Carolina Mountain Club

Hike - Save trails - Make friends

September 26, 2007

Hiking News | CMC Calendar

        Please send me your hiking news, hike and maintenance reports by Monday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Monday evening October 8, 2007 to Danny Bernstein danny@hikertohiker.com. Include your email address at the end of your story. Thank you.

       The CMC Calendar is meant to answer the perennial question "When is this happening again?" It is also meant to prevent conflicts between competing CMC events. Please check it often.

How to join the Carolina Mountain Club
1. Go to www.carolinamtnclub.org
2. Click on “How to Join” (upper-left on web page)
3. Print out the “CMC Application Form”
4. Fill it Out, write a check for your dues and ...5. Mail to CMC, PO Box 68, Asheville NC 28802

       For CMC members only - Send all address and email changes to Jean Gard at jeangard@charter.net. If you are a non-member subscriber, you need to go back into "subscribe" and change it there yourself.

What's Happening in the Next Two Weeks

Last chance to enter CMC photo contest

Check the photo contest rules at the link on the home page of our club website –http://www.carolinamtnclub.org:80/data/PhotoContest.htm and get those entries in. Even if you don't win, some entries are likely to be used in a slide show at the club's Annual Meeting. Seeing the show will be like hiking without breathing hard. So give it a shot.

If your entry bounces when emailed, try again later. I may be out of town. See you at the Annual Meeting. Gerry McNabb, Chair Photo Contest. Contest closes Oct. 1. Send your photos at the contest entry email address: gerald.c.mcnabb.jr.56@alum.dartmouth.org

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Fall and Winter Hiking program at Diamond Brand Outdoors- Tu. Oct. 2

Where did I take this picture? Come to the program and find out.

I will be presenting a slide show and program on "Fall and Winter Hiking" at Diamond Brand Outdoors on Tuesday, October 2, at 7 P.M. Diamond Brand is the premier outdoor store and a supporter of the Carolina Mountain Club. Come and support the people who support us. They may even have refreshments.

To get more information on this free program, call Diamond Brand Outdoors at (828) 684-6262 or visit www.diamondbrand.com.

Or just simply come to the program. Danny.

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Brevard Outdoor Festival

Hiking the Blue Ridge Heritage

Pilot Mountain State Park

Pilot Mountain, along with Hanging Rock, are called "The Mountains before the Mountains" in the Sauratown Mountains. Though they are very low in absolute altitude compared with Western North Carolina, they rise so high from the valley floor that they are very impressive. Both parks are located north of Winston-Salem and south of Mt. Airy.

Pilot Mountain State Park is a "one hike park", but what a hike! The trail circumnavigates the mountain, climbing from the Visitor Center with side trails to the top. You can also drive to the top and take in the amazing views down into the valley.

The park was a private commercial park for many years. The owners built roads to attract paying customers - pedestrians paid 25 cents and motorists 50 cents in the 1940. Danny. Photo by Danny Bernstein

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Other Important News

Volunteer Greeters Needed!

Beginning in October, volunteers will be needed to staff an Information Desk at The Blue Ridge Parkway Destination & Education Center. Greet visitors to our Western North Carolina mountains and share your interest in local history. This new facility in the Asheville/Oteen area will be open daily, so give of your time on a weekly or monthly basis. For more information, contact Amy Hollifield at 687-7234 or email amyhollifield@awnc.org

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Fall Map Course - Saturday October 13

The fall map course will be held on October 13. It will start at 9:00 and should be over in the middle of the afternoon. There is a limit of ten attendees and there are still four slots open. If you are interested, contact Dave Wetmore at dwetmore@citcom.net for more information and enrollment.

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Our VP in the News

Becky Smucker, VP of the Carolina Mountain Club, is also a Natural Heritage volunteer, helping to document rare plants. See the story.

In Memoriam

Jim Roddy

James R. (Jim) Roddy, former President of the CMC, passed away on Sept. 11, 2007. A native of Dayton, TN, and a veteran of the Korean War, Jim came to Asheville in 1956 to work as a computer analyst at the National Climatic Data Center. Jim was a very active hiker and led many hikes, especially the half-day Sunday ones. In 1993-1994 he served as President of the Club. Although Jim left the Club several years ago, many older members remember his active years with appreciation. Tom Sanders.

Conservation

North Shore Road Financial Settlement Making Progress

`ROAD TO NOWHERE' DISPUTE - From the Charlotte Observer
Senate OKs bill with $6 million for road accord
Money could be part of $52 million settlement with Swain County

ASHEVILLE --The U.S. Senate has approved a $6 million down payment on a cash settlement for Swain County in the dispute over an unfinished road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The money, which is part of an expected $52 million settlement for the federal government's failure to build the road along the north shore of Fontana Lake, was included in a transportation appropriations bill the Senate approved last week.

While the House version of the bill doesn't include language on the settlement, a spokesman for Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., said his boss has been told by House leaders that the Senate version -- including the down payment -- is likely to be adopted during a conference committee on the measure.

It could take several years for Swain County to get the entire settlement, said Andrew Whalen, Shuler's spokesman.

In May, the National Park Service announced it would recommend against finishing the so-called "Road to Nowhere," which officials had planned to build to replace a road that was flooded in the 1940s when Fontana Dam was built.

Finishing the road between Bryson City and Fontana Dam could have cost $600 million and would have riled conservationists who have fought the proposal for decades.

The $6 million comes from money left over from a study on finishing the road that Congress called for in 2000. Sens. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., had both pushed for Swain County to receive an initial payment in the settlement.
PLEASE pick up the phone or write and fax a letter thanking Sens. Alexander and Dole. It is very important that they hear from their constituents.

Senator Elizabeth Dole
Western Office:
401 North Main Street
Suite 200
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Ph: 828.698.3747
Fax: 828.698.1267

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Heard on the Ground

Adopt an MST Section

No sections are available. Every section has found a home! But look below!

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Adopt a piece of the Appalachian Trail

The Garenflo Gap to Deer Park Mountain Shelter section of the Appalachian Trail needs a new Section Maintainer. It is four miles with a 600 ft. ascent. If interested, contact: Howard McDonald at howardamcdonald@bellsouth.net or
828-693-8258. (If you want to adopt a piece of the A.T., you better grab it. They don't come up too often. Danny).

Maintenance Reports created by Don Walton

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Heard on the Trail

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