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As of Wednesday evening, Jeff has hiked 410 miles of the MST! He will pass the halfway point in Guilford County next week, and he is thrilled with his progress.

Jeff finished the section of trail that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway on Monday (September 15). Tuesday morning he began hiking bike route number 4, one of NC-DOT routes that follow scenic backcountry roads with minimal traffic. He will follow this bike route off and on until he reaches the coast. While hiking this week he passed through Stone Mountain State Park, the small town of Dobson, NC, and acres of working farmlands. He reached Pilot Mountain State Park late Wednesday afternoon. Thanks goes out to friends who helped with trail shuttles to his campsite at Stone Mountain State Park this week - we appreciate your help!

Thursday Jeff returned to Raleigh to ride out Hurricane Isabel at home. We were uncertain as to how widespread the high winds and rain would be, and Jeff had also forgotten to pack his Mt. Everest expedition gear - oops! Seriously, it was a good thing he took the day off since the Pilot Mountain area reported 2-3 inches of rain and wind gusts in excess of 40 mph.

Early Friday morning, Jeff hit the road to pick up where he left off. He will be on the Sauratown Trail Friday and Saturday with two hiking partners. This 22-mile trail is unique for two reasons. First, the majority of the trail is on private land, meaning the Sauratown Trails Association has in place (and is constantly updating) agreements with landowners. Secondly, this is the only trail in NC to connect two state parks-Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry County and Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County.

After the Sauratown Trail, Jeff plans to hike the MST through Guilford, Alamance, Orange, and Durham Counties next week. He hopes to be in Durham next Friday (September 26), as long as the weather stays nice.

We have developed nine rolls of film from Jeff's first four weeks on the trail, and the pictures are awesome! Looking through them makes you feel like you are experiencing part of this journey with him. I will scan about 15 pictures or so this weekend and upload them to Jeff's online journal. Please go to www.trailjournals.com/jeffbrewer in a few days to see them. ~Amy.

The Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere program is a consortium of numerous federal and state agencies interested in the conservation and sustainable development of the Southern Appalachians. Where: Renaissance Hotel, Asheville, NC When: Nov. 4,5,6, 2003 The Southern Appalachian region faces a host of interrelated issues, from air quality to invasive species to planning for growth. The Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Fall Conference brings together professionals and concerned citizens from across the region in a forum that facilitates the learning, networking, and brainstorming needed to address these issues. The conference features workshops, presentations, posters, and field trips about the most pressing issues in our region, and agency and community actions that address these challenges. Sessions in this year's conference include: Facing the Threat of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Managing Growth Around Protected Areas Proetecting and Restoring Southern Appalachian Streams and Rivers Mapping and GIS for Planning and Protection Dealing With Invasive Plants and Insects Environmental Monitoring by Communities and Citizens: The Public's Role in Research and Management Traversing the Landscape Air Quality Improvement for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Hiker Health, Air Quality and Traffic Congestion Air Quality: Understanding the Issues Ecosystem Restoration Appalachian Heritage as an Economic Opportunity For more information about SAMAB or the conference, please visit www.samab.org , or e-mail gary_peeples@fws.gov .

On July 16, 1923, the CMC was formed in Asheville with Dr. Gaillard Tennant appointed as the first president. There is little written history about the CMC in the 1920s but it was quite different than the present day. The membership was primarily interested in leasing and maintaining two cabins near the Big Ivy Forest Service Campground and Schenk Lodge located in the Pink Beds near the present day Cradle of Forestry. These cabins were available to members for outings and camping trips and used as bases for their hikes. There were very few organized activities and membership was less than 50 people. Commemorating our 80th anniversary, the ten page history of CMC written in 1993 will be updated and placed on the CMC web site later this year. Pete

The annual Banquet is just around the corner. We need nominations for the Nominations committee to consider for our two Awards. The first award is the Distinguished Service Award given for long dedicated service to the Carolina Mountain Club. The 2nd award is the Appreciation Award given for one time special service. Please submit your nominations to Carroll Koepplinger, 828-667-0723, carrollkoepp@cs.com .

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has announced that the State of NC has signed into law a special revenue producing license tag. The new Blue Ridge Parkway tag will be like the Great Smokey Mountain National Park tag approved a few years ago. This will provide the Carolina Mountain Club a portion of each new tag sale that a CMC member makes through January 15, 2004. This is your chance to get that "vanity" tag you could not get before because the name was taken by someone else as this is a new issue series of numbers. Contact Don Walton to reserve your vanity name early.

Message from Houck Medford, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation: Thanks to the unanimous support of every North Carolina senator, led by the efforts of Senator Joe Sam Queen, and a near compliment of members in the North Carolina House led by Representative Phil Haire, the Blue Ridge Parkway is now closer to the hearts, minds, and bumpers of North Carolina motorists.

The design for the full-color and distinctive background plate was developed by The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the specialty tag division of the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. “There may be some fine tuning before the tag goes into actual production in January, but we are 99% there,” remarked Dr. Houck Medford, executive director of the foundation.

“This is an excellent opportunity for North Carolina citizens to show support for our country’s most visited national park site (23 million visitors per year); we have known for a long time that our visiting motorists have had a love-affair with the Blue Ridge Parkway; we expect the response to be dramatic,” emphasized Dan Brown, parkway superintendent.

Most of the Parkway’s partners are lending their support to promote enrollment of licensed drivers into the program which will generate additional revenues in support of Parkway projects and programs in North Carolina – from protecting the scenic quality of this national designated All-American road to educating children about the magic of our national parks. Application forms can be obtained from the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the High Country Conservancy, the Blue Ridge Parkway Association, the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, Eastern National, the Carolina Mountain Club and The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation which will manage this tag revenue program is the private supporting foundation for the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s authority to request and receive funds on behalf of the Parkway is vested in a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and the Department of Interior. The Foundation can be contacted at P.O. Box 10427, Winston-Salem, NC, 27108; telephone (336) 721-0260; or internet, www.brpfoundation.org.

"The design of the Blue Ridge Parkway license plate may be seen at www.brpfoundation.org/images/finalplate.jpg."

Morgan Summerville on the new Appalachian Trail-North Carolina State License Tag

Assuming (a) that you're going to Multiclub and (b) that Morgan is not checking his e-mail from Pennsylvania (if he is, I don't want to know), could you print and pass this along so we can get the N.C. club people revved to help design and then buy the recently approved A.T. license plate? Design first--there are specs, and Morgan has those, but we can worry about that part later. What we would like to get from A.T. folks is ideas, even drawings, as soon as possible; getting the word out on the clubs' grapevines is key. A strong design is essential--we don't want to look like either the Smokies or the also-approved BRP ones, but we do want to be as attractive (or more). The logo will be included somewhere. Probably the most efficient process--given the slim staff at Asheville and out-of-the-office time this time of the year--would be for anyone interested to send their designs to me. When we have several in hand, Kathleen, as the pro, will have a look and narrow them to a selection of three; hopefully, we will then have consensus among Morgan, Sen. Queen, and Clark Wright and send it on to the DMV. Sign-up. There is a form; we will soon have it available for downloading from our Web site. Folks who want the plate (sight unseen for now) need to complete the form and send it with a check for $30 to Clark Wright, the lawyer who started this and who has an escrow account; address will be on the site, too. (Total annual cost for the plate is $60, of which ATC will get $20; this is just a deposit.) Once we have 300 people signed up, DMV will approve it and alert the inmates to get to work. After that, money and forms will go directly to DMV. The money will come here quarterly but is restricted to Trail expenses in N.C. (or on the borders). This is serious money; if all members in the state got a plate, it would generate something like $63,000 a year. We will soon be doing a mailing to N.C. members on sign-up (not design), but I thought this would be a good way to encourage advance club participation. (Thank-yous to Sen. Queen wouldn't hurt; he's also interested in attending some A.T. function.) Many thanks, Morgan Sommerville Appalachian Trail Conference Regional Representative for Ga., N.C. and Tenn. <msommerville@atconf.org 828/254-3708 828/254-3754 FAX 160A Zillicoa St. P.O. Box 2750 Asheville, NC 28802

Annual Meeting and Banquet

Les Love indicates that this year's Annual Meeting and Banquet will be held at the Grove Park Inn Country Club on Saturday, November 1. The cost to the member will be $22 which includes two drink tickets.

All sb6k completers need to review the CMC website to see if their name is listed and the year of completion....if not or if errors exist the members should send correction to the designated person on the SB6K internet area.

Greetings fellow AHS hiking enthusiasts! As we draw nearer to the Fall Conference taking place October 17-19 in Monteagle, Tennessee

I wanted to make you aware that the conference registration materials are being mailed out today. They are also available online for download at the following web address. http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/registration.html The web site also contains a partial listing of the scheduled educational sessions, along with the speakers. This information is not in the registration materials that are being mailed out today. Additionally, an electronic newsletter has been created, and there is a subscription form at the following web address; http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/newsletter.html This is modeled after what Don Walton of Carolina Mountain Club has for their organization. Now that the monthly E-Newsletter has been setup, we need more subscribers! Please share this information with your fellow club members. It is a great mechanism for your club to get an announcement out to a broader audience. I’ll be sending out the first E-Newsletter on August 11. If you have any announcements that you’d like included in that mailing, please get them to me by August 8. Happy Hiking!

True adventures, challenging journeys, and life-affirming trips. Practical wisdom and tried tips. Three dozen women, in the prime of their lives, take readers backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, the Rockies, the Appalachians and more.

We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill -- Tales and Tips from Seasoned Women Backpackers is a collection of true, emotionally honest stories of strong, gutsy women, all in the prime of their lives, who continue to challenge themselves, which will provide humor, insight, and inspiration to women and men of all ages.

San Francisco bay area author and Sierra Club member, Susan Alcorn, writes, "Whether the women are scaling mountains solo at 14,000 feet or lounging with friends near crackling campfire, they are enjoying the rewards of their strenuous days and soaking in the wonders of nature." She adds, "If we can do it so can you." We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill..." recounts not only Ms. Alcorn's wilderness adventures but also those of another 30+ women.

We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill -- Tales and Tips from Seasoned Women Backpackers has 14 chapters offering both entertaining reading and how-to information. Armchair adventurers and backpackers, whether new or experienced, will enjoy reading about such women as Irene Cline who is the oldest woman to walk the Appalachian Trail, the gritty character of Emma Gatewood who, at the age of 67, was the first woman to thru hike the AT, and the humor of Laurie Foot, the first woman over 45 to hike/ bike the American Discovery Trail (Trans-US.). Also included are many stories of women whose more modest accomplishments demonstrate that backpacking is really a democratic activity-available to all who have the dream and the determination.

We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill -- Tales and Tips from Seasoned Women Backpackers can be ordered from Shepherd Canyon Books, 25 Southwood Ct., Oakland, CA 94611, your local bookstore, from Amazon, Baker and Taylor, Mountain N' Air Books, Bookpeople, Quality Books, or on-line at www.backpack45.com. The price is $14.95 plus $1.99 s&h for U.S. sales. Add $1.08 tax for California residents or $1.23 for Alameda County residents. ISBN 0-936034-02-5. Ralph Alcorn www.backpack45.com Shepherd Canyon Books

Bringing the proper equipment will add greatly to your enjoyment, your safety, and the enjoyment and safety of the group. This stuff is essential if you are going out in the woods for more than a couple of hours. Make sure that you are comfortable with your equipment and you know where it all fits in. Do not carry anything in your hands; do not tie a jacket around your waist. Everything should fit in your daypack. Carry your wallet and keys in your daypack, at all times. In your daypack: Two quarts of water in plastic water bottles (not soda bottles) Lunch and snacks Rain jacket (no matter what the forecast) Long sleeve shirt (no matter what the forecast) Sunglasses Wool or fleece hat and gloves Insect repellent Sunscreen Tissues Personal first aid kit Small flashlight Plastic bag for trash If it is not the height of a warm summer, add: Warm fleece hiking sweater or jacket Rain pants How to dress: Shorts and a short-sleeve T-shirt as the bottom layer. Hiking boots that are well broken-in and that go over the ankles Good hiking socks (not sports socks). Sunhat with a wide brim Bandanna which you need to keep handy Dress in layers: Your first layer should be a short-sleeve t-shirt (synthetic, not cotton) even if it seems cool in the morning. You will warm up. Your second layer should be a long-sleeve shirt (also synthetic). If you need extra layers, you will have your warm hiking sweater and rain jacket. Shorts give you more mobility and keep you cooler; pants give you more protection from insects and brush. Questions, comments, additions to the list? Send to danny@hikertohiker.org