August 2, 2006

        Please send me your hiking news, hike and maintenance reports by Monday evening before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Monday evening August 21 to Danny Bernstein danny@hikertohiker.org. Include your email address at the end of your story. Thank you.

What's Happening the Next Three Weeks

A word from your president. Sometimes I Get it Wrong!

Sometimes I get it wrong. Like in the last issue of e-News when I proudly told hike leaders that since the Grove Park Inn would be advertising our hikes, they might be getting more calls from visitors. This got an immediate response from some half-day Sunday hike leaders – the gist of which was: Are you out of your mind? We already have a big problem with unprepared hikers and having our hikes advertised by the Grove Park will only make it worse.

I told those hike leaders to come to last Tuesday night’s CMC Council meeting, and Renate Rikkers took me up on the offer. After listening to her, the Council agreed that I should ask the Grove Park not to advertise our hikes. I’ve already done this. To address the larger problem we have with unprepared hikers, Bruce Bente, Councilor for Hiking, will meet with Renate and other half-day Sunday hike leaders. They will try to come up a system for leaders to screen participants to reduce the chances of an unprepared hiker starting a hike that he or she cannot finish.

This is your Club, not mine, as President, or the Council’s, as your elected officers. If you don’t like the way the Club is being run, or have an idea for doing things better, let us know. I assure you that you will be heard. We may not agree with you, but we will listen to you and carefully consider what you have to say. Lenny Bernstein lsberns@worldnet.att.net

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Join Us !!! Best Chance this year to extend the MST south -Saturday August 19

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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Other Important News

From Don Gardner, the Challenge Committee Chair:

The Challenge Committee is looking for several (at least two) members to become active with the Committee. We have lost a few members over the past couple of years and need to rebuild the Committee.

The current members are: Don Gardner, Chair gardog3@charter.net , Tom Sanders tomary2@charter.net , and Amy Treverton athikerbabe@yahoo.com

The Committee is responsible of coordinating the Challenges that the Club administers. Those are:

--South Beyond 6,000 (SB6K)—Hiking the 40 qualifying peaks over 6,000 feet (this challenge is conducted jointly with the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club)

--Pisgah 400 (P400)—Hiking the roughly 400 miles of trails in Pisgah forest

--Smokies 900 miles (900M)—This is a challenge that is under the jurisdiction of the 900 Miler Association, but many members of the Club are working towards achieving this challenge. It is to hike the roughly 900 miles of maintained trails within the boundaries of the Smokey Mountain National Park.

--Western North Carolina Loop—This is a roughly 400 mile hike that includes part of the AT and MST, and includes hiking all 40 6,000’ peaks. This is a route that Tom Sanders put together and is still under development.

As the new chair of the Committee, I am looking to get this Committee active and to proactively promote and enhance the familiarity of all members with these challenges. I encourage you to contact me if you would like to help your Club through participation on this Committee. Thank you. Don Gardner gardog3@charter.net

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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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Beginning Map Reading - Saturday October 21

On October 21st, the CMC again offer the beginning map reading course; a mixture of classroom and field work. It is designed to help you find out where you are on a trail. For information contact Dave Wetmore at dwetmore@citcom.net or 884-7296. Pre-registration is required, and there is a class limit of 10.

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2006 AT Southern Regional Multi-Club Campout - Friday, Sept 1 through Monday, Sept. 4

An excellent opportunity for volunteers, hikers and lovers of the A.T. to gather at scenic Appletree Group Campground in Nantahala, NC for the 2006 AT Southern Regional Multi-Club Campout. This event will abound with great hikes, good conversation, and the option for catered meals so you can leave your camp stove at home and really relax. Tents and trailers welcome, though no hook-ups are available. Hot showers, campfire, entertainment and other recreation opportunities on site.

RSVP: Direct your questions and registration forms to Fred Haller at 828-369-8727 or eva2391005@mchsi.com.

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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:

Richland Gap Access to Richland Balsam Access
Buckspring Trail Junction to Pisgah Inn  
Rainbow Gap to NC 128

If you are interested contact donwalton@bellsouth.net

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Conservation

In the summer of 1974, Lenny and I stopped at Chimney Rock Park on the way to the Smokies. Even in those days, we knew that Chimney Rock was not real wilderness but it allowed us to hike a little, see some views and climb up the amazing rock. This was before they filmed Dirty Dancing and The Last of the Mohicans. It was not the highlight of the vacation but it was memorable enough that we took loads of pictures and we remember it. It was a perfect afternoon with our 15 month old son in a backpack.

Fast forward to 2006 and Chimney Rock is for sale. Admissions have been going down, the younger generation of the Morse family who own the Park is not interested in this business and why not take $55 millions if someone wants to buy the land? North Carolina had offered $20 million before the property was put up for sale, said Jill Lucas, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Administration. A state senator, working to assemble land for a state park planned for the nearby Hickory Nut Gorge area, said the state’s offer was the top price suggested after an independent appraisal of the property’s value. If the Morse family sells the land to a developer, of course, it will be developed. Then people will start screaming.

Sure, there is a Save Chimney Rock website, www.savechimneyrock.net but it is not getting much play. Maybe Chimney Rock is worth saving, maybe not. Maybe the land is worth $20 millions but maybe the Morse family will get $55 millions. Remember the Dupont State Forest fiasco where the state let the property go to a land developer? When the public got upset enough that they were going to be kept out of High Falls and Triple Falls, the state ended up buying the Dupont land for four times the amount they could have bought it in the first place.

What I do know is that if you want to save Chimney Rock and have it incorporated into the new Hickory Nut Gorge state park, NOW is the time to start the discussion and to write letters to our governor and our North Carolina legislature. Most of the time, the public (and even the conservation movement) don’t get irate until they can see the first house being framed on a mountain top. Then they blame the developer whose job is to develop. By then, it’s too late. Danny Bernstein danny@hikertohiker.org

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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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