<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<?xml-stylesheet href="atom.css" type="text/css"?>
<!-- Perhaps "context" should be replaced with "view"? [Reinout]-->
<atom:feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
           xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
           xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
           xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
           xml:lang="en">

  <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <a href="http://www.atomenabled.org/feedvalidator/check.cgi?url=http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife">
      <img title="Validate my Atom feed" width="88"
           height="31"
           src="http://www.atomenabled.org/feedvalidator/images/valid-atom.png"
           alt="[Valid Atom]" border="0px"/>
    </a>
    <p>
      <span>
        This is an Atom formatted XML site feed. It is intended to be viewed in
        a Newsreader or syndicated to another site. Please visit 
      </span>
      <a href="http://www.atomenabled.org/">Atom Enabled</a>
      <span>
        for more info.
      </span>
    </p>
  </div>

  <atom:title type="html">This Hiking Life Blog</atom:title>
  <atom:subtitle>This Hiking Life is a mix of my hiking trips in the Southern Appalachians and outdoor and conservation issues. I hope these blog notes will inspire you to go and explore the mountains of North and South Carolina.
Hope to meet on the trail!  Danny</atom:subtitle>

  <atom:updated>2010-03-13T21:02:36-05:00</atom:updated>

  <atom:link href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife"
             rel="alternate" type="text/html"/>

  

  <atom:id>495a7577abfa053a73544014ecdb2e65</atom:id>

  <atom:generator uri="http://plone.org/products/fatsyndication/" version="0.1">fatsyndication</atom:generator>

  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Great Smoky Mountains Association Meeting and Drive</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/13/gsma-meeting-and-drive">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>32e1e8c326940bee700ca64dfb6b2322</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/2010-03012onNewfoundGaprdA.JPG/image_preview" alt="Icicles on Newfound Gap Rd. - 20100312" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I've been to the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/grsm"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains National Park&lt;/a&gt; the last two days and I haven't stepped on a trail. Not really even outside. What's wrong with this picture?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/OVCentrance2010-03-12.jpg/image_mini" alt="OVC temporary entrance - 20100312" /&gt;Yesterday, I drove back to the Park and headed to Gatlinburg for a board meeting of the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org/"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains Association&lt;/a&gt;. Thanks to the I-40 road closure, I'll be doing that a lot.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; Dan Pierce, history professor at UNC at Asheville and author of &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.realnascar.com/"&gt;Real Nascar&lt;/a&gt;, was with me. Dan is also a Great Smoky Mountains Association board member. We stopped at Oconaluftee Visitor Center, where I took a picture of the new, temporary entrance. A new visitor center is being built and until then, visitors are going to have to negotiate a construction site.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Newfound Gap Rd. was foggy on top with beautiful ice sculptures. See above. It took almost two and a half hours to get to Gatlinburg. The meeting was at Park Headquarters, close to Sugarlands Visitor Center.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So what is Great Smoky Mountains Association? They are a cooperating association, charged with publishing educational material about the park and running the bookstores. For more of an explanation, see the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/02/just-exactly-what-national-park-cooperating-association-heres-answer5318"&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; I wrote for National Parks Travelers.&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-13T20:59:11-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-13T21:02:36-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Volunteering at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center - Training</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/11/volunteering-at-the-oconaluftee-vc-training">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>b1719da2e73df9b59c350623697fe214</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/2010-03-11OVC2-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="New Oconaluftee VC construction" /&gt;This year, I decided to volunteer at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center (OVC) in the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/grsm"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains National Park&lt;/a&gt;. If you were looking forward to pretty pictures of elk, you'll be disappointed. Hopefully the experience and stories will be just as good.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To volunteer to work behind the desk, Florie, the ranger in charge of volunteers, required two to three days of training. So I showed up today in my brown pants, expecting to get a regulation beige short-sleeve shirt. Instead I was given a long-sleeve shirt. I looked around and sure enough, all the rangers had on long-sleeve shirts - their winter uniform. No hats, inside.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is a more formal volunteer job than last year's starting with lots of forms to fill out. Then a discussion on how volunteers in the park are treated as unpaid staff. That may sound harsh as you read it but I interpreted it as I can work up to any responsibility I can handle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I have to be at the desk from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. So I learned how to behave at the desk. First, you stand - no sitting, no leaning, no hands in pockets ... ready to greet visitors as they come in the door. And even with rain and the construction, there were visitors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The joke is that the most asked question is "Where's the bathroom?" but not today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; Two Japanese couples were upset to learn that they couldn't buy a meal in the park. There isn't even a covered picnic shelter. They would have to eat in Cherokee or Gatlinburg. Of course, we, at the desk, couldn't recommend a restaurant. I would have loved to tell them about &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.coffeewithculture.com/"&gt;Tribal Grounds&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp; a fantastic coffee shop in &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.cherokee-nc.com"&gt;Cherokee&lt;/a&gt;. I got a cup of coffee on the way in and they are going to be a regular stop on the way to OVC.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A British couple wanted to hike on the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap. I discouraged that since there's still ice and snow up there and they didn't have hiking boots. Instead I suggested the Smokemont Loop and they seemed happy with that.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But mostly visitors wanted to know the weather in great detail. 70% chance of rain just wasn't enough.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/2010-03-11OVCfence-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="New Oconaluftee VC - fencing" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While I talked to visitors, other staff and &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org/"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains Association&lt;/a&gt; folks, we were being fenced in. When I arrived at OVC, I was able to go in the front entrance. But the construction for the new visitor center has started. They fenced in a much larger area than just the footprint of the new building because they were going to change the pattern of the walkways. Now the main entrance will be on the side of the building.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While all this construction is going on, visitors will still be able to go to the Mountain Farm Museum; they're just going to have to walk through the field and come around. The same to go on the Oconaluftee River Trail. I'm glad because my goal is to take visitors hiking and show them that it's OK to get off the pavement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And I left with homework - a book to read and a whole folder of maps and pamphlets to go through. This volunteer work is serious business.&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-11T20:36:32-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-11T20:39:23-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Foothills Trail Hike</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/08/foothills-trail-hike">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>c0e434e435d6c2c4be4ea55ada29b68f</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/2010-03-08Foothills%20Parkway2-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Foothills Trail - view to Jocassee Lake" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finally some warm weather.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I went on the Carolina Mountain Club Sunday hike on the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.foothillstrail.org"&gt;Foothills Trail&lt;/a&gt;. This 77-mile trail follows the Blue Ridge Escarpment on the North Carolina-South Carolina line.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This nine-mile hike started with views of Lake Jocassee and &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.jocassee.com/badcreekhistory.htm"&gt;Bad Creek Reservoir&lt;/a&gt;. The picture above is of Lake Jocassee, considered a lovely view now. I wonder what arguments and protests there were, if any, when the lake was created. &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.jocassee.com"&gt;Lake Jocassee&lt;/a&gt; was created by Duke Power, They dammed the tributaries of the Keowee River in the early 1970s.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The trail was slushy and icy in places. I didn't want to stop to put on my yak-traks, boot stabilizers that keep you from sliding. Silly, I know, but the trail was narrow and everyone was moving, so I kept moving as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../images/blogpics/2010-03-08FoothillsParkway5-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Foothills Trail - boundary sign" /&gt; We crossed into South Carolina and ended up at the Walhalla Fish Hatchery - the start of the trail to Ellicott Rock.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/2010-03-08whitewaterfalls12-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Whitewater Falls - 2010 March" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After we got back to our cars, we drove to Whitewater Falls, considered the highest falls in North Carolina. It's a paved half-mile to the lookout to the falls.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For a good read on what life was like in the 1950s before the lake flooded out many communities, read Ron Rash's &lt;em&gt;One Foot in Eden&lt;/em&gt;. Yes the same Ron Rash whose book &lt;em&gt;Serena&lt;/em&gt; may be made into a movie. I wrote about that in my last posting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-08T10:16:44-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-08T10:24:20-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Serena by Ron Rash played by Anjelina Jolie?</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/05/serena-by-ron-rash-played-by-anjelina-jolie">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>d4f512bcd84e1c304cbcbaa4bf0ddf1b</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/smokemontbradleycreekcrossing-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Smokemont Bradley Creek Crossing" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ready for Anjelina Jolie? The photo above is the Bradley Fork crossing in the Smokemont section of the Smokies on the North Carolina side.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Last year, Dolly Parton was the honorary chair for the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://greatsmokies75th.org/welcome-to-the-great-smokies-75th/"&gt;75th anniversary celebrations&lt;/a&gt; of the park. Now, there is serious&amp;nbsp; buzz that Ron Rash's &lt;em&gt;Serena&lt;/em&gt; may be made into a film with Angelina Jolie as Serena. See&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.entertainmentandshowbiz.com/angelina-jolie-and-darren-aronofsky-in-talks-for-serena-a-novel-2010030238836"&gt;http://www.entertainmentandshowbiz.com/angelina-jolie-and-darren-ar...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The book is set in a logging camp loosely based on the Smokemont section in the 1920s before the area became a National Park. It's a grand story of greed and mystery in the Smoky Mountains. Serena is an "outsider" who marries a timber baron and&amp;nbsp; pushes her husband to commit more and more ruthless 
acts. Serena becomes mad and violent when she learns that she can't bear a 
child.  Serena is not a likeable person, but neither is Jolie. A good fit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Whether or not, Jolie actually comes through, just the buzz is wonderful. We 
can all say we knew Ron Rash when his second book &lt;em&gt;Saints at the River&lt;/em&gt; was a &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://thereadonwnc.ning.com/"&gt;Together we Read&lt;/a&gt; book selection. And now, his fourth will be a movie. That 
also infuses other Western North Carolina authors with potential and dreams.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And though I don't think that my hiking guides &lt;em&gt;Hiking the Carolina 
Mountains&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Heritage&lt;/em&gt; will ever be 
made into movies, it will give national visibility to the Western North Carolina mountains and the 
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And that's all good.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Where might it be filmed? We can only speculate on that. Romania, perhaps. Those of us who live in the WNC still smart over the fact that &lt;a title="Cold Mountain" class="internal-link" href="../../../../../hikes/htcm-hikes/pisgah-district-west/cold-mountain/cold-mountain"&gt;Cold Mountain&lt;/a&gt; was filmed in Romania, mainly because it was cheap. But we all know where the real Cold Mountain is.&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-05T08:17:03-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-05T08:23:27-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Big Bend - Rio Grande and More</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/03/big-bend-rio-grande-and-more">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>d7a5017f376f0b7ea691576865588602</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../../../../../images/blogpics/83BBmarufovega2-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Big Bend - Marufa Vega 2" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rio Grande Village is more crowded than the Chisos Basin campground because it provides showers and laundry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This area is also where I started to understand the "border issues".&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../../../../../images/blogpics/64BBtrinkets-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - Trinkets" /&gt; The Rio Grande River forms the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico. Before 2002, the border was open in several places in the park; a dated video still shown at the Panther Junction Visitor Center encourages visitors to visit Boquillas, a border town and meet the locals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now the border is closed and the closest border crossing into Mexico is over 100 miles away at Presidio, TX. At a trailhead close to the Rio Grande Campground, I found trinkets and walking sticks (see above) with a note explaining the price of the items and how to pay for them; of course, buying these items is illegal.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../../../../../images/blogpics/71BBmarufovega1-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - Marufa Vega 1" /&gt;The signature hike in this area was the 14-mile Marufo Vega.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; The hike started in a typical wash - a dry streambed - with ruins of an old tramway that brought ore from Mexico in the early 20th Century - see the picture above, with Phil, our fearless leader. Then up the limestone cliffs of Dead Horse Mountains where the village of Boquillas with its flat-roofed house is visible. The hike was hot and dry - I carried three quarts of water and probably should have taken more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We moved to Cottonwood Campground, the most primitive campground of the three. There was only water in one place, a faucet on the other side of the campground. This precious water was to be used only to drink. My daily toilette consisted of running a wet bandanna over my face and brushing my teeth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Unlike most Western parks that were carved out of Federal land, the land that became Big Bend was owned by ranchers. The state of Texas bought out the private land and turned it over to the Federal Government and it became a National Park in 1944.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;img class="image-left" src="../../../../../images/blogpics/101BBhomerwilsonranch-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - Homer Wilson Ranch" /&gt;Homer Wilson Ranch is still standing. A 0.5 mile walk (round trip) off the Ross Maxwell Scenic Road leads to the house, storeroom, and corral.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This Sierra Club trip was well-organized and planned. We did some solid
hiking. We also spent one day rafting the Rio Grande with a commercial outfitter.
Our guide, Adam, came from Sylva, North Carolina, close to Asheville. When Adam and I spent too much time talking about the Smokies and the Blue Ridge, I knew that it was time to go home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On Saturday afternoon, we headed back to Midland and civilization. I was very careful where I walked.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-03T08:31:19-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-03T08:39:42-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Big Bend National Park - Chisos Mountains</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/02/big-bend-national-park-chisos-mountains">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>6b13a45a6cfb15da8c22fca051f3a713</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;Big Bend National Park continued ...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/52BBSouthrim-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Big Bend - South Rim 2" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The first indication that &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/bibe"&gt;Big Bend National Park&lt;/a&gt; wasn't the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/grsm"&gt;Smokies&lt;/a&gt; occurred when I read the park newspaper,&lt;em&gt; The Paisano&lt;/em&gt;. Superintendent William E. Wellman's message was not of the flowers, trees and marvelous rocks but of law enforcement. He emphasized the number of rangers and Border Patrol agents that were sent to Big Bend so that "issues south of the border do not begin to spill into this pristine natural park."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../images/blogpics/47BBSouthrim-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - South Rim 1" /&gt;But in the Chisos Basin where we camped for three nights, the south of the border problems were not evident. We were in a typical high-elevation (over 5,000 ft. ) desert - hot during the day and cold at night. Most nights the temperature hovered around the freezing mark. I was cold from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M. though I had a good sleeping bag, rated 25 deg. and several layers of thermals and fleeces. I wore a hat and gloves to bed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/59BBsouthrim-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Big Bend - South Rim 3" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The signature hike in the Chisos Mountains was the South Rim loop - 12 miles and 1,800 ft. ascent. The South Rim is considered one of the most scenic hikes of the Park but you could say that about any hike. We climbed on the Laguna Meadow Trail up to the South Rim of a canyon where we could see vast stretches of the Chihuahuan Desert. The South Rim is a large escarpment on the edge of the mountains. We spent a long lunch looking down into the rocky slopes and cliffs below and into Mexico. There was no sign of civilization.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We took the Pinnacles Trail back and saw the prominent boot (pictured above), a rock formation that resembled an upside down boot. On the way we passed the side trail to Emory Peak, the highest point in the park, but the Sierra Club group did not choose to do the scramble.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/36BBlostminetrail-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - Lost Mine Trail Mountain" /&gt;This part of the park was lush - oaks, pinyon pine trees and drooping junipers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; I kept looking at our sentinel, Casa Grande, a large rock shown on the left that seemed to be constantly in view in the Chisos Basin.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Paradise ended the next morning when we woke up to a snow storm. We broke camp in record time and were treated to breakfast at Chisos Lodge. Then we drove down to the second campsite on the Rio Grande River at about 1,800 ft. I thought this would provide us with a little more warmth at night, but no such luck.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I did, however, start to understand the "border issues".&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-02T08:37:59-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-02T08:39:44-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>MIdland, TX - Watch where you Walk</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/03/01/midland-tx-watch-where-you-walk">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>d41b5b41c7ed44fa74acddbcf7687d25</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/BBsotol23-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - Sotol " /&gt;I flew into &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.ci.midland.tx.us/"&gt;Midland, Texas&lt;/a&gt;, the closest airport to &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm"&gt;Big Bend National Park&lt;/a&gt;. It's still a good couple of hundred miles away but it's the closest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; The area is buzzing with Border Patrol vehicles. There are major general concerns about illegal immigrants crossing the Rio Grande and coming across the border.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; Dave, another Sierra club participant, picked me up at the airport. The next morning, we visited &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.bushchildhoodhome.org"&gt;George W. Bush's childhood home&lt;/a&gt; - he actually only spent four years there while he was in elementary school - and the Petroleum Museum.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Things got interesting when we went back to the airport to pick up Hagen, another participant. The flight was late and I started walking around the airport. A guy working for a freight company thought I looked suspicious and called the police. When I walked back to the airport entrance, I was met by two police cars. The officers stopped me and asked me what I was doing - they were really playing bad cop, good cop. I explained that I was waiting for a flight and was walking - on public property on a sidewalk.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../images/blogpics/29BBdannylostminetrail-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Big Bend - Lost Mine Trail" /&gt;"Do you always stop people who walk?" I asked.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; "If someone makes a complaint, we have to investigate." The bad cop asked for my driver's license and called it in. While we were waiting, the good copy tried to engage me in friendly chatter and explain their policies. I told them that it was OK. This was just another Texas experience. (Maybe I pushed it a little and could have been considered rude.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My license came out clean and they let me go. "Thank you for your cooperation," said the bad cop. So if you go to West Texas, watch where you walk. They are really on high alert all the time for suspicious activities, like walking.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finally, Big Bend National Park. We hiked in three different areas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/36BBlostminetrail-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Big Bend - Lost Mine Trail Mountain" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The pictures above are from the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains (5.8 miles, round trip.) Every plant was new. Above is a sotol, a classic cactus. We hiked up to a view but we had views from the beginning. The land is very open but not barren. The trick is to look at each plant and see how different they are.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;More tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-03-01T08:18:18-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-03-01T08:26:34-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Don't Forget these Items on your National Park Vacation</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/16/dont-forget-these-items-on-your-national-park-vacation">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>5ad9bc9419a4744c791661819a411767</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../../../../../images/blogpics/SeniorFRT.jpg/image_preview" alt="Senior National Parks and Forest pass" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm going to&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/bibe"&gt; Big Bend National Park &lt;/a&gt;in a couple of days. I've got all my stuff laying in a corner - the tent, sleeping bag, pad... It's amazing what's on the list from our Sierra Club leader. But here are three things that I always take.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands 
Pass.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
In Western North Carolina, our National Parks and Forests are free but that's an anomaly. Most National Parks charge admission. If you have this pass, you'll get in for free. It's $80 a year if you're under 62. But when you turn 62 years old, it's only $10 for a lifetime pass. How can anyone turn that down?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Where do you get it? You must get it at a place that charges admission and that is run by the Federal Government, not just at a visitor center. You can't get the pass online. I got mine when I went to Rocky Mountain National Park. In Western North Carolina, the only place I know that charges an admission fee is the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.cradleofforestry.org/"&gt;Cradle of Forestry&lt;/a&gt;. They sell the passes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org/"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains Association card&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You get 15% when you buy stuff in the Smokies but you get a good discount in other parks that have cooperating association. I'm sure that&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov/bibe/supportyourpark/coopassociation.htm"&gt; Big Bend Natural History Association&lt;/a&gt;, the&amp;nbsp; cooperating association there, will get some of my money.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Postcard stamps&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;No, I'm not going to give you the link to the U.S. Postal Service. I enjoy sending postcards. Stamps are the most difficult things to get on the road. I'm usually not in civilization when the post office is open, even if I can find one. So I always take a few stamps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;None of these things were on our Sierra Club packing list.&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-16T19:56:26-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-16T20:04:40-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Valentine's Day on the Trail</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/14/valentines-day-on-the-trail">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>13350476e12afd6cb1889f844c526f28</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/artloebgroup-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="North Slope Trail - crampons" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;How do we celebrate Valentine's Day? On&amp;nbsp; the trail, of course.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Lenny and I went on a &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.carolinamtnclub.org"&gt;Carolina Mountain Club&lt;/a&gt; hike in &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/"&gt;Pisgah National Forest&lt;/a&gt;. Ten strong hikers showed up. It was a snow hike all the way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; We started on the North Slope Trail past the Davidson Campground. The trail climbed and it was a good thing too. I was freezing and it took me almost an hour to feel my hands. Others had used the trail before and we walked in a trench all the way up.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/artloebblowdown-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="North Slope Trail - Blowdown" /&gt;We took the North Slope Connector for a short while which connected us to the Art Loeb Trail. That's where we encountered blowdowns which really slowed us down.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Several of us had YakTraxs or crampons of various types. We showed off all of them in a can-can pose at lunch time (above). My YakTraxs behaved this week and stayed on the whole time but Lenny's broke and are now in the trash.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Art Loeb Trail took us down to our cars. On the way, we saw the clearing from the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.epa.gov/Region4/waste/npl/nplnc/ecustanc.htm"&gt;Ecusta Plant&lt;/a&gt;, the paper manufacturer that Art Loeb managed in the 1950s and 1960s. Now it's being cleaned up and will&amp;nbsp; be developed as a mixed use site with shops and homes. I guess cigarette and bible paper, which is what Ecusta made, are no longer a going proposition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../../../../../images/blogpics/valentinesdayartloebtrail.jpg/image_mini" alt="North Slope Trail - Valentine's Day chocolate bar" /&gt;A few days ago, &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/02/reader-participation-day-valentines-edition-romantic-national-park-getaway-lodge-or-tent5362"&gt;National Parks Traveler&lt;/a&gt;, a great authoritative website on National Parks, asked: what will you do for Valentine's Day?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I said - hike with my sweetheart and share a bar of fancy chocolate. So here we are.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-14T16:22:36-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-14T16:38:39-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Montreat in Winter</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/12/montreat-in-winter">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>2480ac17d5d945de3b5327a3bbc70657</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/montreatwinter01-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Montreat in winter - frozen leaves" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sunday was time to get out - never mind the weather or road conditions. Carolina Mountain Club scheduled a hike in &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.townofmontreat.org/"&gt;Montreat&lt;/a&gt; near Black Mountain. When planning the hike, the leader got a little ambitious and wanted to go up &lt;a title="Graybeard Mtn." class="internal-link" href="../hikes/htcm-hikes/black-mtn-hikes/graybeard-mtn"&gt;Graybeard Mountain&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/MOntreathikegroup-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="Montreat in winter - group" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We didn't.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; Instead we did a seven-mile loop which took us almost six hours. The trail was covered with snow from the time we got out of the car until we got back to our cars.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/Montrealwinterbbente-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="Montreat in winter-Bbente" /&gt;Of course, part of the reason we were slow was that we trudged through the snow and ice. We broke a trail that had not been touched. Bruce, to our left, with his &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.yaktrax.com/"&gt;YakTrax Pros&lt;/a&gt;, walked ahead and made footsteps in the snow for the group. Lenny and I had YakTrax Walkers which kept coming off in the most challenging places. There really is a difference between the two YakTraxs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the main reason is that we stopped to take so many photographs of frozen leaves, buds and branches. Look at the pictures - who could resist these scenes? They don't happen often in Western North Carolina.&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/montreatwinter2.jpg/image_preview" alt="Montreat in winter - hair on trees" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-12T17:36:36-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-12T17:41:12-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Great Smoky Mountains Association wins awards</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/11/great-smoky-mountains-association-wins-awards">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>62ef80b4bd7181c226975e3bedfb17cb</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.appl.org/"&gt;Association of Partners of Public Lands&lt;/a&gt;, at its 2010 conference going on right now, awarded the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org/"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains Association&lt;/a&gt; several awards. Who are these two organizations?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; The Great Smoky Mountains Association is the non-profit group that publishes books and other media about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their most popular items are the&lt;em&gt; Hiking Trails of the Smokies&lt;/em&gt; and the Smokies Trail map.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Association of Partners of Public Lands is the national umbrella group for park and forest associations. This is like winning the Oscars for Park Associations. Here are the awards for the Smokies:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Theme Related Items Winner&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Products Commemorating the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://greatsmokies75th.org/welcome-to-the-great-smokies-75th/"&gt;75th Anniversary of GSMNP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Multi-Media Program/Project Winner&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Great Smoky Mountains Association Web Site&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commemorative Project or Program Winner&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Great Smoky Mountains 75th Anniversary Events and Web Site&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Membership/Fundraising Materials Honorable Mention&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dolly Parton CD and Dollywood Store&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Education Program/Project Honorable Mention&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Smokies 2009 Family Friendly Junior Ranger Programming&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NPS Awards&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;James V. Murfin Award for Partnership Winner&lt;br /&gt;Terry Maddox, Executive Director of the Great Smoky Mountains Association&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I am now on the board of GSMA and I could have attended the APPL conference in sunny California. Instead I decided to wait a year until I actually knew something about GSMA. Given the weather here in the mountains, maybe I should have gone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-11T08:58:50-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-11T09:09:32-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Photos of Swain County Historic Signing</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/09/photos-of-swain-county-historic-signing">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>73f61063dec1a24f777a73e1c0d959e3</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;I got electric power and my cable back, so things are back to normal - until the next storm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; Here are some pictures of the Historic Signing of the Four Party agreement on Saturday Feb. 6.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/Bernsteinfourpartyagreement-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="SCfinancialsettlement-4party agreement" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Four Party Agreement&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/Bernsteinsigningtheagreement-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="SCfinancialsettlment-signingagreement" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Signing and Witnessing&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-left" src="../images/blogpics/Bernsteinproroadsupporters-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="SCfinancialsettlment-proroadsupporters" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Proroad supporters&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/606settlementsigningsnyderwithbear-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="SCfinancialsettlement-withbear" /&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="../images/blogpics/608settlementsigningwithbear-72.jpg/image_mini" alt="SCfinancialsettlement-threewithbear" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the reception at the Calhoun House, a wooden bear was displayed. It will be presented to Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, who was not able to be there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-inline" src="../images/blogpics/ditmansonshulersommerville-72.jpg/image_preview" alt="SCfinancialsettlement-sommerville" /&gt;Morgan Sommerville, Regional Director of the Deep South section of Appalachian Trail Conservancy, with Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Congressman Heath Shuler.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-09T11:11:20-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-09T11:15:51-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Historic Signing in Bryson City</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/07/historic-signing-in-bryson-city">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>f8c5ac3f34e74ab56b2f18dd1ef12232</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; It promised to be the biggest event in Western North Carolina in 67 years. The North Shore Road controversy in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was over. Swain County was going to get its $52 million over 10 years -an amount that was calculated as the present value of the road that was flooded in 1943 to create Fontana Lake and Fontana Dam.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; On Friday Feb. 5, Swain County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 1 in favor of the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement by the Department of the Interior, Swain County, North Carolina, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Department of the Interior will pay up to $52 million into a trust fund established for the County. Only the earnings can be spent. The County was one of the four signatories of the original 1943 agreement. In fact, the two principals in the negotiations were the County and the Department of the Interior.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The next day (Saturday, Feb. 6), a day which promised to be wet, cold, and icy, a signing ceremony was held at Swain County High School. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, was scheduled to attend but the weather in Washington kept him away. This omission did not dampen the audience’s enthusiasm. This day was about Swain County and Congressman Heath Shuler, the hero, coming back to Swain County High School where he played football. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Leonard Winchester, president of the Citizens for the Economic Future of Swain County and a retired Swain County education administrator was elated. “It’s a historic day. We’ve already received $4 millions and will receive another $8.8 millions in 120 days. We have to continue working to make sure that we get the rest. But now we can ask our two senators to help because there’s only one option.”&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Ted Snyder has been working on this issue since the 1960s. Snyder, a retired lawyer from South Carolina and former National President of Sierra Club, feels that the agreement “does something for the parks, the plants and the animals.” Next, he plans to work on Wilderness Status for the Smokies. “Wilderness status is feasible but the locals won’t support wilderness status until they get all their money.”&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Glenn Jones, Chair of the Swain County Board of Commissioners proclaimed that “It took us 67 years to reach this point. The journey has not been easy. People have made sacrifices but these sacrifices are going to make the future easier. Every citizen in Swain County will benefit from this cash settlement.” He praised Congressman Heath Shuler, a Swain County graduate who played quarterback for the Swain County Maroon Devils. Yes, there were proroad supporters. Jones instructed the proroad people to put their protest signs away. The proroad folks stayed quiet but carried “Build the road” signs.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Superintendent Dale Ditmanson of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,&amp;nbsp; representing the Department of the Interior, recapped the Federal Government’s involvement in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). There were 75,000 comments on the DEIS and it was determined that the road would not be built. “No one has worked as hard over the last three years on the monetary settlement as Congressman Shuler. The National Park Service will continue to provide transportation to the cemeteries.” Ditmanson brought a message from Secretary Salazar who said “the settlement is good for the people of Swain County because it generates much needed revenue; good for the department, because it protects one of America’s most treasured parks; and good for the American taxpayers, since building the road would have cost several times more than the settlement.”&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Finally it was Congressman Heath Shuler’s turn at the podium. He recalled that “growing up, I saw both sides of the issue. It’s divided this community. Our next generation can grow up with better education. It’s time to let go of something in our past that divided us. My roots are here. My foundation is here.” Shuler received three standing ovations.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Three of the four parties had already signed the historic document. The last, Glenn Jones for the Swain County Board of Commissioners, signed and it was witnessed by Congressman Shuler. This truly was a historic day and I was thrilled to be there.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-07T17:51:32-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-07T17:51:32-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Great Smoky Mountains Association</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/05/great-smoky-mountains-association">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>e98ce1b9f9f780d2ca23e7572a18aa4b</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;I've just been voted onto the board of the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org"&gt;Great Smoky Mountains Association&lt;/a&gt; and I'm getting a first-hand look at how the association runs. Like all Cooperating Associations, GMSA is non-profit 501(C)3 organization, with an official agreement with the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nps.gov"&gt;National Park Service&lt;/a&gt; to provide books, maps, and other educational materials on the Smokies and sell them in visitor centers. We work closely with the park and there's a great trust level between us - the GSMA office is across a small courtyard from the park headquarters. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We can't tell the Smokies staff how to run their national park and we don't take positions on park issues as an association. This must have been difficult during the long, protracted North Shore Road issue, one where almost everyone favored a financial settlement rather than building another road through the park. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Terry Maddox, who has served as the association's executive director for 20 years, says "the park decides what projects they support. We try to help them." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Association has over 11,000 members and a budget of $7.5 million. All members get 15 percent off on anything they buy in visitor center stores and on the web. With a basic membership of $25, a membership quickly pays for itself. GSMA books and maps are not easily available in most other bookstores and are not sold on Amazon. So if you want &lt;em&gt;Hiking Trails of the Smokies&lt;/em&gt;, the hiking bible describing every trail in the park - accept no substitution - you have to buy it from GSMA. In addition, with your GSMA discount card, you can get a discount in other park associations stores.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Great Smoky Mountains Association currently publishes 38 books, and many nature trail booklets, maps and DVDs. Unlike commercial publishers, their books seldom go out of print. &lt;em&gt;Mountain Makin's Cookbook,&lt;/em&gt; published in 1957, was the association's first book and is still offered today. Probably the best-known publication from national park associations is the park newspaper, which comes out four times a year. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In addition to books and educational materials produced by GSMA, visitor centers in the Smokies sell other products, including my two hiking guides. A park committee votes on whether an item is appropriate for Association stores. The sales also help out the  Smokies, as GSMA returns 17 percent of its gross income to the park. In return, the park doesn't charge rent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Lots more when I learn more about what my role is.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-05T14:38:57-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-05T14:43:16-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Celebrations in Bryson City</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.hikertohiker.com/thishikinglife/archive/2010/02/03/celebrations-in-bryson-city">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>8ceee00938740ded43ffcac6dd740630</atom:id>
      

      <!-- This body below should really be xhtml instead of
      semi-encoded possibly unescaped strange stuff -->
      <atom:content type="html"
                    xml:base="http://www.hikertohiker.com"
                    xml:lang="en-US" xml:space="preserve">
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;There has been so much excitement about the financial settlement of the North Shore Road issue. My email inbox has been almost about nothing else. Everyone from the Great Smoky Mountains Association board to various environmental groups have been sending out congratulations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, Feb. 6, Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, is going to be in Bryson City to formally announce this settlement. Imagine! This has been going on since 1943. Now thanks to our Congressman Heath Shuler and Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, it will be settled.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So come to the celebration!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What: Signing of Settlement Agreement on proposed North Shore Road in Swain County, NC.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When: Saturday, February 6th, 11:30am – 12:30pm&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where: Bryson City Town Square&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Intersection of Main Street and Rector Street&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Bryson City, NC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; (Rain location) Fine Arts Center Swain County High School 1415 Fontana Road Bryson City, NC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This decision is so important that I've repeated the Superintendent's media advisory in full. Here goes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After nearly 70 years of debate and a nine-year decision making process, it appears virtually certain that the proposal to construct the North Shore Road will come to an end this Saturday.&amp;nbsp; Swain County Commissioners are&lt;br /&gt;scheduled to vote on Friday on whether to accept a new agreement, which has been proposed by the Department of Interior, to replace the 1943 Agreement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is every reason to expect that the Commission will vote to accept the new agreement, which explicitly nullifies the earlier agreement, and supports a payment to Swain County of $52 million over a ten year period.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the Commission accepts the new agreement, there will be an event on the lawn of the old Swain County Courthouse on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at which Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the Chairman of the Swain County County&lt;br /&gt;Commission will sign the new agreement.&amp;nbsp; NC Governor Bev Perdue and a representative of TVA have also been invited.&amp;nbsp; Representative Heath Shuler, who has played a critical role in gaining federal acceptance of the new agreement, will also participate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the outcome supported in the NPS Record of Decision issued in December 2007 as the alternative that best protects the resources of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a goal that I know we all share.&amp;nbsp; Although we are glad that we have finally reached this landmark decision, we also&lt;br /&gt;need to be sensitive to those that made the sacrifice when they were moved off the land.&amp;nbsp; While the outcome of the Swain County vote on Friday is expected to be 4-1 in support of the settlement, that one vote has been the&lt;br /&gt;voice of those that supported the road.&amp;nbsp; Those are among the families whose heritage we praised during the 75th Anniversary celebrations throughout 2009.&amp;nbsp; As was stated in the EIS, the Park is committed to continue to provide the same access to the North Shore cemeteries as we have in the past.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally, I want to thank all of you who worked for many years towards reaching a resolution to this issue.&amp;nbsp; I know that many of you spent many hours working on the EIS alternatives, attending and organizing public meetings, and communicating with the public about the North Shore Road&lt;br /&gt;issues and decision-process.&amp;nbsp; Few initiatives that the Park has undertaken contribute more significantly towards the Park’s mission of preserving our natural and cultural resources and providing for the enjoyment of these&lt;br /&gt;resources unimpaired in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Danny Bernstein</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-03T17:03:07-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-03T17:05:26-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  

</atom:feed>
