - Monday, April 17, 2006

The Bush administration has ordered America's national parks to show that they can function at 80 percent or less of their operating budgets, which is forcing some parks to cut services for visitors as summer approaches.

National Park Service officials said the initiative was an effort to cope with the rising costs of salaries, utilities and other management expenses
without harming the parks' "core" missions of protecting the nation's natural treasures and enabling visitors to enjoy them. The Park Service has
more than 270 million visitors annually.

But park officials in the field said the initiative was forcing "gut-wrenching" decisions that visitors will notice. At many parks, volunteers will take on larger roles, and there will be fewer interpretive ranger programs, the officials said.

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Karen Chavez' story on climbing Cold Mountain with CMC

Karen Chavez, Associate Sports Editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times, went up to Cold Mountain. Tom Sanders led the group. To all hike leaders who send me five line hike reports... Look at this hike report and learn from the best.

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GPS Course - Saturday May 13

Don Walton and Dave Wetmore will be presenting the first in a two-course series on GPS use. The class is designed for beginners who have a GPS or are contemplating buying one. The course will consist of several hours of background knowledge and the GPS theory needed to use a GPS intelligently. This will be followed by a GPS demonstration. The second course (for which this one is a prerequsite) will be a field-based course for those who have GPS units.
The course will be held May 13^th at Diamond Brand, beginning at 8:30 a.m. We should be through by noon or a little later. PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, 10-person limit. Please contact Dave Wetmore or 884-7296 to reserve a place. Preference will be given to those who already have a GPS.

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Conservation

Your forest land could be sold off! Comment period extended to May 1, 2006

Despite strong bipartisan opposition, the Bush administration is forging ahead with its controversial plan to sell national forest lands to help pay for rural schools. Do not assume that this initiative is dead. The CMC recently adopted a position in opposition to the proposed sale of national forest land.

Send your comments to the forest service at SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us

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Heard on the trail

     Want to stretch your boots for a couple more years? You should have them resoled. Carroll Koepplinger recently had his hiking boots resoled at a company in Colorado. They did a great job. Carroll says that the vibram sole they put on is much better than the original. If you are interested in the details, email Carroll at Koepplinger at carrollkoepp@bellsouth.net

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