Carolina Mountain Club
Hike - Save trails - Make friends
May 15, 2009
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| Upcoming Hikes | Hike Reports |Maintenance Schedule |
| Happenings in the next two weeks | Blue Ridge Parkway opens up to Mt. Mitchell |
| Other News | CMC Dinner set for Oct. 24 |
| Book Review | Meigs Line |
| Help Wanted | Want to work for the ATC? |
| Heard on the Ground | Want to maintain a piece of the MST? |
| Heard on the Trail | This is the flower season |
| The small print | Deadlines, change of addresses and other details |
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From Your Editor If you've been wondering how to join a trail maintenance crew, wonder no more. Now a link to the maintenance schedule will be above the table of contents, along with upcoming hikes and hike reports. Check out the maintenance schedule and call the crew leader to get started. Danny What's Happening in the Next Two Weeks Blue Ridge Parkway to Reopen
However, this is just a plan. If you're planning to drive on the Parkway north, call the BRP information line to confirm. The recording is at (828) 298 0398. Danny. ---------------------- Back to Top Gorges State Park Reopens Gorges State Park, North Carolina's western most park, has reopened its Grassy Ridge entrance in southwestern Transylvania County. Among the six million dollars in upgrades to the park are 350 freshly paved parking spots in four lots, with access to trailheads going to Bearwallow Falls, Rainbow Falls, and the Horsepasture River. This is good news to CMC members who like to hike along the Horsepasture River. There will be a second construction phase which also promises a visitor center. Danny ---------------------- Back to Top CMC Annual Dinner and Meeting - Saturday Oct. 24 Put Saturday Oct. 24 on your calendar for the CMC annual dinner and meeting. It will be held at the Chariot in Hendersonville. We are fortunate to have Ron Sullivan as the speaker for the evening. Ron is writing a book on the history of the logging operations in the mountains. Ron is a hiker so he will be able to relate the logging operations to the trails we hike on. Barth Brooker. ---------------------- Back to Top The National Parks: America's Best Idea - Preview film on June 3 UNC-TV invites you to a Preview Screening of Ken Burns' and Florentine Films' newest documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea.
Tickets are available by calling UNC-TV at 1-866-752-0025, or online at www.unctv.org/nationalparksand are $10 each. Your ticket purchase is a tax-deductible contribution in support of UNC-TV's unique programs and services. P.S. If you are planning to come to the film in Asheville, why not make a CMC evening out of it? Let me know if you would like to get together for dinner before hand. Danny Bernstein ---------------------- Back to Top SORO RPC Recognizes Dwayne Stutzman as Its 2008 Partner of the Year At its meeting last month, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Deep South Regional Partnership Council recognized long-time CMC member, Dwayne Stutzman, as its 2008 Partner of the Year. Dwayne, wearing a hat in the picture above, was recognized for the many contributions he made to the A.T. as an employee of the North Carolina Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources. The picture is of Gary Monk, Chair of the SORO RPC, making the award. Dwayne Stutzman, former Western Region Trails Specialist for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation’s Trails Program, retired in late 2008. His career with the NC Trails Program was highlighted (from the A.T. perspective) by many instances of help to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and ATC including volunteer work as ATC’s regional Land Trust Coordinator, assistance with the revision of ATC’s Trail Design, Construction and Maintenance, co-presenter at ATC and USFS trail workshops and advocate for the A.T. through the NC Recreational Trails Program grant process which resulted in significant funding from numerous grants for ATC’s Rocky Top Volunteer Trail Crew. Dwayne is a life member of the ATC. He and his wife, Sarah Davis, are section maintainers of the A.T. at Max Patch through the Carolina Mountain Club. Leanna Joyner ---------------------- Back to Top Hike and Fine Dining at the Swag on Tuesday, June 9 I have reservations for 20 people to enjoy fine dining at The Swag Country Inn, near Waynesville, on Tuesday, June 9. This will give you an opportunity to hike which is normally not available on CMC hikes.
Three years ago on a 14 mile key-swap hike, we were fascinated by the views from their property shown in the photo. Access through a private road to their parking lot is limited to those with reservations for overnight stay or for upscale dining ($74). They accept dinner reservations only after accommodating overnight guests who pay a premium price. On June 9 they have an added attraction: Bill Harley, a Grammy winning Storyteller, will perform for all diners after supper. Last year CMCers had a great time hiking 10 miles with 2,500 ft ascent and descent. Hike description is on the CMC database at: http://www.carolinamtnclub.org/hikedetails.asp?which=Cataloochee+McKee+Caldwell+Hemphill+Loop This year, we will also do a short, half-day hike. If you are interested in a full day or half day hike for June 9 at The Swag, followed by dinner ($74 - fixed price), e-mail Ashok.Kudva@mchsi.com. Indicate your hike preference. This is limited to 20 people. If enough people show interest, and we cannot accommodate them, more dinner hikes through The Swag may be scheduled. Ashok Kudva ---------------------- Back to Top National Trail Day - Saturday June 6 You are invited to extend the MST South on June 6 , 2009 ( rain date- June 13 ). This is a great opportunity to give something back for all the fun and enjoyment you've had on the trails this past year. We hope to have a large group to help us complete another piece of the MST going South to the Soco Gap Overlook, South of Balsam Gap, BRP milepost 456. We 'll meet at the Moose Café at 9:00 AM for car pooling. The second meeting place is at the intersection of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Rt. 19, South of Maggie Valley. 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 bigger the group, the more the fun!!! No prior experience is required. Piet Bodenhorst ---------------------- Back to Top Meigs Line
McCarter and Kelley hiked and drove through several "lines" including Hawkins, Pickens and Meigs, describing how they figured out where the boundaries are. The line is named for Return Jonathan Meigs (1740- 1823), a colonel who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later as a federal government Indian agent working with the Cherokee in Tennessee. The book, published by Grateful Steps, is liberally illustrated.. ---------------------- Back to Top Want to work for the ATC? We are hiring a full time, temporary position for a Resource Management Coordinator (June through December, 2009). The position pays $10.15, applications are due June 1st. Here's the job description: www.appalachiantrail.org/resourcemgmt. Julie Judkins ---------------------- Back to Top Adopt a Section of the Appalachian Trail None. Get on the waiting list. 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
---------------------- Back to Top Flower Photos
P.S. On the left is a cut leaf toothwort. If you put your mouse over the photo, you'll see a jack in the pulpit.
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The eNews comes out on Fridays. So ... The next issue will come out on Friday, May 29. 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 May 26, 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
On May 15, the National Park Service is scheduled to reopen the 
The Preview Screening will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3rd, at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. UNC-TV will air the six-episode, twelve-hour documentary in its entirety in Fall 2009. This spectacular series was filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales, including North Carolina's own 
The Swag is arguably one of the best resorts in the country. Located half-way between Cove Creek and Polls Gap trailheads, 14 miles apart in the Smokies, and with close connectivity to park trails, it offers day hikes not normally available to CMCers.
Dwight McCarter, a CMC member, and Joe Kelley, just published Meigs Line. The two Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers walked a disputed boundary between the U.S. and the Cherokee Nation in and around the Park.