Let the Party Begin! Jennifer Pharr Davis Hits the Trail

Through the end of the year, we'll be keeping you updated in this weekly enewsletter on two main events celebrating our 40th Anniversary: MST in a Day and Jennifer Pharr Davis Hikes the MST.

If you have friends who love to hike, please forward this enewsletter and encourage them to sign up and get involved.

40th Anniversary Weekly Coverage

No. 9, October 5, 2017

Jen's 10 reasons to hit the road

As Jennifer Pharr Davis and her crew - husband Brew, daughter Charley, and son Gus, work their way across the state on the MST, Jen files a weekly blog reflecting the journey. This week: 10 benefits of hiking the trail's blacktop sections.

The beauty in the piedmont section of the Mountains-to-Sea trail has exceeded my expectations. And the state parks here are awesome! The view from the summit of Stone Mountain is spectacular, we enjoyed a hike with the kids at Pilot Mountain, and our family loved splashing in the lake and waterfalls at Hanging Rock State Park. But these literal and figurative high points are connected by road walks. Hot, asphalt, road walks.

Like so much of life, enjoying a thru-hike has as much to do with attitude as it does the trail itself. As such, I've decided to list 10 benefits of hiking the blacktop. Some are serious, others more humorous, but all of them have floated through my mind and kept my feet plodding down the painted white lines and unkempt shoulders of North Carolina roadways.

Read her 10 reasons here.

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Follow Jen! Get the latest news from Jen about her journey:

Find her blog posts, as well as profiles of people she hikes with and what she's eating on the trail on our website.
Sign up for this weekly enewsletter.
Follow Jen on the Friends of MST Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Check out photos from her hike.
Visit her page on the Friends' website, JPDhikestheMST.org.

Hear Jen Oct. 10 in Raleigh

As Jen hikes her way through the Triangle, she'll take time out on October 10 to speak in Raleigh at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. Tuesday evening's talk is the third of four appearances Jen is making over the course of her hike: she'll share her experience so far and allow plenty of time for your questions.

Admission is a gift to Friends of MST, with a suggested minimum of $10 per person to help cover costs of the event. Seating is limited, so sign up soon. Jen's Raleigh appearance is sponsored by REI.

Her final talk will be Oct. 26 in Wilmington at the Brooklyn Arts Center.


	Segment 18 (Patti Keith photo)

MST in a Day: a photo album

If you could only hike a leg or two or three on September 9, you no doubt wondered what the day was like on the rest of the trail. Fortunately, our talented photographer hikers were snap-happy on the trail, sending us hundreds of photos documenting the day, from the mountains to the coast.

If you haven't had a chance, take a few minutes and check out our Flickr page, where you'll find happy hikers, breath-taking scenery and the inspiration to keep on hiking the MST through fall.

Segment 11a-16a (Mark Parrish photo)

Segment 2 (Mary Stewart photo)

MST in a Day: Keep on hiking

Over the next few weeks we'll keep you updated on hikes scheduled by hiking groups statewide on the MST.

Saturday, Oct. 14: GetHiking! Charlotte: Fall Color Hike: Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Smoky Mountains. 9 miles. More info here.
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 21-22: GetHiking! Triangle: Stone Mountain MST Hike Weekend. More info here.

Got a hike you'd like listed? Send it to [email protected].

Gear: The MST Collection - Farm-to-Feet Mid-Weight Elite Hiker

This fall, Great Outdoor Provision Co. offers its MST Collection: Buy an item in the collection and a portion of sales goes to benefit the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. This week, we check out the Farm-to-Feet Mid-Weight Elite Hiker.

With Farm-to-Feet, it's love at first sight. The seamless toe closure, the cushioning, the well-placed compression ... you can't wait to slip these glove-socks on and take a long hike. Because no matter how good your boots are, without a good supporting cast you're looking at Martin without Lewis, up without down, peanut butter without - gasp! - jelly. Socks that hug the feet, let your feet breath and don't wander around the inside of your boot on their own are well worth the investment.

Learn more about the Farm-to-Feet Damascus and other items in the MST Collection, here.

Thanks to our sponsors!

There would be no Mountains-to-Sea Trail, no reason to celebrate a 40th anniversary, without the generous support of our many sponsors, including BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, Great Outdoor Provision Co., REI, Duke Energy, Farm to Feet, First Citizens Bank, Mast General Store, Rostan Family Foundation, New Morning Gallery, AntiGravity Gear, Prestage Farms and Wyrick Robbins.

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