Carolina Mountain Club
Hike - Save trails - Make friends
February 20, 2009
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| Upcoming Hikes | Hike Reports | CMC Calendar |
| Happenings in the next two weeks | CMC Archive Party |
| Other News | Protect Panthertown |
| Conservation | Climate Change Conference |
| Heard on the Ground | A.T. section for adoption |
| Heard on the Trail | Standing Room Only |
| The small print | Deadlines, change of addresses and other details |
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From Your Editor The CMC eNews now goes out to over 1,300 subscribers. That includes all the CMC members who gave us their email addresses and many nonmember subscribers. In the latter group, we have park and forest officials, and newspaper and magazine writers and editors. That obviously means they find it interesting and relevant to their work. But CMC members will always remain the primary audience. So "keep those cards and letters coming" because your feedback is important. Danny ---------------------- Back to Top What's Happening in the Next Two Weeks CMC Archives Event on Feb. 26 at 6 P.M. at UNCA Ramsey Library Find out what's in the CMC Archives located in the Special Collections at UNCA If you are interested in CMC history, love old stuff, or are just up for a new experience, join us for an evening of talk and exploration with the CMC Archives in the Special Collections at UNCA. We will meet on Thursday evening, 6:00 – 8:00, in the Special Collections room on the top floor of Ramsey Library on the UNCA campus. Here are the Directions and parking . Helen Wykle, Curator, and Pete Steurer, our CMC Club Historian, will be with us to explain the background of the collection, show us how to use the online guide to the collection, and allow us to dig through all the old goodies that we have stored there. They will be providing us with refreshments. Whether you are a long-time or a new member, this is sure to be a worthwhile evening. Bring along any CMC documents or photos that you think might be worth adding to the collection. Also bring your ideas and questions, as they are proud to have our collection and want to be responsive to our needs. We will be discussing what CMC can do to keep this collection current and useful. You may want to check out ahead of time the website at CMC Archives to see how the collection is organized. RSVP, if possible, so they can plan for the food. Becky Smucker at bjsmucker@gmail.com. ---------------------- Back to Top New Trails Proposed for the High Country.
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Protect Panthertown
For those of you unfamiliar with Panthertown Valley, it's a 6,295 acre United States Forest Service backcountry area in Nantahala National Forest, located in Jackson County, North Carolina. Nicknamed the "Yosemite of the East", this wild and rugged valley is a favorite destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Unique attractions include waterfalls, sheer granite domes, stunning panoramic views, native brook trout streams, the headwaters of the Tuckaseegee River and the east fork of Little Tennessee River, and diverse flora and fauna. In recognition of its outstanding geologic formations, forests, streams and native plant life, Panthertown Valley is designated as a Blue Ridge Natural Heritage Site and Mountain Treasure Area. Our mission is to conserve this outstanding natural resource while providing quality recreational opportunities and backcountry experiences for visitors. With help from volunteers, Friends of Panthertown maintain trails, repair bridges and structures, monitor fragile ecosystems, and collaborate with stakeholders to develop solutions to natural resource issues and foster forest stewardship. The Friends of Panthertown sponsor volunteer work days on the last Thursday of the month, time and location vary. We hope you'll join us! For more information including a schedule of volunteer opportunities and membership information, go to www.j-mca.org or contact Nina Elliott at 828-526-9938 (ext. 258) or friends.of.panthertown@gmail.com (Picture of Warden Falls by Danny Bernstein) ---------------------- Back to Top Website Task Force Invitation CMC is forming a task force with this charge: …” while keeping in mind the considerable value and power of our current website, the task force assess our website needs for the future and recommend ways to meet those needs.” We are looking for a couple more members to join this group, which will have its first meeting the week of March 9. We need several folks who are 1) active in CMC and care about its future, 2) habitual internet users, and 3) good communicators. If you think you fill the bill and would be interested in helping us with this task, or just have questions, contact Becky Smucker at bjsmucker@gmail.com ---------------------- Back to Top Extend the MST - March 21 Join us for the next chance this spring to extend the MST South on Saturday March 21.
This is your opportunity to give something back for all the fun and enjoyment you have had on the trails these past years. We hope to have a large group to help us extend the MST going south to Soco Gap. Meeting Place: Moose Café at 9:00 A.M. for car pooling. 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. The more hands the more fun! Let’s Go to the High Mountains. ---------------------- Back to Top Hot off the Press!  Dolly Parton, Honorary Ambassador for the 75th Anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, released a new album in honor of the event. It is only available in the Smokies Visitory Center or from the Great Smoky Mountains Association website. Most important, all the profits go back to Trails Forever.
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Biking in National Parks How would bikers and hikers coexist? Would bikes be allowed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? See a good article by Becky Johnson of the Smoky Mountain News. -------------------- Back to Top Climate Change Conference on March 27- 29 This year's first Headwaters Gathering will be held at Warren Wilson College, one of the greenest campuses in America. See all the details. -------------------- Back to Top Adopt a Section of the Appalachian Trail Spring Mountain Shelter to Allen Gap, 3.7 miles Adopt a Section of the MST Devil’s Courthouse Jct. to FS Road 816, 2.4 miles If you're interested in either the A.T. or MST, email Don Walton. ---------------------- Back to Top Maintenance Reports created by Don Walton
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Many came to hear an entertaining talk and see some wonderful slides. But some had pad and pen in hand and were taking notes and asking serious questions. Photo by Ted Connors. ---------------------- Back to Top The eNews comes out on Fridays. So ... The next issue will come out on Friday, March 6. 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.Hiker leaders, please send all your eNews hike reports and photos to Dave Wetmore at dwetmore@citcom.net So send me your news and maintenance reports by Tuesday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Tuesday evening March 3, 2009 to Danny Bernstein at 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 If you are a non-member subscriber, you need to go back to the CMC home page > News >Subscribe and change it there yourself. ---------------------- Back to Top |
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Danny Bernstein
danny@hikertohiker.com
High Country Hiking could get a significant boost from a proposal that could create nearly 400 miles of trails in the mountains. This includes development of the 
The Friends of Panthertown are working to protect Panthertown Valley, one of the most spectacular, yet underfunded and neglected areas in the National Forest. In 2007, the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance formed a partnership with the United States Forest Service called the Friends of Panthertown in a collaborative effort to provide for the unmet needs of Panthertown Valley because the Forest Service doesn't have sufficient funding or personnel to provide more than minimal levels of maintenance.
When: March 21
Bruce Bente and the Machu Pichu hikers kept the Diamond Brand audience mesmerized on Tuesday Feb. 10. According to Gary Eblen, the outreach coordinator, over 120 people attended the talk on hiking Machu Pichu.