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40th Anniversary
Weekly Coverage
No. 9, October 5, 2017
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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:
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Hear Jen Oct. 10 in Raleigh
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.
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Segment 18 (Patti Keith photo)
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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)
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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 joe@getgoingnc.com.
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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.
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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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