Hike - Save trails - Make friends
December 16, 2011
Western Bear Season (west of I-77)
Dec. 12 – Jan. 2, 2012
CMC Calendar
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From the Editor
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you on the trail. Danny
News and Happenings
MST license plate approved
Is your license plate naked? What does your car believe in?
If you live in North Carolina, you're in luck. Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail has been approved a great license tag. See above.
We voted for our favorite design. People said that they liked this design because 1) it's based on the actual MST sign; 2) it includes hikers; and 3) the FMST colors are vibrant enough to see from a distance.
So now you need to get one. We have to sell 300 plates to even be in the game.
Why buy an MST plate now?
1. It's a fun way to show your love of hiking and the MST
2. It's a great way to provide financial support for the MST - $20 of the $30 annual cost will be returned to FMST to build, protect and promote the trail.
3. Your plate will have a low number which will identify you as one of the early supporters of the MST.
4. If you want a personalized plate, most options are still available if you order now.
5. A plate would be a great present for a special person this holiday season!
To order your plate, download the application, fill out the form and mail it with your check to Friends of the MST.
When FMST has pre-sold 300 plates, the NC Division of Motor Vehicles will produce the plates and mail them to everyone who has preordered.
Please act now. The NC General Assembly has given us only a short time to sell the first 300 plates before the authorization for the plate expires. Now is your chance to have an MST license plate.
Blue Ridge Parkway General Management Plan
The National Park Service released the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Blue Ridge Parkway’s General Management Plan. Public comment on the document will be taken through Dec. 16. The full Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement is available for review at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/blri.
See CMC's BRP Management Plan comments.
National Forest in North Carolina
The National Forests in North Carolina invite you to participate in a collaborative process to create a trail strategy that will achieve a quality and sustainable non-motorized trail infrastructure. It's best explained by this NC Forests Trail meeting Q&A. If you're concerned about the quality of the trails in Pisgah Forest, please get involved.
If you want to see how this is done and comment in person, here are the dates and locations.
Morganton Jan. 9
(snow date Jan.12) Cooperative Extension Building 130 Ammons Dr., Suite 2, Morganton, NC
Andrews Jan. 10 (snow date Jan.17) Andrews Community Center 54 Park St., Andrews, NC
Mars Hill Jan. 19
(snow date Jan.23) (location to be announced) Mars Hill, NC
Franklin Jan. 26 (snow date Jan.31) Macon County Community Facilities Bldg.1288 Georgia Rd, Franklin, NC
Brevard Jan. 30 (snow date Feb.2) Hampton Inn Brevard 275 Forest Gate Dr., Pisgah Forest, NC
Report on Camporee dry-run - by Ted Snyder
Over twenty enthusiasts attended the prototype dry-run at Mortimer Campground in the Grandfather District of Pisgah National Forest on October 28-30.
Our purpose was to work out the kinks for the three Mountain Treasures camporees scheduled for 2012. Camporees enable us to host a burst of hikes from a central car-camping location. A feature of camporees is a group meal Saturday night.
Attendance in October was down because of relentless rain Friday night. Clear, cold weather favored us on Saturday and Sunday. A chili pot-luck supper with multiple cooks stirring simultaneously fed the group Saturday night.
On the dry-run weekend, we held Saturday hikes
(1) up Wilson Creek (see photo to the left
(2) on the MST to Beacon Heights; and
(3) a Thorp Creek loop. On Sunday
(1) the Thorp Creek loop was run in the opposite direction, and in-and-out hikes
(2) on the Raider Camp Creek trail and
(3) the Harper Creek trail met for lunch at the overlook of the high falls of South Harper Creek.
Two helpful lessons emerged from this test run.
First: Hikes for Saturday will be ones with shuttles, and longer ones. Hikes for Sunday will be mostly shorter and that are loops or in-and-out, without shuttles. This will leave more time for hiking and possibly earlier departures for home. Second: The Saturday night group meal will have one person in charge and one chief cook. This will enable us to prepare and serve much more quickly and to be finished before dark.
The first official Mountain Treasures Camporee will be held at Mortimer Campground on April 13-15, 2012.
There will be 3-4 hikes on Saturday and at least 3 more hikes on Sunday. Mountain Treasures are the places identified by The Wilderness Society on the Nantahala/Pisgah National Forests that require future protection. CMC has adopted a plan of sponsoring a hike into each of the Mountain Treasures. Separate hikes into outlier treasures that cannot be easily incorporated into a camporee are now in progress.
Chimney Rock State Park to expand
The North Carolina Council of State has approved the purchase of 1,221 acres at Rutherford County's Rumbling Bald Mountain to expand Chimney Rock State Park. This land was bought from the Nature Conservancy f
or $4.2 million. The tract is just north of Chimney Rock in the Hickory Nut Gorge.
The state established Chimney Rock State Park in 2007 after buying the Rutherford County tourist attraction from private owners in 2005, and has continued to add adjacent land to it. The park now comprises more than 5,700 acres.
It will be a while before Rumbling Bald is open to the public.
Interview
Meet Jorge Munoz - by Bobbi Powers
Jorge Munoz is a garrulous octogenarian.
He is opinionated and smart. He earned CMC’s 2010 Distinguished Service Award.
He also has the courtly manners of a Chilean gentleman, which he is.
I recently sat down with Jorge, and we spent a pleasant hour taking a walk down his life’s memory lane. His path makes for a “good read!”
Read the whole interview.
The Small Print
The next issue will come out on Friday, January 27. 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 hiking@carolinamountainclub.org
So send me your news by Tuesday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Tuesday evening January 24 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.
Westgate parking - Park in the northernmost part of the lot - past EarthFare, in the last row of parking spaces.
How to join the Carolina Mountain Club
1. Go to www.carolinamountainclub.org
2. Click on “Join CMC” on the right side and follow the instructions
For CMC members only - Send all address and email changes to Gale O'Neal at gogalemail@gmail.com. Do not resubscribe yourself to the eNews. That will be done automatically.
If you are a non-member subscriber, you need to go back to the eNews and make the change yourself.