July 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 July 31 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

Grove Park Inn and Mountain X-press are now advertising our hikes.

If you are a hike leader, don't be surprised if you start getting more calls from non-members about participating in your hike. The Grove Park Inn now will be telling guests who ask about hiking in our area about Carolina Mountain Club's hiking schedule using the information in Let's Go. Mountain Xpress is publishing the titles of our hikes along with the phone number of the leader. It is CMC policy to welcome appropriately equipped non-members on our hikes.  Hike leaders have the right to refuse to allow non-members (or members) who do not have appropriate footwear and other clothing, or who do not have an adequate amount to drink, to come on a hike. What is appropriate footware and an adequate amount to drink is a judgment call, which the leader has to make. The only clear rule we have is: No dogs on CMC hikes.
      If a non-member shows up, as the leader you should make a special effort to introduce him or her to the other people on the hike, and to tell him or her about CMC. Please encourage non-members to join. If you need membership application forms, please contact Lenny Bernstein (236-0192, lsberns@worldnet.att.net) who will be happy to supply you with some.

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July 21-23, 2006 – FMST work weekend on the Blue Ridge Parkway between NC-18 to the Northwest Trading Post.

Camping is free at Doughton Park courtesy of the National Park Service. You must RSVP to Allen de Hart at adh4771@aol.com or 919-496-4771. We need to reserve campsites and have enough tools for our work trip. Our work trips are fun and self rewarding after a good service day along the MST.

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Other Important News

Join Us !!! Best Chance this year to extend the MST south

See pictures from previous Saturday workdays on the maintenance page. 

When: August 19, 2006
This is your best opportunity to give something back for all the fun and enjoyment you have had on the trails this past year.We hope to have a large group help us complete the MST going south to the Cascade/Woodfin over look, south of Balsam Gap

Meeting Place: Moose Café at 9:00 AM for car pooling, 8 A.M. for breakfast

Parkway Maintenance Office, Balsam Gap intersection with Rt. 74/23 south of Waynesville.@ 9:30 A.M. Tools will be available but if you have digging tools of your own, please bring them.

Please call all your friends and acquaintances and invite them. Piet Bodenhorst

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Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Speak at CMC Annual Dinner

Dale Ditmanson, the Superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will be the guest speaker at CMC's Annual Dinner and Meeting on Friday, October 27. The Annual Meeting will be held at The Chariot in Hendersonville, starting with a Social Hour at 6:00 p.m., followed by Dinner at 7:00 p.m., and the Speaker and Meeting at 8:00 p.m. Details and sign up forms will be available in September, but SAVE THE DATE!

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Old Smokies photos

Look at some old photos taken in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Dave Wetmore found this resource on the web.

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Interested in Backpacking? - one last time.

I invite you all to complete the backpack survey on the CMC web site. Thanks to Paul Benson for suggesting and coming up with the questions. http://www.carolinamtnclub.com/Opinions/BackPack/FormBackpackOpinion.asp. Don Walton

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Slogan Contest

Write a slogan for our club that describes CMC and what our club is all about. We are a club that maintains trails, leads hikes and promotes conservation of the trails, National Forest and Parks in our area. A catchy one or two line phrase is what we are looking for. So get creative and submit your entry no later than September 30 !! Send your entry by e-mail to backpacker54nc@bellsouth.net or by mail to CMC, PO Box 68, Asheville, NC 28802, Attn: Chip Miller. The winning slogan writer will receive a $100 gift certificate to Diamond Brand.

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Adopt a piece of the MST

The following MST Sections are available for adoption:
NC 215 to Devil’s Courthouse Junction
Buckspring Trail Junction to Pisgah Inn  
Rainbow Gap to NC 128

If you are interested contact donwalton@bellsouth.net

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I don't agree with your use of 'damage' to characterize a timber harvest by theForest Service.  Those folks do a lot to improve our hiking experiences, and a temporary change in vista will do no harm.   You will see a much greater change in the next 1-5 years from the death of thousands of hemlocks from the adelgid.  We are already seeing it on many trails in the Great Smoky Mtns Nat Park. I would prefer to see you spend your effort on stopping the Bush administration from selling lands owned by U.S. Forest Service(our lands).      Take care.David Scanlon,  CMC Member

Well, I agree with him on preventing land sales, and we did that as a committee. I think logging can be damaging, and you always have to ask, what are we getting in exchange? Yes, any given timber sale isn't that bad, but it is really a broken system, and death by a thousand cuts is applicable to this situation. Why go for even a slightly worse view (if that is what you care about) if you get no benefit in exchange? Rachel Doughty

I wonder if David is aware the the Forest Service is working on the pesky little adelgids by spraying the hemlocks with an chemical to stop the infestation ? Chip Miller

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I am putting together a hiking dictionary. I am looking for input on words or phrases that we, hikers, use frequently that need to be explained - for example, trail break, scouting a hike... What words do you think should be included and/or what hiking words have puzzled you? Let me know. Danny Bernstein danny@hikertohiker.org

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