Benton MacKaye
Trail Assn.
What's Up
"...leaving a footpath for generations to follow."
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Benton MacKaye |
What's Up "...leaving a footpath for generations to follow." |
New in 2007
What won't be up is this webpage! As the website gets an extreme makeover, current news headlines will appear in a bar on the home page. The board has approved posting of new items as soon as they are available, even before publishing in the newsletter. Watch for the new-and-improved version appearing soon.
What WAS Up in 2006
Directors of Maintenance Tom Keene (Georgia), Bill Ristom (Tennessee/North Carolina), and Dick Evans (Smokies) have published summary totals for volunteer hours on the Benton Mackaye Trail for 2005.
♦ Georgia registered 1,233 hours work and 980 hours travel for a total of 2,213 hours, done by 42 trail workers.
♦ North Carolina and Tennessee had 979 work hours and 485 travel to achieve 1,464 hours total, done by 68 volunteers. (Work by Eagle Ranch not included.)
♦ In the Smokies, even though no work was required there in 2005, 17 volunteers still accumulated 123 hours (60 hours work and 63 hours travel).
Total volunteer time reported to the US Forest Service for 2005 was 3,677 hours.
On the entire trail, the totals were 2,272 hours work and 1,528 hours travel to yield a grand total of 3,800 hours in 2005.
The three Maintenance Directors want to express thanks to all volunteers who worked on the BMT last year, and to all BMTA members and friends who supported this record-setting effort.
A second DVD has been added to the one released just before the Christmas season to create this two-unit set. The new, second disk features video of the BMT Grand Opening Celebration at Mud Gap on the Cherohala Skyway in July 2005, also video from the 25th Anniversary Dinner. The first disk is a commemorative four-hour slideshow spanning the first 25 years and includes several photos from the 25th Anniversary Evening of Celebration in Blue Ridge, Georgia in October 2005.
These collector's item DVDs are priced at $10/each or $14/set of 2 - with free shipping and no tax. Anyone who had previously purchased the first disk may order the second one for $5. (See the BMTA Store page for details.)
The BMTA board will next meet at the historic train depot in Etowah, TN on Saturday, April 29 at 10:00 AM. Members and guests are welcome.
Hikers may find they need to carry less food if they stop in at Martin's Dixie Depot on GA Hwy 60 (mile 17.9) and at the Shallowford River Shack Restaurant on Aska Rd. (mile 36.3). Both now serve hot meals to order. (The River Shack is closed on Wednesdays.)
The Hike Coordinator is looking for people to lead some of the scheduled fun-hikes on the BMT. Joint outings with other organizations are possible with approval. Please send us a message using our contact us form, if interested.
FS 58, between Doublehead Road and FS 42 on the ridge to Springer Mountain, has been closed due to heavy rains in the summer of 2005 which washed out portions of the road between Doublehead Road and Three Forks. It is reported that travel to Three Forks can still be made via FS 42 to the south. Toccoa Ranger District personnel are unsure of when the road will be repaired and reopened. (Thanks to George Owen for this report.)
What WAS Up in 2005
Board Meeting The fourth board meeting of 2005 will take place in the USFS Toccoa Ranger District Office conference room in Blue Ridge, GA on Saturday, August 27 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Open to members and guests.
Trail Volunteer School, September 27 American Hiking Society is coordinating a program to teach people how to become trail volunteers in the southeast Tennessee/North Georgia area. It will be held in Chattanooga on Tuesday, September 27, 6:00-7:00 PM at Rock/Creek Outfitters. Food and beverages available and Rock Creek is offering door prizes and special discounts for attendees. Send message for more info.
Hunting Season Starts Hikers are cautioned to wear colors as recommended for hunting season. Following are the dates for deer hunting in north Georgia:
Archery: September 10 to October 14
Primitive Weapons: October 15 to October 21
Firearms: October 22 to January 1
Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are open to hunting only on specific dates. All of Section 1 and much of Section 2 is within the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area. The border of the WMA is somewhere near Bryson Gap and the trail follows this border to just north of the Toccoa River. Following are the open dates for this WMA:
Archery: September 10 - October 21
Primitive Weapons: October 27 - 29
Firearms: November 23 - 26 and December 14 - 17
The Cooper Creek WMA covers all of Section 3. Following are the open dates for this WMA:
Archery: September 10 - October 21
Primitive Weapons: November 16 - 19
Firearms: November 30 - December 3
WMAs are very good places to be except on the open firearms dates, at which times they become very bad places to be. One may encounter a few hunters on a primitive weapons date but it is much less likely. Contact with hunters in the areas outside the WMAs is likely on weekends beginning October 22, but less so on weekdays when you may only spot one in the early morning or late afternoon.
(Thanks to Marty Dominy for the above information.)
Hunting season information for Tennessee is available as a free download in the TWRA publication, 2005-2006 Hunting and Trapping Guide (5.9 MB) and/or by contacting the appropriate Forest Service office (see Federal Agency Partners page).
North Carolina hunting info is also available by following leads from the Federal Agency Partners page and by checking the NCWRC website, the '-Season/Bag Limits' button on the Hunting/Trapping page.
Register Now for 25th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, Deadline: September 15 Final event of anniversary year to be held October 15th in Blue Ridge, Georgia. See 25th Anniversary Page for details.
Positions Opening on the Board; Volunteer by September 30 BMTA members who have an interest in serving on the board, please contact president Steve Cartwright (see his contact information in the newsletter) or contact us.
Alternate hike leader is needed for the Anniversary Hike October 15 An alternate leader has been requested in case George Owen can't make it that morning. See bottom of 25th Anniversary Page for more info and the Events Calendar for details.
Hiker Gives Presentation at Annual ALDHA Gathering in Hanover, NH One of the first long-distance hikers out on the trail this Spring, Massachusetts teacher Will French, lead a warmly received workshop on thru-hiking the BMT.
BMTA Releases 25th Anniversary DVD Just in time for Christmas, this commemorative four-hour slideshow DVD spans the first 25 years. Several photos are included from the Evening of Celebration in Blue Ridge, Georgia in October. Can be viewed on a computer or played in a regular DVD player and watched on TV. At $10/each with free shipping and no tax, this collector's item makes a great stocking stuffer or Christmas gift. (See the BMTA Store page for details.)
Trio Recognized at Region 8 Forest Service Awards The Ocoee/Hiwassee District of the Cherokee National Forest was recognized by the regional office in Atlanta for the highest level of volunteer efforts in fiscal 2005. Invited and on hand to receive commendations at the November 16 banquet were BMTA members Ken Jones, Clayton Pannell and Robert Owenby -- the only non-Forest-Service personnel present.
More than 4,000 hours of volunteer work on trails, valued at over $70,000, was cited, most of it having been done on the BMT. (Also worked were the historic Unicoi Turnpike Trail, a connector to the BMT; as well as other trails.) Region 8 includes the 13 southeastern states, from Florida to Texas to Virginia and in-between, and Puerto Rico.
Connector Trail Opens The Rhododendron Trail, connecting the BMT with the Ocoee Whitewater Center on US Hwy 64, was dedicated in a ceremony on November 30 at the Whitewater Center. Dignitaries present included Tom Speaks, Cherokee National Forest Supervisor; US Representative Zach Wamp (who procured funding for the project); and Steve Cartwright, BMTA President, who addressed the assembly on the importance of the trail to the BMT and the hiking community. This new trail joins the adjacent Tanasi trail system and provides a lovely and convenient 1.2 mile link for BMT hikers to civilization at the Whitewater Center. (At least one service provider, White House B & B in Ducktown, will pick up hikers there.) This trail also eliminates the need to walk asphalt on the old connector.
BMTA Honored at Special USFS Meeting In appreciation of the recently-won regional award for volunteer work (see previous item), the Cherokee National Forest held a special Volunteer Appreciation program on December 6 at the Ocoee Whitewater Center to honor volunteer trail workers and organizations. The BMTA received a Certificate of Appreciation for our contributions to the Volunteer Program, administered in the winning Ocoee/Hiwassee Ranger District by Steve Biatowas, trails specialist and all around great guy.
President Steve Cartwright sends Season's Greetings "On behalf of the BMTA officers I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the membership for a superlative year. As we look to the challenges of the new year, we know that we can count on your support. I join with all the BMTA officers and their families in wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Warmest holiday greetings!"
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