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Carolina Mountain Club                        Since 1923
eNews | Hike . Save Trails . Make Friends
September 2020  
 
In This Issue
Paul Curtain Acknowledged by ATC
Forwarded by Tom Weaver

Congratulations!
 
Each month, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy honors one of their volunteers.  Paul Curtain received that honor this August.   
 
"I would like to thank you for all of your contributions to the Appalachian Trail," writes Alivia Costa,  
National Service Coordinator.  "We are thankful to be able to share the passions and stories of incredible volunteers such as yourself in the form of monthly Volunteer Spotlights." (Click there to find Paul's tribute.) 
 
Thanks for all that you do Paul!


Click here for an amazing video of the work.
Bridge Installation Woodfin Cascade to Orchard Overlook Section - MST

The Wednesday Waynesville trail crew of the Carolina Mountain Club installed a bridge on the Woodfin Cascade to Orchard Overlook Section of the Mountain to Sea Trail, August 19, 2020.  They completed the bridge in less than 5 hours!



"ED-VENTURE" SERIES FEATURES THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
AS A VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

Are you curious about snakes on the A.T.? Want to know more about the chemistry of venom? How about learning a few words in Cherokee? Check out the previous sessions or sign up for new ones so you can participate in the questions and answers. Click here:
https://appalachiantrail.org/our-work/conservation/education-and-outreach/ed-venture/

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. (Aug. 19, 2020) - The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) invites learners of all ages to join the A.T. Ed-Venture, a series of virtual lessons taught by environmental educators from each of the Trail's 14 states. Every two weeks, the series will explore a new topic connected with the A.T. through interactive presentations led by local experts covering topics such as wildlife, botany, folklore and more. New sessions will air on the first and third Wednesdays of every month at 4 p.m. through March 2021.  Each hour-long session will be hosted live via Zoom, providing participants the opportunity to ask questions and interact with each session's hosts. All sessions will later be published to the ATC YouTube page for all to access. Participants in each live session will also be eligible to win a daypack to use on their next hike.

To read more, click here.
CMC Trail Maintainers Receive Volunteer Hours Awards for 2020
by Ron Navik

Many CMC members help to maintain over 400 miles of hiking trails in Western North Carolina, including 94 miles of the A.T. and 160 miles of the MST. The CMC usually recognizes those members who have put in large numbers of lifetime volunteer hours at a trail Maintainers Picnic in September each year. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the picnic has been canceled this year. But these people will still receive their awards from their Crew Leader or in the mail and I hope you will recognize them the next time you see them, for all the great work they have been doing keeping the trails open, safe and sustainable. If you would like to help, we would love to have you join us.   
 
Ron Navik, CMC Councilor for Trail Maintenance.
 
For the list of those receiving an award,click here.

Speaking with Debby Jones, President of CMC September 2020
Interviewed by Danny Bernstein

Debby Jones was interviewed December 2017 by Becky Smucker. As it is our custom to interview all incoming president, the Communications Committee thought it was important to talk to Debby again.  
 
Debby Jones, President of CMC, is an active can-do type of person.  
 
Right now, Debby is still technically at work. She's worked for the Marietta City Schools (Georgia) her whole career. Marietta is a district about 15 miles north of Atlanta.  
 
Debby, a native of Atlanta, began as an elementary school teacher. Then she taught in a special education program in a high school and worked her way to director of special education and assistant principal. She moved to the central office to work on policy and planning. Then she started presiding at disciplinary hearings.  
 
Her title is Executive Director of Student Support. Debby deals with every aspect of a student's school life except for curriculum. She's supervised nursing, social work and suicide prevention and intervention. When she started this position, she was both the athletic director and in charge of disciplinary hearings. She dealt with parents when their child was recommended for expulsion and when they didn't make the baseball team. She had to go to all the sports events.  
 
To read more, click here. 



Pisgah Inn by Marci Spencer
Reviewed by Danny Bernstein


The Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway (Milepost 408) in Pisgah National Forest has been around for a long time. Hikers and nature lovers pass it on their way to a hike or to climb Mount Pisgah and view it as a landmark. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail goes right past the Inn as it traverses the state.

Now we have a new book by Marci Spencer, a Carolina Mountain Club member, which explains the history of the Inn. It starts with George Vanderbilt buying land in Western North Carolina to build his chateau, Biltmore House and Estate, in the late 1880s.

To read more, click here.
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Carolina Mountain Club | P.O. Box 68
Asheville, NC 28802