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Dedication ceremony officially opens 15 new
miles of trail in Ashe and Wilkes counties
By Ron Fitzwater
The Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail gathered Saturday to
celebrate the culmination of 25 years of hard
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Following the ceremony, de Hart
led a short hike pointing out some of the specifics about
the trails construction and areas of interest. Photo by
Ron Fitzwater
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Author, hiking legend and project
manager, Allen de Hart cuts the ribbon opening the newest
15.1 mile section of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Photo
by Ron Fitzwater
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work and dreams by officially dedicating the newest 15 mile stretch
of the famed trail. The new section runs from the intersection
of Highway 18 and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the intersection of
Highway 16 and the BRP.
Construction of the trail was a joint effort between the North
Ashe County Task Force, the FMST, the National Park Service and
the State Trails Program of the North Carolina Division of Parks
and Recreation. Additional assistance came from the American Hiking
Society who organized crews to work on the trail through its Volunteer
Vacation Program.
The official dedication of the trail section means that the state
and the BRP are formally recognizing the trail as an open part
of the trail. The Mountains to Sea Trail is a 925 mile trail consisting
of footpaths, roads and state bike routes that runs from Clingman’s
Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park to Jockey’s
Ridge State Park by the Atlantic Ocean. The trail was established
in 1973 as part of the NC Trails System Act.
The dedication ceremony was attended by several members of the
FMST, representatives from NC Parks and Recreation and hiking
enthusiasts from across the state.
Welcoming the crowd, State Trails Coordinator Darrell McBane said,
“What a beautiful day to celebrate the newest 15.1 mile section
of the Mountains to Sea Trail. This is a tremendous accomplishment
that is going to be enjoyed for a long time to come.” Highlands
District Park Ranger, Brent Pennington read a note from Parks
Superintendent Phil Francis, who was unable to attend, congratulating
the Friends and thanking them for all their hard work and dedication
to completing the section.”“We are proud to have been
a part of the planning, development and continued maintenance
of the Mountains to Sea Trail since the mid 1970s,” Pennington
read.
Also in attendance was Chief of Operation for the NC Parks and
Recreation Service, Susan Tillotson, who told the crowed that
she did not get the opportunity to get out in the parks as much
as she would like, but only gets to visit occasionally.
Calling her attendance at the event an honor, Tillotson informed
the crowd that Parks Secretary Bill Ross approved this 15.1 mile
Mountains to Sea trail section just this week. Additionally, Tillotson
informed the audience that work between local governments, trail
enthusiasts and the Parks Service was finalizing the plans to
complete the missing sections of the MST and create a link between
several towns and state and federal parks including sections to
connect Raleigh to Smithfield and Falls Lake State Recreational
Area to Stone Mountain State Park.
FMST president, Jeff Brewer called the event “Victory for
volunteers day, because we have so much to be proud of. A lot
of blood, sweat and tears went into this day.”
Brewer also recognized the contributions of the American Hiking
Association to the project and recognized several other groups
that helped with the construction. Brewer encouraged those not
already involved to join in the work currently under way to construct
the next section of trail from N.C. 16 to U.S. 421.
At last it was time to dedicate the trail section and the honor
fell to author, hiking legend and project manager Allen de Hart
who told the crowd that over 200 volunteers had aided in the trail’s
construction and that the work had run right up to that morning
to complete it in time for the ceremony. de Hart reflected on
the 25 years it took complete the section and all the volunteers
that made it happen. Then, raising a mattock high in the air like
a conquering hero, he cut the ribbon officially opening the section
for through hiking.
Following the ceremony, de Hart led a short hike to Sheets Cemetery,
pointing out some of the specifics about the trails construction
and areas of interest.
On Sunday morning a few dedicated hikers gathered to make the
inaugural hike along the 15.1 mile section.
Construction on the N.C. 16 to U.S. 421 section is ongoing and
volunteers are always needed to help complete the project. Volunteers
conduct work on the second Saturday of each month.
To volunteer simply look for the orange MST Work signs on work
weekends or call Jim Hallsey at (336) 877-8831. For more information
about the FMST click to www.ncmst.org.
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