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Challenge Station at the Spring Social
Are you someone who’s currently working on one of CMC’s many hiking challenges?
Ever wondered if there was an easy way to connect with other aspirants, compare maps, and plan on tackling challenge hikes together? Well look no further than this year’s Spring Social on where we will be hosting a challenge station!
The station will be hosted by numerous challenge coordinators, along with CMC President Karen Schultz, and they will be available to answer any challenge-related questions that may be on your mind. Feel free to bring your own maps and lists that you’ve been using to track progress, and connect with other members to start planning your next adventure!
MST Marker Installation Day – April 9, 2026
Danny Bernstein
It was a glorious day when I got a text from Preston Farabow, the sculptor, that we were going to the top of Kuwohi to install the MST Marker the next day. YES!! Finally.
“OK – Newfound Gap at 9:30am,” I said. “I will be there with coffee and snacks.”
“Skip the coffee. Everyone will have had their drinks by then,” Preston said.
Danny Bernstein (4th from left). Editor’s note: There is broad agreement that this project would not have happened without Danny’s persistence and leadership.
Member Welcome Call – Thursday, May 21
Join us for our upcoming Member Welcome Call on May 21 at 6:30 PM. This 60-minute session, hosted on Zoom (a virtual/online meeting platform) and led by several CMC Council members, is a great way to learn more about CMC and how to get involved.
We’ll cover who we are, the work we do, upcoming events and training opportunities, and the many ways you can participate—from hikes and trail maintenance to volunteer roles across the club.
While this call is especially helpful for new members, all members are welcome to join. We’re planning for this to be a quarterly event, so this is a great opportunity to be part of the first session.
If you’d like to attend, please email Membership@CarolinaMountainClub.org to be added to the Zoom invite. If you’ve already emailed, you should have received a confirmation response and will be added to the meeting invite in the coming days—no need to send another email.
We hope you can join us!
Pisgah Project Day was a huge success!
Donna Bange
CMC hosted two work areas: Art Loeb trail near Black Balsam with 59 volunteers and Barnett Branch with 12 volunteers. This was our first quarterly crew of the season, held in close partnership with The Pisgah Conservancy (TPC). Despite the cold rain, every volunteer stayed for the duration of the event, and we maintained a perfect safety record with zero incidents.
Maintainers from Maine
Don Cooper
The month of March saw a group of college students from the University of New England who used their Spring break to take a backpacking trip in Pisgah Forest sponsored by Blue Ridge Hiking company. As part of their experience they helped the Pisgah Friday crew install some water diversions on the west side of Cat Gap trail.
Simon Farr from The Pisgah Conservancy joined in and provided PPE and expert advice. Crew leader Robert Bolt said the students we’re excited to learn how to split locust logs and had a spirited competition to see which team could carve the best grade dip.
Hike leader Anna Conard from Blue Ridge Hiking company said “smashing rocks for crush and splitting locust logs for steps were big hits! They said the trail maintenance was the highlight of the whole trip!”
CMC welcomes MST Gathering
Brenda Worley
CMC hike leaders enthusiastically welcomed the participants of the MST Gathering this year, April 9 – 12, with 10 hikes. Most hikers were from the Piedmont area and completed sections of the MST that were new to them. We were fortunate they came in early April, in time to see the early wildflowers such as trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, lady slippers, showy orchis, spotted mandarin, bloodroot, and even ramps. Everyone noticed the trails were in great shape. Thank you, trail maintainers!
Rotary Club of Asheville joins Carolina Mountain Club for a trail work day
Tom Weaver
On Saturday, April 18th, 11 volunteers from the Rotary Club of Asheville joined our Section Rover crew for a productive work day on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the Asheville corridor.
We were delighted to work with this enthusiastic and energetic group. We did not expect to get all the planned work done in such a short time! After a safety talk and tools use demonstration we walked to the work site where everyone chipped in to get the work
completed. We removed berm from over 100 yards of trail, cribbed and filled a long section of trail with protruding roots and build an excellent step-over across a drainage. All done safely without incident.
Thank to the Rotary Club of Asheville and Section Rover crew leaders Jan, Kevin and Dale for planning and executing a successful day. We are discussing making this a semi-annual event to get more Rotarians involved.
CMC received a generous grant from the Rotary Club late last year, which we used to purchase several pieces of specialized equipment we’ve needed to maintain our trails.
CMC leases Office/Warehouse in South Asheville!
Les Love
During our strategic planning meeting, one of the goals we set, was for our club to have our own office for Council and Committee meetings, as well as a space to hold our increasingly important First Aid and CPR classes. We also felt that we need a space to store all of the old documents that our members pass from one household to the next.
Because of the expensive trail maintenance equipment we have been acquiring through generous donations, a secure warehouse has become important, not only for storage and organization, but also for a dry and heated warehouse, to allow members to work inside when the weather forces cancellation of work on our trails.
Photo by Google Maps
CMC Sawyers certified and re-certified
Tom Weaver
We held 3 chainsaw certification courses over the past month to certify 8 new sawyers and re-certify 13 sawyers.
Special thanks to Greg Helton for the 2-day certification course of our newly minted sawyers. A full day of classroom training was followed by a day of field practice and evaluations.
Chuck Ramsey held 2 courses to re-certify xx existing sawyers, moving a few up from the basic “A” certification to the “B”level.
Ed DiSalvo has done a great job of organizing these courses and outfitting our sawyers with the latest PPE to keep them safe while out clearing our trails. Funding for the instructors, chainsaws and related equipment came from grants received this year from Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the North Carolina Trails Committee Safety & Educational fund and the North Carolina Community Foundation.
A Message from Tim Carrigan
Sometime during the month of May, the Member Portal will be moving servers for the first time since the first year of the Obama Administration. You may not notice any differences, even the updated security code may go unnoticed. What you may notice is the occasional bug or annoyance. Know that as they appear they will be resolved ASAP. I have been engaging various members in leadership, some against their will, to help me test various functions and features. I only ask for patience and keep in mind that I love this club and I perform for volunteer wages.
Tim Carrigan/Chief Geek
Member Since 2008
Save the Date – Camporee 2026!
August 7-9, Appletree Group Campground, Nantahala Ranger District
Gather with other CMC members for a weekend of fun and fellowship at the Appletree Campground (2425 Junaluska Rd., Topton, NC. We will have a large group site reserved with a fire pit, covered pavilion, running water (flush toilets) and a bathhouse (warm showers!) If you’d like to join us but aren’t quite up to camping, there are several cabin/Airbnb options in the area, as well as a few hotels in nearby Andrews (about 20 minutes away).
We plan to offer a variety of hikes (and lengths) on Saturday and Sunday along the Bartram Trail (which runs through the campground) and nearby Appalachian Trail.
The cost of the Camporee is $10/person to offset the cost of the group site (regardless of how many nights you plan to camp). To reserve your spot or if you can lead a hike, please contact Jeff Wilcox at 828-989-8755 or jwilcox@unca.edu.
Save the Dates
Saturday, May 23rd – Spring Social
Saturday, September 19th – Maintainers Picnic
Saturday, November 14th – Annual Meeting and Dinner
Quarterly Workdays
Saturday, June 6th – National Trails Day
Saturday, August 15th – TBD
Saturday, September 26th – National Public Lands Day
Remote Overnight Crews
June 27/28 – Shining Rock Wilderness
October 10/11 – Appalachian Trial
Volunteer Opportunities
The Club is currently seeking both section maintainers and members for our weekly trail crews.
Section Maintainers “adopt” a portion of trail and are responsible for tasks such as quarterly walk-throughs, routine maintenance (including tread work, trimming, and clearing water diversions), and reporting any downed trees or other trail obstructions.
Weekly crew members join scheduled group outings to help with a variety of trail maintenance projects. It’s a great way to learn trail skills, meet other volunteers, and make a meaningful impact.
Like to join a weekly crew or become a section maintainer? Like more information? Click the Volunteer link below.
Associate Editor for eNews
Join the Carolina Mountain Club communications team and help keep our members informed and connected.
We are looking for an Associate Editor for eNews. This role is well suited for someone who enjoys organizing content, editing, and working from home. It is a meaningful way to volunteer with the club.
To learn more or express interest, email David Huff.
