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View Full Version : Honors Award to be presented to Scot "Taba" Ward



Taba
03-11-2010, 17:17
On Saturday, March 13th, in Greensboro, NC, I will be presented with an award from the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail for becoming the "First to Yo-Yo the MST". Which means to hike it both directions in a single year. It took me 5 months and was nearly 2,000 miles.

Along with this accomplishment I wrote: "The Thru-Hiker's Manual for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail of North Carolina". The Manual provides every resource available to hikers who either thru-hiker or day-hike and in the woods or in town. There are 13 new town maps and a new state map outlining where the trail stretches across. I found 27 new locations at churches, stores and private residents to camp on the road portions so we now have good camping along the way.

The Manual is available through my website at www.thru-hiker.us (http://www.thru-hiker.us)

Also I will try to answer any questions about the book or the trail.

Chaco Taco
03-12-2010, 08:01
Dude your book is everywhere here. Congrats:sun

MyName1sMud
03-12-2010, 12:30
Congrats on going both ways with it! That's an awesome achievement for sure!

This I think will be my first long trail

CrumbSnatcher
03-12-2010, 12:37
congrats! TABA which direction do you like most?

See Bee
03-14-2010, 07:38
Congratulations TABA! I hope your book is selling well. A friend picked up one for me yesterday! Can't wait to see it.

mweinstone
03-14-2010, 09:28
but can you yo yo?

Taba
03-14-2010, 22:21
but can you yo yo?


Yeah but I have to stop walking when my wrist gets tired.

Taba
03-14-2010, 22:23
congrats! TABA which direction do you like most?

I like Mtns. to Sea because I can jump in the ocean and swim at the end rather than continue to walk down a mountain and get in a vehicle to drive away. It feels more like a celebration out there.

Taba
03-14-2010, 22:27
Thanks for the congratulations. I hope that the ones of you who have had friends pick up the Manual or have gotten one on your own, will enjoy the book and find it useful to your hiking experience out there on the MST this year. The Manual was written by a thru-hiker for thru-hikers. I tried to find every resource for you whether that was in the woods or in the towns.

Thanks again,
Scot

Taba
03-17-2010, 15:16
Thank you all for achieving this success with me. Throughout all the threads and some controversy with friendly debates we have helped the MST become a well talked about trail. It really is worth checking out and my goal was to help it become popular. I wanted to provide an answer to the question all thru-hikers have at the end of a journey, "What's next?" While enjoying an adventure of my own I fixed the trail so it is more thru-hiker friendly. People will now understand why you are carrying a backpack through their town.
All I would ask for now is to continue to support the FMST and help them continue to create a wonderful experience for us all. I am now off to write the Manual for the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky. Watch the forum for that one as well.

Scot "Taba" Ward

Tennessee Viking
03-17-2010, 15:56
Also want to add...Hikers let the Blue Ridge Parkway, Army Corps of Engineers, state parks, the counties/towns, and other land agencies along the MST know, the trail needs more camping opportunities. In order to bring hiker revenue to the trail and its surroundings, hikers need to camp somewhere without the hassle of No Camping Policies.

Right a letter the agency or talk to a ranger, we don't want to over- populate the trail like the AT with free camping. But the MST needs opportunities for tired hikers to put up for the night instead of arranging off-trail lodging/camping and transportation .

hobojoe
03-21-2010, 16:03
Also want to add...Hikers let the Blue Ridge Parkway, Army Corps of Engineers, state parks, the counties/towns, and other land agencies along the MST know, the trail needs more camping opportunities. In order to bring hiker revenue to the trail and its surroundings, hikers need to camp somewhere without the hassle of No Camping Policies.

Right a letter the agency or talk to a ranger, we don't want to over- populate the trail like the AT with free camping. But the MST needs opportunities for tired hikers to put up for the night instead of arranging off-trail lodging/camping and transportation .

There aren't a lot of people thru-hiking yet so I don't see the big deal about letting 10 people a year use a flat spot in the woods to sleep on the ground that we spend so much time walking on. Thru-hiker's are getting invites to hike the MST but then we we get out there we are told that we will be fined for resting up for the next day when it is too dark to walk in the woods. We go as far as we can in a single day and sometimes that leaves us in the middle of the woods where it is illegal to camp. The legal car camping sites in the Blue Ridge Parkway, Stone Mountain State Park and Falls Lake State Rec. Area are too far apart for even a seasoned hiker to get to in one day. We are not able to walk 25 to 50 miles in a single stretch just so that we can be legal while sleeping. It's ridiculous to even ask us to try walki9ng that far. We don't use the bathroom in water sources, we don't trash the place up, and we leave no trace that we were even there. Those are the problems from car campers that the true thru-hikers are getting the blame for. We don't do that! We are goal acheivers and should be treated that way.

Legalize Camping!!! It's not like we are indulging in criminal behavior. We just need to rest without the nightmare of being fined for actually accomplishing something.
Thank you!

Chaco Taco
03-21-2010, 16:50
They dont even allow camping in Falls Lake area. Taba told me about his run in with the Rangers and its a bit irritating to hear stuff like that. The MST is just not ready for the traffic of thruhikers. FMST need to get on the ball in my opinion. WHats a long distance trail without camping???

Walessp
03-23-2010, 06:11
Taba has made arrangement with at least 27 churches in NC for 2010 and beyond. These churches have graciously allowed their property and water to be used for camping and most are right on or close to the current track of the MST in sections 16 through 37. These sections are generally along the roadwalk portions of the trail. Get Taba's book for complete information.

There are also 4 existing shelters that can be used along the MST and a number of campgrounds very close to the MST with resupply stores and low rates for hikers along or near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Miller's and Raccoon Hollow are two that I've personally used and would recommend. Both have hot showers, campstores, and flush toilets. Don't be discouraged - there are resources out there for long-distance hikers.


Outlaw