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Trail News: From the NC Mountains to the Sea 
June 2009
 
 
HIKING IS TOP ACTIVITY - A recent survey by NC State Parks found that hiking is the most popular activity in state parks - enjoyed by 79.5% of respondents. These results mirror findings in the State's recent Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan  which  reveals that walking for pleasure is the most popular form of exercise in North Carolina.
 
What better way to help North Carolinian's enjoy their favorite activity than to build a trail from the mountains to the sea!
  
 
WANT TO HELP BUILD THE TRAIL?  We always welcome new volunteers to our workdays.  A great time to get involved is the annual BIG DIG on the Blue Ridge Parkway near West Jefferson on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26.  We're pushing hard to close a gap in the trail on the parkway, and we need hands to help.  For more information and to RSVP, please e-mail Jim Hallsey.  If you'd like information about camping that weekend, please e-mail Allen de Hart .
 
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE E-MAIL NOTICES ABOUT TRAIL WORKDAYS? Our workday leaders e-mail volunteers to remind them of upcoming workdays. If you'd like to be on a list for workdays in a particular area, please e-mail Kate Dixon, and she'll pass your name on to the right crew leader.  We're particularly looking for volunteers in the following areas: Asheville, Boone-Blowing Rock, West Jefferson-Wilkesboro, Sparta, north of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Alamance County, Triangle area, and New Bern.
 
 
These beautiful steps at Falls Lake were built by a team of employees from the Triangle office of Crosland.  Their construction expertise and sense of fun made for a great workday.
 

crosland stairs


 
NEW ROUTE FOR THE MST THROUGH NEW BERN  A draft Pedestrian Plan proposes a new route for the MST past the city's reservoir and through some of its most beautiful , historic neighborhoods. Pages 20-21 of Section 2 of the plan provides a good overview and map of the rerouting. If you'd like to learn more and support the proposal, please join us at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 7th at the Planning & Zoning Board Meeting in the third floor conference room at 248 Craven Street in downtown New Bern.
 
JUNE 6 WAS NATIONAL TRAILS DAY  Hundreds of volunteers celebrated National Trails Day by building and maintaining the MST
at eight locations across North Carolina. That day, we were excited to undertake our first trail maintenance work at the Eno River State Park in Durham where we expect to begin constuction of new trail in October. A special thanks to REI and to Great Outdoor Provision Co. for providing refreshments and t-shirts for the Eno and Falls Lake workdays respectively.  

 
 
BLOG TRACKS FUN OF BUILDING THE MST IN WATAUGA COUNTY  For a picture of what it's like to  build the MST, visit Shelton Wilder's blog of his adventures with FMST's Watauga Task Force.
 
MST IN THE NEWS  New Life Journal  and Appalachian Voices (10.2 MB PDF) have recently highlighted the MST and other trails in the State.
 
 
 
FMST PUBLISHES 2008 ANNUAL REPORT (2.3 MB pdf)
 
You can download the annual report off FMST's website, but we also mail a beautiful printed copy to all members. If you'd like to receive the 2009 report, please join FMST today online or by printing and mailing your membership form.
 
 
Your donation will leave a legacy for future generations. Thanks for your support fo the trail!
Contact Info
Kate Dixon
Executive Director
Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail