WhiteBlaze
02-04-2008, 12:34
‘Miss Janet’ plans third Appalachian Trail Summit
By David Thometz
Staff Writer
dthometz(at)erwinrecord.net
The former operator of an Erwin hiker's hostel has announced that the third Appalachian Trail Summit will be held at Centennary United Methodist Church on Saturday, April 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Janet Hensley, better known as "Miss Janet" of the now-closed Miss Janet's Hostel to hikers and outdoor recreationists, said the summit will highlight the tourism and recreational benefits that hiking and other outdoor recreational resources offer to gateway communities such as Erwin and Unicoi County.
"It will be kind of expo-style, with booths and speakers," Hensley said. "There will be booth space for businesses that are tourism-related. The community will be invited to learn about the programs of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the United States Forest Service, the Tennessee Department of Tourism, the American Hiking Society, the Appalachian Long-Distance Hiking Association and other interested groups and organizations."
Other invited organizations that have not yet confirmed include the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Southern Appalachian Greenways Alliance.
"This summit will be an effort to gather people together who are interested in the Appalachian Trail as a cultural, economic and recreational asset to this community," Hensley said. "The goal of the first two summits was education of the community to work out the relationships between hikers, business people, government officials and people in the town, and we want to continue that with the third summit."
She said representatives will share information about benefits gateway programs have brought to similar trail communities in Hot Springs, N.C. and Boiling Springs, Penn. In addition, several Appalachian Trail hikers will share stories of their adventures and their opinions of Erwin as a gateway community from a hiking tourist's point of view.
"I have made clear my goal to see Erwin become the next Appalachian Trail Gateway Community," Hensley said. "The program addresses many of the needs of this community, and I am excited to learn more about it and the processes to get it started."
She said trail hiking and outdoor recreation are prime for a surge in popularity, aided by the recent announcement by filmmaker Robert Redford at the Sundance Film Festival that his next project will be a film version of Bill Bryson's 1990s best-seller, "A Walk In the Woods."
"In the years following the release of the book, the number of hikers tripled," Hensley said.
With planned filming locations in Hot Springs — just 68 trail miles south of Erwin — and several locations in Georgia, New England and other locations along the trail, she believes the film could have a similar impact.
Mostly, however, she sees the summit as a way to build relations between outdoor recreationists and members of communities that host them.
"The goal of the Appalachian Trail Summit has always been to create a good networking atmosphere, share some good information about the trail, hikers and hiking, and have fun doing it," Hensley said.
By David Thometz
Staff Writer
dthometz(at)erwinrecord.net
The former operator of an Erwin hiker's hostel has announced that the third Appalachian Trail Summit will be held at Centennary United Methodist Church on Saturday, April 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Janet Hensley, better known as "Miss Janet" of the now-closed Miss Janet's Hostel to hikers and outdoor recreationists, said the summit will highlight the tourism and recreational benefits that hiking and other outdoor recreational resources offer to gateway communities such as Erwin and Unicoi County.
"It will be kind of expo-style, with booths and speakers," Hensley said. "There will be booth space for businesses that are tourism-related. The community will be invited to learn about the programs of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the United States Forest Service, the Tennessee Department of Tourism, the American Hiking Society, the Appalachian Long-Distance Hiking Association and other interested groups and organizations."
Other invited organizations that have not yet confirmed include the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Southern Appalachian Greenways Alliance.
"This summit will be an effort to gather people together who are interested in the Appalachian Trail as a cultural, economic and recreational asset to this community," Hensley said. "The goal of the first two summits was education of the community to work out the relationships between hikers, business people, government officials and people in the town, and we want to continue that with the third summit."
She said representatives will share information about benefits gateway programs have brought to similar trail communities in Hot Springs, N.C. and Boiling Springs, Penn. In addition, several Appalachian Trail hikers will share stories of their adventures and their opinions of Erwin as a gateway community from a hiking tourist's point of view.
"I have made clear my goal to see Erwin become the next Appalachian Trail Gateway Community," Hensley said. "The program addresses many of the needs of this community, and I am excited to learn more about it and the processes to get it started."
She said trail hiking and outdoor recreation are prime for a surge in popularity, aided by the recent announcement by filmmaker Robert Redford at the Sundance Film Festival that his next project will be a film version of Bill Bryson's 1990s best-seller, "A Walk In the Woods."
"In the years following the release of the book, the number of hikers tripled," Hensley said.
With planned filming locations in Hot Springs — just 68 trail miles south of Erwin — and several locations in Georgia, New England and other locations along the trail, she believes the film could have a similar impact.
Mostly, however, she sees the summit as a way to build relations between outdoor recreationists and members of communities that host them.
"The goal of the Appalachian Trail Summit has always been to create a good networking atmosphere, share some good information about the trail, hikers and hiking, and have fun doing it," Hensley said.