Carolina Mountain Club

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February 1, 2008

Hiking News | CMC Calendar

What's Happening in the Next Two Weeks

Blue Ridge Parkway Photo Contest - Feb. 9 deadline

Everyone seems to have a photo contest to show off our beautiful Southern Appalachians. Check this one out sponsored by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation at http://www.virtualblueridge.com/news-and-events/news-264.asp. The deadline for submission is Feb. 9.

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River Canoeing in 2008 - Program on February 12

Diamond Brand Outdoors presents Burt Kornegay on Tuesday, February 12, 7 pm in the Arden Store. Burt has led over 400 wilderness trips since starting Slickrock Expeditions in 1984. He has written for Backpacker and Southern Living and is the author of the trail map A Guide’s Guide toPanthertown Valley. He lives in Cullowhee with his wife Becky and son Henry.

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Other Important News

100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina

Where is the Lake Brandt Greenway? And what about the Birkhead Mountain Trail? Both trails and 98 more are in 100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina by Joe Miller published by the Mountaineers Books. To get 100 hikes in a 240 page book, the hike descriptions were kept brief. But each hike is accompanied by a map and a colored photograph.

Joe Miller writes for the Raleigh News & Observer and his book is written in a very personable, breezy style, like his columns and blog.. I met him when I was in Raleigh doing a book signing for my book and he seemed like a very active guy. I trust him to have actually done the hikes he writes about.

If I have one criticism, it's that some hikes are very short. Clingmans Dome on the paved trail, for example - that's one mile, there and back.

Oh yeah... Birhead is in Uwharrie National Forest and Lake Brandt is close to Greensboro.  Danny

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Water Quality in Graveyard Field Studied

The National Park Service and other agencies are going to concerned with the water quality in Graveyard Fields. They also want to eliminate a non-native invasive, Charminus floribundum. Check out the details at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation site, http://www.brpfoundation.org/graveyard_fields.php

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Safety in the Woods

On Saturday, Feb 16, Anthony Conte from the US Forest Service, Pisgah Ranger District, will present a program on Safety in the Forest at Diamond Brand Outdoors. The program begins at 9:30 am and last approx 1 hour. There will be time for question and answer but he will not be able to discuss the case involving the Bryants. Admission is free. For more information call 684-6262.

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Hiking the Western North Carolina Heritage

South Mountain State Park

Because of its low altitude, South Mountain State Park is a prime year-round destination, except maybe in the heart of the summer. Though its highest point is about 3,000 ft., when you’re looking down into a valley 2,000 ft below, you can feel on top of the local world. The wind whistling through the pines, the ridge vistas, the tumbling water give you the same rush as higher altitudes. The state park has cut trees to open up views and even arranged logs for low benches. White-tail deer, not usually seen at the higher elevations, is abundant here.

Walking down High Shoals Falls can get any hiker interested in geology. Water travels through the park toward the Catawba River and cuts deep into the land, forming steep slopes. Rock slabs moved down the slope and piled up at the base. They have broken off by the process of exfoliation, a type of weathering that occurs in rocks which have uniform texture. Think of exfoliating the skin to make it smoother. As a layer is peeled off, like peeling off an onion, the underlying rock expands upward. Cracks form and eventually the rock break off along these cracks.

As you come down the staircase, you’ll find large slabs of rocks with vertical fractures called joints. These fractures get wider when water seeps in and freezes. Plant roots make their way into cracks and expand the rock. Flowing water also encourages joints to widen. Every once in a while, a block of rock separates from the cliff along one of the joints and tumbles down. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo dumped a great deal of rain in South Mountain State Park. Many loose rocks slid off at once, resulting in the Hugo landslide.

I will lead a hike to South Mountain State Park April 6th. It's a long drive from Asheville but it's worth it. Danny.

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Heard on the Ground

Adopt a Section of the Appalachian Trail

No sections are available now. If you want to be on a waiting list, email Don Walton.

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Adopt a Section of the MST

Richland Balsam Access(3 Trees) to Cowee Overlook Access, 1.8 miles

If you're interested, email Don Walton.

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Maintenance Reports created by Don Walton

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Heard on the Trail

Our Members on the Go

Jorge Munoz in front of the Teotihuacan pyramids, Mexico. The picture was taken by Andre Sarre, a CMC member living in Mexico.

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A trip recommendation from Gerry McNabb - Addition

A friend of mine in Switzerland, who organizes and leads hikes, now has one scheduled for the Haute Provence region of France. The website is http://www.walkingtours.com/About-us.89.0.html. For details on the trip and its costs, see the itinerary. Gerry.

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The Small Print

The eNews comes out on Fridays. So ... The next issue will come out on Friday, February 15. This will allow the Sunday and Saturday hike leaders a little more time to send in their report; Wednesday hike reports for the hike just before the eNews comes out will be published in the next eNews.

So send me your hiking news, hike and maintenance reports by Wednesday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Wednesday evening February 13, 2008 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.

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