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Trail News from the Mountains to the Sea August 2021

The MST is turning 44!

Join the festivities as we celebrate how far the trail has come since September 1977. That's when Howard Lee, then secretary of the NC Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, proposed “establishing a state trail between the mountains and the seashore in North Carolina.”

This year, you can help celebrate in four different ways:

1- Complete the 44 Mile Challenge! Hike 44 miles anywhere on the MST during September for a chance to win one of 6 great prize packs from REI. That’s just 1.47 miles a day, or 11 miles a week, or 44 miles in a day.

MST Guide by Pocket Trails has jumped in to make it easy to track your miles and compete for prizes. The MST Guide is a phone app for MST hikers – with maps and detailed trail information. They are big supporters of the MST community, and they’ve added these special features just in time for the 44^th birthday month.

2 - Invite to hike. As part of our continuing commitment to making the MST a welcoming, diverse and inclusive place, we encourage you to invite friends, colleagues, family, and neighbors who have not been on an MST adventure to join you this month. Rewatch the "Inclusivity and Joy on the MST" panel from our UnGathering of Friends to understand why an invitation is the first step to inclusion. You'll hear from Director of State Parks Dwayne Patterson, the MST’s first Black Completer Cedric Kopa and IssaVibe Adventures co-founder Charles Gbenyon about their time on the MST as people of color, but more importantly the joy they’ve experienced as they’ve found their way. Charles specifically talked about never having hiked in NC until he was invited to join someone.

3 - Give a special gift to support the trail. A gift of any amount is always appreciated, and with a special birthday gift of $44 or higher you’ll receive a new HIKE NC MST patch (pictured to the right) before it’s available in our MST store. It will be available to everybody else in October – but any gift of $44 and up given before midnight on September 30th will get you the patch.

4 - Fundraise for the trail. Support our work by setting up a peer-to-peer fundraiser.

All the details are here. If your travels take you away from the MST or you

live too far to participate, we'd love to see photos of where you hike this

month. Share photos from your trail time with the hashtag

#MSTbirthdaywishesfromafar. Please join us in wishing the MST a happy 44th!

Thanks to our friends at The MST Guide by Pocket Trails for helping with all the logistics for the 44th Mile Challenge and to the six REI locations for supplying prize packs for participants!

Friends of MST Seeks Experienced Executive Director; Kate Dixon to retire in early 2022

As we shared earlier this year, our long-time executive director, Kate Dixon, is retiring in the early spring of 2022. Kate has been with the Friends since 2008 and a committee of board members and staff has been convened to hire her replacement.

The entire job announcement, desired qualifications and details can be found here. The application deadline is September 20th. Please share the announcement with others in your network who may be interested.

We are seeking a creative individual, prepared to provide inspired external and internal leadership. The new Executive Director must have proven, significant, and successful organizational experience and the ability to oversee fundraising, programs, and operations. The Executive Director must also possess the talent to listen and communicate effectively and to build relationships with multiple constituencies, including the Board, staff, volunteers, donors, and agency partners such as elected and government officials.

Friends of MST is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to recruiting a broadly diverse pool of qualified candidates for the position.

Help raise $29.25 million for NC Trails

The NC House has included $29.25 million for State Trails including the MST in its version of the budget. If it ends up in the final budget, this money will be a huge help in our efforts to build more miles of the MST.

Now the challenge is to convince NC Senators to accept the House's proposal. You can help make this happen by calling or emailing your Senator today to ask him or her to support the funding. Explain what trails mean to you and why you'd like to see more of them.

While you're at it, take a moment to also thank your House member for supporting these funds. Several House members were particular leaders of the effort: Dean Arp (Union County), Hugh Blackwell (Burke), Mike Clampitt (Haywood, Jackson and Swain), and Erin Pare (Wake).

Use this link to find contact information for your legislators. If you don't live in North Carolina, contact a legislator who represents a place you like to visit.

(photo credit North Carolina Legislative Building: Jayron 32.)

Gathering of Friends 2022: Reservations for Lodging Open at Lake Junaluska

We hope you'll make your reservations now to be part of next year's Gathering of Friends at Lake Junaluska, April 8-10, 2022!

We've locked in special rates and you can now book accommodations. Lake Junaluska, a beautiful, historic retreat center near Waynesville, will be such a special place to celebrate the MST's 45th anniversary. This is our annual member meeting, and includes a busy weekend of hiking, excursions and trail camaraderie. There's so much to explore in the surrounding area too - beautiful sections of the MST, Cherokee, the Great Smoky Mountains, and so much more.

We've set up a special website for reservations with multiple photos of each type of lodging. Just click on "enlarge photo" to see the extra images. The special rates are available for Tuesday, April 5 through Monday, April 11 if you'd like to stay a few days before or after the event to really get to know this area of the state. This map shows the entire property. When we're not hiking or exploring, our events will be held in Shackford Hall, the columned building in the photo below.

Please note that multiple 30 and 40-amp RV and tent campsites are available, and for right now can only be reserved by phone (800-222-4930). The staff at Lake Junaluska has asked for patience, as they are short-staffed like many other businesses right now. If you leave a message, they will return your call. Make sure to mention that you are with the Gathering of Friends.

Although other lodging options are available in the area, we encourage you to stay at Lake Junluska with others attending the Gathering. These Gatherings are such a fun way to meet other MST enthusiasts, and the more guest rooms our group reserves, the less our rental fees are for the meeting spaces.

And, finally, the elephant in the room: Covid-19. With a dedicated and experienced staff at Lake Junaluska, we plan to hold a safe and celebratory Gathering of Friends. To do that, we'll be following guidelines issued by state and federal authorities. Obviously, we don't know what that will look like in April of next year, but we are already thinking about safe on-site options to spread out more if we need to. There is also a very generous cancellation policy (as long as you cancel 15 days in advance, you will receive a full refund from Lake Junaluska, less $15) for your reservation.

The MST is busy this year!

The MST continues to be well-trod this year, by people finding it for the first time, others undertaking the 40-Hike Challenge, and a growing number completing the entire 1175-mile route.

There have been 13 official completers (including Will Benner jumping for joy in the photo) so far in 2021. What do we mean by "official?" It means the hiker has either thru- or section hiked the trail AND turned in a completion form. We know of at least seven others who have completed the trail but haven't turned in the form, which sometimes seems to be harder than hiking 1175 miles! Those to finish the trail this year include:

Tessa and Wyatt who moved to NC from Oregon and set out immediately on the MST to get to know their new state better. Tessa's nature journaling blew us away.
Martjin and Nienke wrapped up a year-long trip around the world with a hike on the MST. They became the second and third international completers.
"Longhauler" Matthew Griffith included the MST in a massive hike that started in Key West, included the Florida National Scenic Trail, Alabama roadwalking to the Pinhoti Trail, connected to the Benton McKaye Trail and a bit of the Appalachian Trail to the MST!
Check out a few of the others on Instagram: terminatorhiking and trailmeaway; YouTube@ SammertimeSaunters; and Snacktimehikes on his blog.

Seventeen people have completed the 40 Hike Challenge - walking all 40 hikes in the guide Great Day Hikes on NC's Mountains-to-Sea Trail - by March of 2023. Folks have told us that they've loved how the day hikes helped introduce them to North Carolina and the MST. Our two most recent completers are Michelle and Amber. Amber shared:

"This experience was incredible for me. I was a novice hiker before and now I feel like a confident hiker. I did almost all of these hikes with my very good friend, Michelle (and my two awesome sons, ages 4 and 1), and so our entire journey from beginning to end is what is memorable to me about my 40 Hikes Challenge. We are going to try to do some segments next! We feel unstoppable and so proud!"

Michelle and Amber

Amber and her two sons

Bill, "PleasantFiction," is about half-way through the Challenge. He's documenting each of the 40 Hikes with an impressive video, showcasing the surrounding areas, signage, what the trail is like, the views - these are the next best thing to hiking the trails yourself! Check them out on his YouTube channel. Hike #14 in Elkin is linked below.

And our new Facebook Group is a wonderful place to connect with others on the trail who are out for a day or a weekend. If you are on social media, we hope you'll join.

Upper Haw River Task Force Splits; Welcome Andrew Sam as New Leader in Alamance County

The Upper Haw River Task Force, which has covered a very long stretch of trail building and maintenance on the MST in Guilford and Alamance Counties, has now been divided into two task forces at the county line.

Andrew Sam, a long-time member and skilled trail worker, has taken over leadership of the task force’s work in Alamance County. Greg Yahn will remain the task force leader for Greensboro and eastern Guilford County. (Joel Deaton already leads a separate task force for Western Guilford.)

Andrew and his wife Laura live in the Town of Haw River, and he has built great relationships with all our government partners in Alamance. Andrew’s willingness to take on this role will allow Greg Yahn to focus on the work in eastern Guilford including a completely new section of trail that we hope will open in a couple of years.

If you're interested in volunteering with an MST trail crew, reach out to the task force leader near you.

2023 Designated as "Year of the Trail"

Thanks to the NC General Assembly for overwhelmingly voting to designate 2023 as the "North Carolina Year of the Trail." Reps. Dean Arp (Union), Hugh Blackwell (Burke), Pat Hurley (Randolph), Larry Strickland (Harnett, Johnston), and Senator Bob Steinburg, R-1 (11 NE counties) were the primary sponsors of the bill.

2023 is a perfect year for this celebration because it will be the 50th anniversary of the passing of North Carolina's Trails Act as well as the 100th anniversary of the Carolina Mountain Club, our esteemed trail partner in the Asheville area.

The North Carolina Great Trails State Coalition will be spearheading plans for the year, and Friends of MST will be involved. Let Betsy Brown known if you'd like to help.

Special trail programs and events are being planned for all 100 counties, with a goal to increase awareness of trails, and boost local trail use and tourism. Additionally, the “Year of the Trail” will showcase the vital role volunteers play in building and maintaining trails – from nature loops to long-distance, statewide trails.

Read the full release here.

Protect Yourself from Ticks while Raising Funds for the MST

Clothes treated with permethrin insect repellent can protect you from insect-borne diseases and also attract funds for Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail thanks to Greensboro-based Insect Shield. Insect Shield sells pre-treated clothing and also has a service to treat clothes that you send to them.

Since 2018, the company has donated 10% of the value of any online purchases of its products by Friends of MST members and their friends.

Insect Shield also donates pre-treated shirts and caps given each year to volunteers who work 75 hours or more.

Use this link to order so that Friends of MST receives 10% of the value of your purchase. If this is your first purchase from Insect Shield, use code MOUNTAINSTOSEA when you check out to receive 15% off.

Find out more here.

High grasses like this in Holly Shelter Game Land (segment 15) can harbor lots of ticks

Other Ways to Support the MST

ONE: Become a member. Join online or print and mail your membership form today.

TWO: Buy an MST license plate. For $30 per year, you can show the world your love of the trail and help financially too. $20 of your annual fee will come back to Friends of MST to build, protect, and promote the trail. Order your plate directly from NC DMV.

THREE: If your employer hosts a workplace-giving campaign, look for Friends of MST as a giving option. We are a member of EarthShare NC which promotes workplace giving for conservation and environmental groups. We are a giving option in the North Carolina state employee campaign and in many local government and corporate campaigns too. Friends code numbers are: State employee campaign -- 1102; United Way of the Triangle - 60001159.

FOUR: Link your AmazonSmile account. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/52-2204330 and Amazon will donate half a percent back to us at no cost to you.