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Benton MacKaye |
Activities Calendar "...leaving a footpath for generations to follow." |
A History of Openness
The BMTA has always welcomed everyone on every activity.
| The Year 2007 Events | ||
| Month | Date | Location & Details |
| January | January 13 | Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: Section 14b (the southernmost forested one in TN/NC available for adoption) is the destination for this trip. We'll brush out as much as we can get to, possibly working from both ends. To join the group headed in from the Hwy 68 trailhead, meet at the Hardees in Tellico Plains, leaving from there at 8:30 AM. For possible meeting arrangements at Reliance, or if you plan to go, please call leader Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823. |
| January 27 | Georgia Work Trip: We will work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Plenty of good sidehill work to burn those holiday calories. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:20 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716 and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
| February | February 10 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: If the weather is cooperative, the plan is to brush out and clear blow-downs on section 15c, Sixmile Gap to Sandy Gap. Meet at the Tellico Plains Hardees by 8:30 AM for the drive up to Sandy Gap. Please contact leader Ken Jones if you plan to go, (423) 745-2451. |
| February 24 | Georgia Work Trip: We will work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Plenty of good sidehill work to burn those holiday calories. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:20 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716; and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
| March | March 10 | Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: Pre-season brushing on section 15c, between Sandy Gap and Sixmile Gap. Work crews sawed out the blowdowns on this section earlier in the season and this trip should finish the needed maintenance. Leaving from the Tellico Plains Hardees at 8:30 AM. Please contact the trip leader if you plan to attend: Eric Eades, 770-547-5877. |
| March 24 | Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:20 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716; and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
| March 31 | Fun Hike of Section 12: Ever have a hankerin' to hike all 17 miles of section 12 in one day? Now you can! Traverse The Land Between the Two Rivers from the Ocoee (at Hwy 64) to the Hiwassee (at Hwy 30). Please confirm with the hike leader if you plan to go: Randy Morris, 423-728-0805. | |
| April | April 7 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: Conditions were so perfect last month, Eric Eades couldn't resist going up on the state line again. Last opportunity to brush section 15c before the growing season (and emergence of the Ashe-leaved Bush Pea). Please contact Eric if you plan to go, 770-547-5877. |
| April 17 | Wildflower Hike with Light Trail Work: Special Tuesday outing on section 19c, the Tapoco land. Join leader and section maintainer Dick Evans for this walk along the old AT route, with views toward the Slickrock Wilderness Area. Meet at Deal's Gap (on Route 129 at the state line) at 9:00 AM (with clippers in-hand if you wish to do some light brushing). Contact: Dick Evans, 828-479-2503. | |
| April 28 | Annual Walk-Thru: Come out and breathe the fresh spring air, smell the flowers, and help us record what work needs doing on the southernmost 200 miles of trail. Hikers can choose a section or have one assigned (two hikers-per-section for safety). Shuttle drivers are needed also. Please contact Tom Keene, 770-422-4838, for trail in Georgia and Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823, for BMT in Tennessee and North Carolina. For email, Contact Us. | |
| May | May 3-6 | Great Southeastern Hiking Festival: The Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition (SEFTC) conference; with hiking, eating, live music and more; will be held at Montreat, NC (20 minutes east of Asheville) in the beautiful Black Mountains. See AHS website for more info. |
| May 12 | Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: Cancelled | |
| May 26 | Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog Reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:00 AM. We'd like to shuttle workers up to the new work area (which will eliminate a 40-minute walk in and about 80% of the climb), but need volunteers with high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicles to do this. Please contact the trip leader if you have such a vehicle. Trip leader is George Owen, 706-374-4716. | |
| June | June 9 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: Section 14a now features a large tree fallen across the trail with giant root ball hanging over. Because attempts to saw out this obstacle would be hazardous to the health and well-being of the sawyers (who could be crushed by the falling root mass), the trail will be rerouted around this hazard. Several feet of new sidehill will be dug in on this trip and some brushing may be done as well, depending on turnout. Meet at 9:00 AM at the Appalachia powerhouse parking area on the Hiwassee (or call for other arrangements). Leader is Section Maintainer Eric Lewis. Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823. |
| June 23 | Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog Reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:00 AM. We'd like to shuttle workers up to the new work area (which will eliminate a 40-minute walk in and about 80% of the climb), but need volunteers with high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicles to do this. Please contact a trip leader if you have such a vehicle. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716 and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
| July | July 14 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: Just across the Little Tennessee River from the Slickrock Wilderness Area, we'll start at the south section 19c trailhead (the upper parking area of Cheoah Dam) and work north on the Tapoco land. A few will saw out blowdowns and one or two may do some treadway work, but most will clear brush. For meeting places and times (and possible carpool arrangements), please call Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823. |
| July 28 | Georgia Work Trip: Joint trip with the Forest Service and Cohutta Wilderness Area volunteers. On Section Ten, from Spanish Oak Gap to Hemp Top Mountain. We’ll be mostly over 3000’ and, we trust, enjoying those famous “ridgeline breezes.” Mostly swingblade work. We meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 7:15 AM. Note the time; it’s 45 minutes earlier than usual. We must depart the restaurant at 8:00 AM sharp to keep our rendezvous with the Forest Service group. Trailhead meeting at Dally Gap at 8:50 AM. Trip leader is Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. See you there! | |
| August | August 10-12 | Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: On this special outing high on the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina, work and carcamping will be available Friday and/or Saturday on section 16, the toughest one maintained by the BMTA. Join us in the cooler air above 3000 feet. Brush work will be the top priority. For meeting and carpool arrangements, contact trip leader Eric Eades, dawg1980@hotmail.com, 706-226-7791 or 706-313-0873. |
| August 25 | Georgia Work Trip: On beautiful Section 8, from Fowler Mt. to Flat Top Mt. We will mostly battle mid-summer brambles, splitting into two separate crews. Both meet at the East Ellijay (not Blue Ridge) Waffle King, the first at 7:30 AM, the second at 8:00 AM; both departing for Dyer Gap. Call for update Aug. 22 or after. Trip leader is Tom Keene, 770-422-4838, or 770-722-6016 the night before. | |
| September | September 8 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: Returning to the state line, we'll continue with the brushing started last month, this time from Sledrunner Gap up over Rocky Top, and on out to Round Top. Weedeaters and swingblades are most needed, but there's also room for one or two loppers and bow saws, and maybe an ax. Escape the record-breaking heat. Please contact leader Ken Jones if you'd like to go, (423) 745-2451. |
| September 22 | Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:00 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716, and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838, or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
| October | October 13 | Tennessee AND North Carolina Work Trips: For the fall color season, there will be two work trips to choose from, one on Sycamore Creek in Tennessee, the other on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in North Carolina. Sycamore Creek, sections 17a and b: Come join us on one of the most historic and beautiful sections of the BMT. The grade is easy-to-moderate with an elevation range from 2,100 to 4,250 feet. Half the crew will get a shuttle to the top and work down (one chainsaw and at least 2 weedeaters needed) while the other half works its way up the hill, meeting in the middle. Local carpool from Tellico Plains to the USFS' Pheasant Field Picnic Area (camping available nearby) with an optional meal at the famed Tellicafe or Town Square Restaurant afterwards. For more info or if you plan to go, please contact leaders Pam and Kent Mathews, 865-567-0657. Mountains-to-Sea Trail: We go to help a sister trail club, Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail, as they continue construction of the MST along the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Times are flexible and work is also available on the 14th. Free camping for volunteers at nearby Doughton Park. For more information, carpool arrangements, or to reserve a camp spot (if you plan to camp), please contact leader Bill Ristom, 423-476-2945. |
| October 14 | Fun Hike in Georgia: Never seen section 9? Now's your chance to hike all of it and part of section 10 at a time when the beautiful fall colors should be on full display. This one-way, 8-mile dayhike from Dyer Gap to Dally Gap should be a pleasant combination of short climbs and long, easy walking on gentle grades, from creek bottoms to ridge tops. There'll be a car shuttle to start and a feast at the Pink Pig to end this outing. Joint hike with GATC. For more information or to register (there's a limit of 10), contact Bob Ruby, 404-252-8888. | |
| October 27 | Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:15 AM. Trip leaders are Walt Cook, 706-549-5979, and Ralph Heller, 770-235-9760 or 706-636-3497 (h). | |
| November | November 2-4 | Annual Meeting and Hiking Weekend: Everyone's invited to the BMTA 2007 Annual Meeting and weekend, November 2nd through 4th. The meeting itself is set for Saturday, November 3, at 6:00 PM in the University of Georgia Mountain Experiment Station auditorium, approximately three miles south of Blairsville, Georgia on US Highway 19. Dinner will be catered by the nearby Riverbend Restaurant at Pappy’s, with cost for the evening meal and events at $12 per person adults, $8 per child under 12. Service will be buffet style, with plenty to go around. Trails expert Bob Williams is the featured speaker for the evening.
Three days of hikes (at various levels of ability) are scheduled from Friday afternoon through Sunday. Destinations are the BMT and AT. The downtown Blairsville Seasons Inn is reserving rooms for this event at a special rate of $56 including tax. (Occupancy up to four people.) Please make your reservations by October 20. A bit more rustic, bunks with showers are being held at the Hike Inn Hostel at Neels Gap for one-third off at $10/person. Also, a few members in the area are offering free lodging in their homes. Please register with Linda Davis, 423-476-3894, or contact as soon as possible (and mail in your check). More detailed information will then be sent. All are welcome. |
| November 10 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: From off the Cherohala Skyway, we'll walk in on section 18a about 1.5 miles with Pulaskis to de-berm the trail. Meet at the Tellico Plains Hardees at 8:00 to eat or by 8:30 to head up to the trail. Please contact trip leader Ken Jones, 423-745-2451, if you plan to go. | |
| November 17 | Georgia Work Trip: [Please note this is one week early to avoid Thanksgiving weekend.] We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:00 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716) and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838, or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
| December | December 8 | North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: On this first weekend in December (a week early), come on out and help us refresh some sidehill trail on section 11d, under the Big Frog. Choose either the work that's only a short distance from the cars, or have a pleasant 2.5-mile walk to the second site. Please call for meeting arrangements: Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823. |
| December 15 | Georgia Work Trip: Please note it’s one week early to avoid Christmas. We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section 3. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:00 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716 and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016. | |
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