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Diamond Brand Outdoors Winter Clearance Sale

25% off original retail prices for all in stock inventory January 15, 16, and 17th 2005 only. This applies to our Arden and Asheville location. Frugal Backpacker will also be part of this and is open the 15th only. This will be our largest discount applied to the whole store you will see in 2005.

2005 Guided Hikes and Walks Sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Museum ³Bringing History to Life...²

Dear Hiking Friends, I thought your members might be interested in knowing about the annual program of Guided Hikes and Walks sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Museum, located in Black Mountain. These hikes are led by local historians and naturalists who share the history of the sites visited, making the events really quite special. We do charge a small fee, less for members than non-members of the museum, because the hikes generate a portion of our operating funds. I am taking the liberty of cutting and pasting below our brand new 2005 schedule, the first hike of which is this Saturday, and we still have some room. Thanks and Best regards, Jill Jones, Administrator Swannanoa Valley Museum

Jan. 8: Swannanoa Creek, led by Robert Goodson. Swannanoa Creek, earlier identified and mapped as Davidson¹s Mill Creek, was the site of a Civil War skirmish known as the Battle of Swannanoa Gap. The hiking route will pass a Civil War era grave and will also follow the roadbed of the first stagecoach route across the gap and into the valley. Meet at 9 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Partial day hike, bring lunch and dress for the rigors of cold weather hiking. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

Jan. 29: Upper Catawba Falls, led by Arthur Joe Hemphill and John Buckner. This historic area was traversed by early settlers who had to dismantle their wagons to cross the falls. Hikers will cross private property (with permission) to reach the magnificent upper falls. Meet at 9 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. All day hike, bring lunch and dress for the rigors of cold weather hiking. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

Feb. 12: NEW! Fall Branch Falls, led by Wendell Begley. Bring your camera to capture the beauty of this scenic fall on a tributary of the North Fork of the Swannanoa River. It is believed to be the highest free-falling waterfall in the Swannanoa Valley. Meet at 10 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Partial day hike, bring lunch and dress for the rigors of cold weather hiking. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

March 5: NEW! Hike to Mitchell Falls, led by Wendell Begley. A Very Special Event! In 1857, Dr. Elisha Mitchell set forth on what was to be a fatal journey to prove definitively that ³his² mountain was the highest in Eastern North America. He never reached his destination, the home of his mountain guide, Big Tom Wilson, on the Cane River. Days later, after a search involving hundreds of men, his body was found in a pool at the bottom of a falls. Relive this dramatic moment in history with direct descendents of search party members Jesse Stepp, Fred Burnette, and Big Tom Wilson who will be on hand to tell their ancestors¹ stories. This gentle, uphill walk will follow an historic trail. Meet at 8 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain, to carpool to the site of Big Tom Wilson¹s place on the Cane River. Full day event. Bring lunch and dress for the uncertainties of spring weather. Raingear advised. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $50 for members, $75 for non-members.

April 16: Wildflower Hike, led by Harriet Styles. Delight in the early spring wildflowers you¹ll discover on this hike in the mountains off Highway 9, and learn about the many species from this knowledgeable naturalist. Meet at 10 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Partial day hike, bring lunch and dress for the uncertainties of spring weather. Raingear advised. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

May 7: NEW! Hike to headwaters of the Catawba River, led by John Buckner & Roger Hibbard. Explore the headwaters of the Catawba River via what is believed to have been the first route into the valley, through Fortune Fields. Meet at 10 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Partial day hike, bring lunch and dress for the uncertainties of spring weather. Raingear advised. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

June 11: Old Toll Road and Rocky Knob, led by John Buckner. This hike will explore the upper section of the Mt. Mitchell Railroad and Old Toll Road, with an excursion to the Old Camp Rock used by early hunters. Meet at 9 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. All day hike, bring lunch and wear sturdy hiking shoes. Raingear recommended. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members. July 4: Fireworks Hike, led by Wendell Begley and John Buckner. Enjoy a tradional All-American picnic at the summit of Sunset Mountain, then watch the Black Mountain fireworks display from the mountain¹s vantage point. (Date will depend on schedule of fireworks show.) Meet at 6 p.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Picnic included. Bring raingear, lawn chair and flashlight. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $10 for members, $20 for non-members.

Aug. 6: Old Toll Road Caravan, led by Arthur Joe Buckner. Third annual tour up the historic Old Toll Road will culminate in a picnic at the site of Camp Alice. If you haven¹t been on this before, don¹t miss it this year. Meet at 7 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. All day event. Food and snacks are provided. Raingear recommended. Limit 16 vehicles carrying a driver and at least 3 passengers each. Cost: $75 for members, $100 for non-members. Drivers free.

Sept. 17: Hike to Craggy Dome, led by Robert Goodson and Wendell Begley. Go into part of the Craggy Gardens scenic area that is seldom visited. Blueberries grow wild on this bald and will be ripe at the time of the hike. Meet at 10 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Partial day hike, bring lunch and wear sturdy hiking shoes. Raingear recommended. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members. Oct. 8: Hike to Potato Knob, Rainbow Gap and Clingman¹s Peak, led by Wendell Begley. This hike will travel along the remote and high elevation of the southern end of the Black Mountain range, one of the most scenic portions of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Enjoy spectacular views of Mt. Mitchell, the Toe River Valley, Cane River Valley and North Fork Valley. The historic trail to Mt. Mitchell runs through this area. Meet at 9 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. All day hike, bring lunch and dress for the rigors of cold weather hiking. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

Nov. 19: NEW! Hike: Portions of old railroad grade and southern end of Old Toll Road, led by John Buckner and Roger Hibbard. Enjoy great views of the Swannanoa Valley on this hike along two historic roadbeds. Meet at 10 a.m. at Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. Partial day hike, bring lunch and dress for the rigors of cold weather hiking. Limit 20 hikers. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

The museum¹s Guided Hikes and Walks are led by area historians and naturalists, who in addition to guiding safe and interesting hikes also offer interpretation and education about the history and environment of the sites. All proceeds go to support the museum. Hikers will be required to sign a Liability Release form before each hike begins. Except where noted above, hikers should bring their own food, drink and gear. A rain poncho is always appropriate, as is sturdy footwear, including wool socks in winter. Memberships are available at each event.

CMC has grown substantially over the past few years and taken on more responsibilities. We have more members than any time in the recent past. We maintain over 400 miles of trail with more section maintainers and trail crews than ever before. We offer over 175 hikes per year, again more than ever before, and we have accepted education and training as a new mission. We’ve made these changes without significantly changing our by-laws. While this has not caused problems, at its January 3 meeting the CMC Council agreed that it was time to take a look at our by-laws and decide whether they needed changing to reflect the changes that have occurred in the Club. It appointed a committee to be chaired by Lenny Bernstein to carry out this task. If the Committee decides that the by-laws need changing, those changes will be presented to the Club membership for approval at our Annual Meeting next Fall. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please contact Lenny Bernstein by phone (828-236-0192) or e-mail (Lsberns@worldnet.att.net ).

A copy of our current by-laws can be found on the CMC website at www.carolinamtnclub.org/data/CMC-bylaws.pdf . You can also find them by following the links to financial data and then to financial and other data. If you have suggestions for improving the by-laws, please contact Lenny Bernstein.

If you haven’t already done so, please pay your 2005 dues. All members who joined before October 1, 2004 are required to pay 2005 dues.

As agreed at the Club’s Annual Meeting on November 6, effective January 1, 2005, CMC dues are $20 per year for individuals and $30 per year for families. Please also consider becoming either a Silver member ($50 per year) or a Gold member ($75 per year), or making a contribution to support our trail maintenance and education functions. All payments above basic membership are tax deductible. Please send your dues payments and contributions, along with your name, address, home, work and cell phone numbers, and e-mail address to: CMC P.O. Box 68 Asheville, NC 28802

If you have questions about your dues payment status, either check the membership data base on the CMC website, or contact Lenny Bernstein by phone (828-236-0192) or e-mail (Lsberns@worldnet.att.net ). Many thanks.

In early April the CMC Education Committee plans to have a map-reading course. Right now the plan is to have breakfast some Saturday in southwest Asheville and then spend 4-5 hours on the trail, learning how to interpret and use topographic maps. We are hoping to have one instructor for each 4-5 participants.

This is just a heads-up, more specific information will be forthcoming. By the way, we need all the knowledgeable map readers we can get for instructors. If you’d like to help, let Dave Wetmore know at dwetmore@citcom.net . Dave

I just spoke with John Morgan, a writer with On Wisconsin magazine (the UW Alumni magazine) about UW connections to the A.T. Because of my prior employment with the UW-Extension service, Brian King from ATC Headquarters gave him my name as someone to contact within ATC. He's currently writing an article about the development of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT) in Wisconsin. For those who don't know about the IAT, it's a 1,000-mile long trail that will one-day traverse the southern extent of the latest glaciation (following the moraine) across the state. The route generally goes from northeast of Green Bay south to just west of Milwaukee, west to Madison, then up to the central part of the state near Wausau, and then finally due west to Minnesota. He is looking to include information about UW Alumni who are working/volunteering with other National Scenic Trails - presumably to help interest more UW Alumni to get involved with trails where they live. Because UW has a large alumni base all across the U.S. this might help draw more people to work on the A.T. He'll also be checking within the North Country Trail Association and its clubs. If you know of any UW Badger alumni involved with the A.T., please ask them to contact John before February 1st. His contact information is below: John Morgan On Wisconsin Magazine (608) 658-0918 jmorgan@merr.com Matt Davis, ATC