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modiyooch
05-22-2010, 18:30
Disappointed in NC for not putting the Mountain to Sea Trail on the state map.
Cannot find it on Atlas' either, but you would have thought NC would at least promote it.

BlackUp
05-23-2010, 00:39
Good point.
NatGeo GSMNP topo map has it.

gungho
05-23-2010, 00:46
Nc could care less about the trail......Taba has been taking big strides in getting it reconginzed and promoted

Graywolf
05-23-2010, 14:43
Disappointed in NC for not putting the Mountain to Sea Trail on the state map.
Cannot find it on Atlas' either, but you would have thought NC would at least promote it.

N.C. has a bicycling route map, it is listed on it..Might want to contact the DOT for the state...Thats how I obtained mine..

Graywolf

davy
05-23-2010, 16:52
https://mail.google.com/mail/images/[email protected], Thanks.

modiyooch
05-23-2010, 18:50
Good point.
NatGeo GSMNP topo map has it. for 26 miles.
Then a couple more NatGeo until Boone and then that's it.

modiyooch
05-23-2010, 18:53
https://mail.google.com/mail/images/[email protected], Thanks.thanks. will do.

modiyooch
05-23-2010, 18:55
Nc could care less about the trail......Taba has been taking big strides in getting it reconginzed and promotedI'm very grateful for his book. I didn't realize how spoiled I was with the wealth of AT info until I started planning for this hike.

modiyooch
05-23-2010, 19:01
https://mail.google.com/mail/images/[email protected], Thanks.What about concerns regarding the hike along/on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
How do you thru hike if no camping allowed? The stretches between legal camping are too long. suggestions?

Taba
05-27-2010, 12:34
Camping along the BRP has been a huge issue. Throughout my efforts in legalizing camping I have encouraged the state of NC to speed up the process of finding those spots suitable for thru-hikers. I got an email from the NPS that said they should have a solution in the next year or so. The FMST has taken 30 years to address this issue and it took me 2 1/2 years to make them realize that this is a problem that needs to be fixed. I am working with Senator Queen of NC and other organizations to help change the rules for long distance travelers all over the US not just on the MST. I am drawing up new policies and regulations that should make our lives in the woods much easier. That is the one thing in the world I dislike the most, getting in trouble and fined for trying to find a place to rest at night. Is it camping if you sleep in the day and hike at night? What if you sleep standing up and without a tent? Can they still fine you? My main goal is to define the style of camping that thru-hikers are accustumed to and show the difference to car campers. The people behind the desks who make these rules probably have never thought about long distance hiking themselves so I need to make it clear to them about what we need in the woods. It is simple but when you deal with politics everything is difficult. I am still working on this issue among everything else I am trying to accomplish but I have great visions of what will happen on this topic. Thanks everyone for your support and patience. If you woulod like to help more please send a letter or an email to Senator Joe Sam Queen. He is the best and closest contact with more knowledge of the illegal camping issue that I know of so far. I had a lunch meeting with him a couple of months back and he understands now what we are dealing with. He is in the Waynesville area. After our lunch he looked me in the eyes and said he would help fix this problem. Please still enjoy your hikes along the MST, have the best experience possible and share it with your friends.

Thank you,
Taba

jlb2012
05-27-2010, 14:47
What about concerns regarding the hike along/on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
How do you thru hike if no camping allowed? The stretches between legal camping are too long. suggestions?

what I did when hiking on the parkway (blue blazing the heck out of the AT from Black Horse Gap up to Rockfish Gap) was to stealth camp or make my best guess as to where the NPS land ended and the FS land began and tried to camp on the FS land - mostly though I just got out of sight of the parkway and other roads and hung my hammock - a couple times the AT shelters were close enough that I would walk into them and camp nearby just for some company in the evening

Taba
05-31-2010, 22:20
My personal rule is that if there is an already established fire pit next to a single flat spot it should be legal. Not too many fire pits out there are visible from the road. This is only what I feel. Whether or not those spots are legal yet or not. They should be!

Taba
06-03-2010, 14:08
This was sent a couple of days ago. I hope that the National Park Service will read this and understand more about why the camping issue is so urgent. It is not just for the MST but for all trails that have these types of issues that modern day explorers encounter. We should not be penalized or fined for hiking and experiencing the amazing forests of America. We are still a free country, right?
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Hi ______,
I wish to share this with you to help you understand the issues that thru-hikers have when hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway and other state parks on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The link is a Trail Forum called "Whiteblaze.net" where hikers can ask questions and learn more about the adventures they are planning on getting themselves into. My given trail name is Taba, which stands for There And Back Again. I have thru-hiked the MST 3 times in 2 years and wrote "The Thru-Hiker's Manual for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail of North Carolina". My goal is to help the Mountains-to-Sea Trail have 100 hikers a year attempt a thru-hike. This will boost the states economy with over $300,000 each year, spent by the hikers in towns for resupply, hotels, groceries, restaurants, phone time, laundry, and mailing things homes. It is in everybody's best interest to resolve this as soon as we can. I have suggested a "Thru-Hikers Permit" for long distance trails like the MST. It would allow a thru-hiker to use an already established flat spot with a fire pit for a single night. It would be just as easy as the sign in for an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker signing in to hike through the Smokie Mountain National Park.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62255 (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62255)

Thank you,
Scot "Taba" Ward
www.thru-hiker.us (http://www.thru-hiker.us/)

Taba
06-03-2010, 17:56
Do you all think it would help to set up a petition to make camping legal and have thousands sign it or should we just fill up the email box of the NPS with requests about this issue. I think if we banded together it would make more of a difference than if I just did it by myself individually. What's your opinion?

Taba
06-04-2010, 23:37
In order to fix a problem we have to let people know that there is a problem. Nobody fixes something that they don't know is broken. We need as many people as we can get to talk to somebody about this. At first, you will get the same response that I get and that is "they are working on it." I know of every camp spot on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. It is possible to find a good spot every night but is it legal for a thru-hiker to end the day at those spots. One flat spot and a fire pit is all we need with-in a reasonable distance for a days hike.

How about some suggestions on how we can get things done here and help the trail and the state of NC grow in popularity and increase economy. Not too mention how much more enjoyable it would be for our hiking friends.

Taba

BlueRidgeOutdoors
06-08-2010, 14:18
Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine just released a feature article interviewing Scott Ward, who has completed three of the 18 thru-hikes completed on the Mountains to Sea Trail, and recently published The Thru-Hiker’s Manual for the Mountains to Sea Trail of North Carolina.

"Spanning 962 miles across North Carolina, the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) includes the highest mountains east of the Rockies down to the lowest points along the Outer Banks. It traverses three national parks, three national forests, two wilderness areas, and the highest sand dune on the East Coast. And unlike other long-distance treks, biking, beach-combing, and ferry-hopping between islands are part of the trail experience..."

Finish the story here: http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/current-issue/features/mountains-to-sea-trail-guide/