|
FMST WRITING TRAIL GUIDEBOOK
 FMST has released the first three chapters of our upcoming guidebook. We welcome your comments on these chapters as we finalize the format and information that will be included in the complete book.
The first three chapters cover three trail segments:
THE HIGH COUNTRY: Beacon Heights near Grandfather Mountain to US 421 near Deep Gap
REVOLUTION AND TEXTILES: Bryan Park in Greensboro to Eno River State Park at Pleasant Green Road near Hillsborough
THE NEUSE RIVER: Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh to Sam's Branch Greenway in Clayton
Our goal is to complete eleven of the sixteen planned chapters by next year's annual meeting (February 7, 2015), and then finish the entire guide by the end of 2015.
If you'd like to volunteer with the trail guidebook project, please e-mail Kate Dixon, Executive Director, at [email protected].
|
|
FIRST HIKER COMPLETES NEW COASTAL PLAIN ROUTE
| |
Read about Pete Wetzel's adventures as he hiked a new "current" MST route through the Coastal Plain that FMST has been developing. His blog is packed with photos, maps and background on the fascinating, beautiful places encountered along the route.
 | |
Pond cypress at Jones Lake State Park. Photo by Pete Wetzel.
|
FMST will release directions for the route that Pete hiked in August. At that point, his route will become one of two options FMST offers for completing the trail in the Coastal Plain. The other option is to paddle the Neuse River.
FMST is shifting its "current" hiking route of the MST through the Coastal Plain to help people get to know this wonderful part of North Carolina. For years, MST hikers have followed road bike routes for 175 continuous miles from the Falls Lake dam in Raleigh to the Neusiok Trail in the Croatan National Forest near Havelock.
 | |
Harmony Hall in Bladen County. Photo by Pete Wetzel.
|
Now that the Neuse River greenway has opened to Clayton, FMST took the opportunity to develop a new "current" route that follows the 32-mile greenway (an officially designated part of the MST) and then incorporates 80 miles of existing trails and unpaved forest roads and visits many special natural and historic sites in the Coastal Plain. This route rejoins the old route at the Neusiok Trail.
State Parks continues its work to build the "ultimate" MST route to follow the Neuse River from Smithfield to the Neusiok Trail. Wherever the MST is in the future, we know that hikers and paddlers will enjoy the two great routes available now.
|
|
NEW CAMPSITE OPENS ALONG FALLS LAKE MST
Thanks to Jim Ward for inviting MST hikers to camp on a portion of his property along the Falls Lake section of the MST in Durham County. The campsite, with a shelter and seven pads for two-person tents, is about a mile west of Red Mill Road. Thanks also to the volunteers who worked hard in February and March to construct the site - including "wrestling" a hazardous old grain barn to the ground.
 | |
Sign to Ward campsite.
|
This campsite is a giant step forward in our efforts to help land managers provide the campsites needed by people who would like to backpack all or part of the 105-mile MST in the Triangle area. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission hopes to open another campsite this fall which will fill a gap and make backpacking relatively easy along a 60-mile section from Pleasant Green Road in Orange County to Bayleaf Church Road in Wake County.
We continue to work with State Parks, the US Corps of Engineers, the City of Raleigh and the Town of Clayton to provide additional campsites along their sections of the trail in the Triangle.
|
|
MST NEWS BRIEFS...
FMST PRESENTS TO NC LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE: Kate Dixon, FMST Executive Director, was invited to speak to the NC Legislature's Committee on Cultural and Natural Resources on March 20th.
 | |
FMST Executive Director Kate Dixon speaks to
a NC Legislative Committee. Rep. Nelson Dollar, committee chair, stands at podium behind Kate. Photo by JoEllen Mason.
|
Kate's presentation helped committee members learn more about the MST; the role of private, volunteer efforts to build, protect and promote it; and its potential economic impact. As a result of her presentation, the Committee included a draft bill in its final report that would direct the NC Department of Transportation to work with State Parks, NC Department of Commerce, and FMST to improve signage for the MST and all State Parks on highways and along the current backroad route of the MST.
MST FOCUS IN STOKES, SURRY AND YADKIN COUNTIES: We're excited about all the attention being given to the MST in the northern Piedmont counties of Stokes, Surry and Yadkin.
 | |
Citizens share ideas about the MST route between Stone and Pilot Mt State Parks. Photo by Eric Woolridge, Destination by Design.
|
Surry and Yadkin have undertaken a master plan for the MST through their counties where volunteers from the Elkin Valley Trails Association have made tremendous progress in building new trail to connect Stone Mountain State Park to the Town of Elkin. In Stokes, where the 22-mile Sauratown Trail connects Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks, FMST was asked to organize a special focus group about the MST for a new land use plan that the county and its municipalities have undertaken.
 JOHN FRENCH - 2014 RALEIGH GREENWAY VOLUNTEER: Congratulations to John French who is being recognized by the City of Raleigh as its outstanding greenway volunteer for his work on the MST. John has been one of FMST's most active, creative volunteers in the Raleigh area for years. Two years ago, he and his wife Robin moved to a new home along Raleigh's Neuse River greenway which has been designated as a portion of the MST. He kicked right into action and organized a quarterly trail workday for all his neighbors to help keep the greenway in beautiful shape. It's no surprise to us that the City of Raleigh recognized his great work and love of trails.
|
|
MORE MST NEWS BRIEFS...
OLIVE GARDEN AND RED LOBSTER LOVE THE MST! FMST has received a $3000 grant from the Darden Restaurant Foundation thanks to three of its member restaurants that chose to support our work. If you're in the area, please stop by each of these restaurants to thank them for their support of the MST:
- Olive Garden, 12600 Capital Blvd, Wake Forest
- Red Lobster, 139 Tunnel Road, Asheville
- Olive Garden, 1415 Western Blvd, Jacksonville
FIFTH ANNUAL TRAIL RACE @ FALLS LAKE On a cold, rainy March 30th morning, hundreds of runners set off - on slippery trail under dripping branches - to run 12 miles or 50 kilometers of the MST at Falls Lake. Every year, despite cuts and bruises, the runners reach the finish line with exuberance, cheer and admiration for a beautiful trail. For five years, Bull City Running has organized this wonderful event to help runners learn about and enjoy the trail and to raise thousands of dollars to help FMST build, protect and promote it. We so appreciate their support.
 | |
Trevor Thomas and his dog Tennille accept an MST completion award from Allen DeHart and Howard Lee. Photo by Shelton Wilder.
|
PHOTOS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING
Have you ever thought of attending an FMST annual meeting? Check out the facebook photo album to get a sense of what happened and who was there. The great photos were taken by Shelton Wilder who also keeps a blog of happenings on the MST in Watauga County. We hope you'll put February 7, 2015 on your calendar to attend next year's meeting.
RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER RUNS FRONT-PAGE STORY ABOUT MST Thanks to the N&O for bringing such great publicity to the trail earlier this month with a front-page article after the trail race at Falls Lake. The reporter, Lynn Bonner, used the race as a jumping off point to give readers a picture of many trail developments including the new route through the coastal plain, a master plan that State Parks is about to undertake, and exciting efforts to build new trail in the Elkin area.
|
|
FOUR GREAT WAYS TO SUPPORT THE MST
ONE - Buy a raffle ticket and win a chance at 11 great prizes including one $500 gift card & seven $250 gift cards from Great Outdoor Provision Co. You can buy tickets online or at any Great Outdoor Provision Co. store.
TWO - Make a gift to help FMST build, protect and promote North Carolina's trail. You can make your gift online, or you can print and mail your donation.
 THREE - Sport an MST license plate on your car, and $20 of the $30 fee comes back to FMST so we can build, protect and promote the trail. Order your plate from DMV today.
 FOUR - Buy an MST t-shirt or cap. We have some great new merchandise as well as some long-time favorites. Check out our online store to make your purchase.
|
CONTACT INFORMATION
Kate Dixon Executive Director Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail PO Box 10431, Raleigh, NC 27605 919-698-9024 | |
|
|
|
