Carolina Mountain Club April 2013
|
|
|
|
From The Editor
Becky LedBetter debuts her first Carolina Mountain Critters column in this issue with a self healing creature. Although there is not a story in this issue, remember to register for the camporee in May. To read more about the camporee click here. Many of us have hiked with Janet Martin, but here is the rest of the story of this determined woman.
The newsletter will go out the last Friday of every month. The deadline to submit news is the Friday before it goes out.
Sincerely,Kathy Kyle
Carolina Mountain Club |
|
Proposed Waste To Energy Plant Near
DuPont Forest Could Affect Rails To Trails
 A waste to energy plant is being proposed near DuPont State Forest. It could affect the Rails To Trails - known as the Ecusta Trail- being considered from Brevard to Hendersonville. To read more about the proposed plant click here. To read more about the Ecusta Trail click here. |
|
CMC Maintainers Complete
MST Extension On April 5
By Piet Bodenhorst
 On Friday, April 5, 2013, the Carolina Mountain Club, completed the construction of the MST extension from Soco Gap ( BRP mile 455.8) to Heintooga Rd. ( BRP mile 458.2). The entire section was constructed on BRP land following the flagged line established by the State Rep.Tim Johnson and Dwayne Stutzman. Both entrances have been opened and the trail section, blazed. For your information, please be advised that a total; of 3,531 man hours were recorded, most of it by the Saturday Quarterly and Friday Crews.This section construction completes CMC's Western most end point for this trail. Future effort will be directed to completing the two pieces remaining on both sides of Water Rock. |
|
Retired Attorney, Traveler, Hiker, Grandmother
Janet Martin Sets CMC Commuting
Record and All Day Hiking Age Barrier
Interview By Danny Bernstein
I met Janet in 2011. We were both on a Smokies backpack led by Tom Sanders, where we climbed several SB6Ks (South Beyond 6000) peaks in the Smokies.
Currently, Janet is the oldest woman who comes on all-day hikes on a regular basis. Most Sundays and Wednesdays, when she's in town, she hikes with CMC.
Until Janet moved to Asheville, she was also known as having driven the furthest regularly to join CMC on hikes.
"I was in Girl Scouts in elementary school. Unfortunately, when the Girl Scouts had outdoor activities, my mom kept me at home because she felt I would get hurt." Still it didn't stop Janet from becoming an outdoor woman. To read more click here.
|
 | | Spotted Salamander |
Carolina Mountain Critters
Amazing Spotted Salamander Can
Regenerate Parts Of Its Head And Brain
By Becky LedBetter
Spring has FINALLY arrived and with it we hear bird songs in the forest as well as seeing a lot more animal activity than in the winter months. I was trying to decide which type of wildlife to write about for this CMC article. My subject presented itself on the road I walk in my neighborhood. I spied this big fellow close to the stream that the road crosses. I had never seen one of these before!
The spotted salamander is a type of mole salamander that is found in the eastern United States and Canada. This salamander can range from 6-9 inches long. Like most mole salamanders it has a stout body and wide snout. The salamander's body color can be black, bluish-black, dark grey, dark green or even brown. Spots run from the top of the head to the tip of the tail coming in uneven rows of yellow and orange.The spots near the head are commonly orange. To read more click here.
|
|
Reception Is May 30
Blue Spiral To Mount A.T. Exhibit
By Lenny Bernstein
 Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, 36 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, will mount an exhibit of art inspired by the A.T., which they are calling On the Trail. Photography, painting, pastel, and mixed media works from eight artists will be on sale, with 10% of the proceeds going to the 2013 ATC Biennial.
The exhibit will kick off with a reception from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 30. Everyone is invited. The exhibit itself will run from June 1 to July 23.
|
|
Comments Needed
Forest Plan Revision Assessment Sessions Set For Thursdays In May
The second round of Forest Plan Revision assessment information sessions for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests will be held on the last two Thursdays of May. The objective of these sessions will be to present more in-depth information on a selection of topic areas related to the existing condition of the forests, and share opinions and ideas on these topics. The tentative format will be concurrent information/discussion sessions on selected assessment items, including some that were of high interest at the initial round of meetings in February and March. To read more click here.
|
|
CMC Receives Funds For Maintaining The A.T.
By Danny Bernstein
The Carolina Mountain Club has been awarded $2,200 through the 2013 North Carolina Appalachian Trail License Plate Grant Program to help buy safety equipment, rebar, and tools for the club's work along the Appalachian Trail. The grant committee funded more than the club requested for this project because they saw the importance of the work done on the trail. CMC maintains 93 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Davenport Gap as it comes out of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Spivey Gap (going trail north).
CMC has been known to have the best-maintained section of the Appalachian Trail. In addition to the superb maintenance, CMC has installed bear cables close to all the trail shelters along the 93 miles. This is the only section of the A.T. to have this convenience outside of the National Parks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park. The CMC A.T. miles are in the Appalachian District of Pisgah National Forest. Like most long distance trails, the Appalachian Trail was built by volunteers and is now maintained by volunteers who belong to 31 trail-maintaining clubs up and down the east coast stretching from Georgia to Maine. The CMC maintenance crew might have the oldest average age, early to mid-70s. Each week, volunteers go out to check on a piece of trail. They might remove a blow-down with a chain saw or clip low-hanging branches. In the summer, the trail needs to be weed-whacked so that blackberry canes don't take over the footpath. |
|
Newfound Gap Road
Re-Opens Ahead Of Schedule
 Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the completion of road repairs to Newfound Gap Road (Hwy 441). The road has been closed since the January 16th landslide that washed away approximately 200 feet of the road. At 10 am on April 15, the Park officially opened the road to all thru traffic between Cherokee, NC and Gatlinburg, TN. To read more click here. |
|
August 2-4
Leave No Trace Trainer Courses Set
 By Jay Dement As you are aware, one of the biggest problems the backcountry and wildlife face today is the disregard most people have for the wonderful resources we enjoy. More often than not this comes from their ignorance of how to behave in the backcountry and not from malicious intent. The Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition has a solution for this problem with a series of Leave No Trace Trainer Courses and your help is requested to spread the word throughout your community. You and your fellow club members are invited to attend the next scheduled Trainer Course in the Chattahoochee National Forest, August 2-4, 2013. This is an excellent opportunity to get members of your club trained in a recognized manner to spread the Leave No Trace ethics. Please circulate the attached through your club along with your recommendation to attend.The animals will appreciate visitors who are more considerate, better organized and pack out trash. For more information, call 404/731-1901 or email jay@jayDphotos.com |
|
A.T. Thru Hikers Coming Through
The A.T. Thru hikers are coming through the CMC area. These thru hikers were seen on Tish Disjardin's recent hike near Hot Springs. Tish is pictured in the green. Danny Bernstein, right, talks with the thru hikers. Photo by Sawako Baiko
|
|
Shelter Maintenance
Cleaning Up After A Virus In Shelters
From Various Reports
 If you have not heard, there has been a virus striking A.T. hikers. If you are not a maintainer, you may not have heard the reports. Below are some of the messages maintainers have been receiving during April. If you have a sensitive stomach skip this story.
Today, 20:16 #21
rustmd
Frederick, MD
i was there, little laurel shelter [20 miles north of Hot Springs] was horrible, human feces and vomit all over the grounds. . .flint shelter had hikers down in their tents, telling me to go away, move on get out, don't touch anything. this thing is serious, i hope it's over by now. hikers were seriously sick. the one group i saw hiking out, i told them to get to the emergency room, they looked terribly sick! they were near Log Cabin Rd. and planned to call for emergency treatment.
Hi, all. I have spent this afternoon checking on the sickness outbreak along the A.T. in the CMC/TEHCC/Unaka RD/Appalachian RD section. Apparently, people are getting sick in, or north of the Smokies and are generally over the sickness by the time they get to Erwin. To read more click here. |
|
Invitation To Lewis Blodgett's
90th Birthday Party
 | |
Lewis Blodgett Jr.
|
Please join us as we celebrate the
90th Birthday of our dad
Lewis Alderman Blodgett Jr. The celebration will be held on Sunday, May 26, at St. John's Episcopal Church Parish Hall at 290 Old Haw Creek Rd Asheville, between the hours of 2pm to 4pm. The celebration is being given by the
family. No gifts please - just greetings or cards.
|
Cinco De Hike - O
Drink For A Good Cause - ATC
The Altamont Brewing Company will be donating $1 for each pint sold to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy during May. On May 5, starting at 3 p.m., there will be an added attraction - games, raffle and music. It will also be a farewell to Andy Downs who is taking a position with the ATC in Virginia. The Altamont Brewing Company is located at 1042 Haywood Road in West Asheville.
|
|
New Ingles Parking Lot In Mills River Added To CMC Meeting Point
By Bruce Bente
A new Ingles grocery store in Mills River will open on April 25, which will present a possible source of confusion for CMC hike meeting places.
The "old" Ingles is on NC 191, across from Biltmore shopping center. CMC will continue to meet here for some hikes, usually Bent Creek hikes.
The "new" Ingles is also on NC 191, but farther south, at the intersection of NC 191 and N. Mills River Rd. Some hikes may meet here, such as hikes in the N. Mills River or Trace Ridge areas. The first hike that will meet at this location will be the half-day hike on June 23.
Whenever you are going on a hike that meets at Ingles on NC 191, please look carefully to be sure which Ingles it is!
|
|
Trail Notes
Interpreting What We See Hiking
By Mike Knies
 | | Railroad cut |
People join hiking clubs and hike in the woods for many reasons. For some it is mainly social with a little fresh air and exercise thrown in. For others it is a bit of adventure of being in the great outdoors and communing with nature. There is so much to appreciate. I write little pithy reports of my trips into the backwoods. I try not to say what "I saw' but what "I noticed". We see a 1000% more than what we actually notice. Some times there is so much social chatter that a group hike can be like a bridge club on boots and that is fine if that is the primary interest. However there is obviously so much more to get out of a trip into the woods if one is so inclined in the flora, fauna, history and geography of the outdoors. To read more click here.
|
|
Classifieds Etc.
Come join women for the third annual Summit: A Hiking and Backpacking Conference for Women! One of the wonderful things about hiking these days is the abundance of women in the outdoors. Of course, women on the trail are nothing new. For decades now, we have been out enjoying the beauty, energy and camaraderie of the trail. However, it seems that the last few years have brought about a surge in the number of ladies out there. To read more click here.
|
|
|
|
Hike
Save Trails
Make Friends
|
|
|
| The Small Print
The next issue will come out on Friday, May 31. 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 hikereports@carolinamountainclub.org
So send your news by Friday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Friday evening May 24 to Kathy Kyle at eNews@carolinamountianclub.org. 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
