History
The Carolina Mountain Club began in 1923 as a spinoff of an earlier outdoor club, the Southern Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, which was chiefly focused on maintaining cabins for the use of its members. In 1931 CMC was strengthened when it united with the Carolina Appalachian Trail Club founded in 1930 to complete segments of the Appalachian Trail in the North Carolina-Tennessee region. The CMC at the time had about 60 members with 25-30 active members.
During the 1930s' CMC evolved into a strong organization with continuing emphases on hiking, trail construction and maintenance, and social activities featuring quest speakers and slide presentations. The organization publicized its activities extensively through the Asheville Citizen Times. The primary project of CMC during that decade was getting the Appalachian Trail routed, marked, and maintained. The club was responsible for all of the AT from Virginia to Georgia except the section in the Great Smoky Mountains. The CMC also took public positions on a variety of conservation projects, including purchase and preservation of forests, road building, and the development of the Tennessee Valley Authority lake system. From 1943 to 1946 the Club suspended activities because of the war.
After World War II CMC was reactivated, expanding and prospering around its three basic activities of hiking, maintaining its now 92 miles of AT and other trails, and promoting conservation. In the 1950s and 1960s it supported efforts to establish the Linville Gorge Wilderness, the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness, and the Craggy Mountain Scenic Area. Members volunteered thousands of hours in maintaining the AT, building shelters, and acquiring property alongside the trail.
A major project of the seventies was the planning and construction of the Mountains to Sea Trail, which is scheduled to run from Clingman's Dome in the Great Smokies to the coast of North Carolina. Eventually the CMC will be responsible for building and maintaining over 140 miles of the trail.
In 2013 the CMC will celebrate its 90th anniversary. In 1960 it broke the 100 member level and currently has had over 900 members. The Club sponsors all day hikes on Wednesdays and Sundays and half-day hikes on Sunday afternoons. It maintains several trail maintenance crews who work on the Appalachian Trail, Mountains to Sea Trail, and other trails in the region, altogether over 400 miles. Individual members also have responsibility for maintaining specific sections of the Appalachian and Mountains to Sea Trails. The principal social activities are the annual meeting in November,a spring social., and occasional overnights.
The CMC is the most important hiking and trail maintenance organization in western North Carolina. Its members come not only from Asheville, but other towns in the region and other states. It cooperates in joint concerns with the US Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conference, and other hiking clubs.
DETAIL HISTORY
TIME LINE
1923 CMC officially established in Asheville, NC; dues are $8/year. Primary activity is maintaining two cabins for member use.
1931 CMC merges with the Carolina Appalachian Trail Club.
1943 CMC suspends activities for WW II.
1946 CMC resumes activities.
1949 Ruth Brothers becomes first woman to be CMC president
1956 Mt. Tennent in Pisgah National Forest named for CMC's first president, Galliard Tennent.
1960 CMC membership breaks 100.
1961 Masa Knob in Great Smokies Mountain National Park named for CMC member George Masa.
1968 Hundred Favorite Trails published by CMC member and former president Bernard Elias.
1981 CMC begins greater emphasis on trail maintenance and enters agreement with government to maintain trails.
1994 CMC enters the digital age by procuring first Club computer.
1998 CMC launches its first website.
1999 CMC trail work increases to over 400 miles of trails maintained by Club.
2002 CMC enters into an agreement with UNCA to maintain Club archives.
2009 CMC membership increases to over 900.
Present CMC offers 3-5 hikes every week with over 350 individuals participating in almost 200 hikes.
PAST PRESIDENTS
