spring 2023 “year of the trail” issue!
The Year of the Trail (YOTT) is a fantastic gift from the North Carolina state government to all of us. The official YOTT NC Governor’s Proclamation essentially says the government officially sanctions our efforts. All our work - trail building, maintenance, signage, expansion efforts - enjoys the expressed support of the highest level of state government this year!!! The YOTT initiative presents a unique opportunity for North Carolina organizations such as ours to collaborate with the public and private sectors on common goals such as keeping our local, regional, state, and national parks and forests open and adequately funded AND providing educational programing on the importance of open spaces and wilderness areas for the state’s economic health as well as for the physical and mental health of its people.
Please see more about the Year of the Trail below from Uwharrie Trailblazers board member and Randolph County Trails Coordinator Mary Joan Pugh!
Kim Andersen2023 is the Year of the Trail. How did that happen???
by Mary Joan Pugh
Year of the Trail information table at the Randolph County “First Day” Hike, January 1, 2023!
North Carolina is one of the few states in the Southeastern US that has no State funds dedicated to Trails. In 2021 several trail organizations including the Piedmont Legacy Trails, Mountain to Sea Trail, and the Carolina Thread Trail formed the Great Trail State Coalition (GTSC) to increase the awareness of the benefits of trails and advocate for State funding. The idea was to build on the increased trail usage during the Covid pandemic when everyone was looking for a safe place to be with family and friends, the NC Department of Transportation’s Great Trail State Plan to connect all 100 counties with trails and the addition of six new State Trails in two years.
To increase awareness of trails and their benefits which include health/wellness, economic opportunities and quality of life, GTSC requested the NC General Assembly to designate 2023 as the Year of the Trail (YOTT). The idea is to have events in all 100 counties and invite elected officials so they can see first-hand the value of trails to all who live, work, and visit North Carolina. It passed both houses with overwhelming support.
GSTC looked at a couple of States that had YOTT celebrations and decided to invest in making it a large-scale success. To accomplish that, GTSC sought sponsors and hired marketing consultants to design a multimedia campaign. The result is a website, toolkit with all the information and materials needed to host an event, calendar of events, PBS series, a variety of videos, robust social media, radio and billboards. Here’s the link to the website.
In Randolph County, the Heart of NC Visitor Bureau/Tourism Development Authority is featuring the YOTT on the 2023 Travel Guide along with its 25th Anniversary and a limited-edition backpack. The TDA also is providing promotional materials including banners, yard signs, stickers and t-shirts for all the YOTT events.
Randolph County Trails has 12 YOTT events planned including the Fall Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike in October and the Caraway Creek Preserve Ribbon Cutting in May. Also, the 2023 Healthy Communities Sunday Hikes and the Fall Mayor’s Fitness Challenge feature the YOTT monthly themes. Both are free and all are welcome.
NC State Parks has YOTT events and activities scheduled for each park unit and many counties like Wake, Moore and Lee have schedules of events. Please celebrate the YOTT by participating in events or working with a group to create an event this year. All the tools you need are here on the YOTT website https://greattrailsnc.com.
Book Review
by Steve “Chaco” Chase
Kathryn Waple, with the book, and Sarah Karafas hiking at the Eno River.
On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor
In 2009 while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Robert “Spaceman” Moor began wondering about the trail beneath his very feet. How do trails form, why do some continue and some fade away? Do we make trails or do trails make us? How are they and we all connected? Over the next seven years Moor travels the globe in the search for answers. Learning from master trail builders, long lost Cherokee paths, long trail characters, and our own road networks and the web-work of the internet Moor weaves science, history, philosophy and nature writing with the skill and wit of an Edward Abbey, Bill Bryson, Rebecca Solnit and Jared Diamond all rolled into one.
It truly is a remarkable book and, without question, the best hiking-related work I’ve read in the past several years.
Covering the history of and his own epic thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail to the story of the ongoing work creating an International Appalachian Trail, to road walking for several days with the famed poet and long trail legend Nimblewill Nomad, this book defies precise categorization. Is it a travelogue, nature writing, an essay or science? It is all these and so much more. This book belongs on every hiker’s shelf. Dump your stove and your water filter if you must but make room in your pack to carry it on every trail and every journey to read and pass on, dog-eared and tattered to the next hiker, to learn, laugh and enjoy. I know I already have. It is that good. In this “Year of the Trail” get the best book about trails, ON TRAILS, and pass it on!
Rumor has it that an old hiker on the Appalachian Trail wearing a kilt and sandals is also mentioned ,-)
Happy Trails!
Steve “Chaco” Chase and the infamous kilt and sandals at Katahdin summit.
Daphne Vish Sullivan
Daphne Sullivan
My hiking journey began in May 2020 after losing my mom to lung cancer in October, just 25 days after she was diagnosed. I loved walking, but had never been backpacking. My older brother, Donald Vish, however, loved to backpack and had since we were kids. A friend of his was planning to thru hike the Appalachian Trail and my brother had planned on joining him for part or all of the hike. Donald suggested I go with them. I immediately thought it was a crazy idea, but my husband and youngest daughter encouraged me to consider it. Almost immediately I agreed to go. I resigned from my job with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and started preparing for my first backpacking trip. I planned on starting at Springer Mountain and going to Hot Springs, NC.
However, Covid changed our original plans and instead of hiking on the Appalachian Trail, my brother and I hiked the Foothills Trail from Oconee to Table Rock starting May 27, 2020.
Donald Vish and Daphne - brother and sister - on Daphne’s very first backpacking adventure!
The only time I had my backpack on before that trip was in REI! I practiced hanging my hammock up in the front yard, but had never slept in it.
The trail was both physically and mentally challenging. I was inexperienced and really out of my comfort zone. However, once we finished I could not wait to go again. Since then, Donald and I have hiked together annually. We returned to hike the Foothills Trail from Table Rock to Oconee (our favorite direction) and last May we hiked the Art Loeb Trail. It was breathtaking!
My husband Russell and I hiked the state of Georgia on the Appalachian Trail in October 2020 and Maryland in May 2021. The first few days in Georgia we hiked with two others that gave me my trail name - Almost There!
Daphne and Russell Sullivan cross the NC/GA line while backpacking on the Appalachian Trail.
We have also enjoyed hiking on Cumberland Island, in Colorado, sections of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST), and numerous day hikes. Russell enjoys hiking and camping with me but not long backpacking trips. He enjoys offering trail support and he does this better than anyone I know! On almost all of my hiking trips, both overnight and day trips, he shuttles, resupplies, and gives me all of the support I need, making it possible for me to do what I love!
After moving to North Carolina in September 2021 I was even more interested in hiking sections of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST). Russell and I were excited when we realized that we lived in segment 11. In October, I met Michell Morgan and Debbie Hockstra on a hike in Umstead State Park. Since that first meeting we have met regularly. Debbie and I meet weekly to walk trails, greenways or explore coffee shops and towns close by.
In March 2022 I responded to two Facebook posts. The first, was a request for a shuttle from Matthew Carter and Julie Farman and their dog Baxter. They were section hiking the entire MST. We were excited to meet other hikers and to give our first shuttle ride. Since then we have developed a close friendship and we were really excited for them when they completed the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on New Years!!!
I then responded to Tonya Manus. She had commented on a Facebook group post about completing the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail and was planning on hiking the North Carolina section solo. I responded to her that I had hiked Georgia and would like to hike the North Carolina section also. After that, we were in daily contact planning our trip!
Tonya Manus and Daphne
Our first weekend trip together was Blood Mountain in Georgia and we clicked immediately. We completed Deep Gap, NC, to Hot Springs, NC. We laughed a lot, cried a few times, and dealt with storms and extreme heat. This summer we will return to finish the Smoky Mountains which we missed due to an injury. So far, our favorite section has been from the Nantahala Outdoor Center to Fontana Dam and camping on Cheoah Bald. We also met our hiking buddy Tom on Cheoah and had a lot of fun hiking together.
For me, the biggest obstacle to hiking is my fear of heights and Tonya helps navigate me though it. She is my "hiking soulmate." We now have matching AT tattoos and plan on section hiking the entire trail together.
Tonya also introduced me to the Uwharrie Trailblazers. She was going on the Uwharrie Trail thru-hike and so I signed up to go with her and my oldest daughter, Kaitlin. It was a great experience!
Daphne and daughter Kaitlin, Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike.
Tonya then suggested the Retro Hike. It was awesome and we met some amazing people. I can't wait to do it again this year! This is where I met Ali Tucker and Kim Andersen, and we realized we live close to one another. Since then, Ali and I have hiked locally together and just completed segment 10 of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Kim was able to join us for one of those hikes!
I had absolutely no idea how much that first backpacking trip would change me or my life!
As 2022 comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the conservation successes after another year of working to save special places in the North Carolina Piedmont. Certainly, every year, and even every project, has its ups and downs, but with over 1,500 acres protected through a dozen different projects, overall, it’s been a really successful year. I’d like to take a minute to look back over some of these achievements.
Early on in the year, a fee donation was made to Three Rivers Land Trust of approximately 68 acres in Montgomery County along beautiful Cheeks Creek. This particular property was donated in memory of the landowner’s deceased wife, who loved this tract dearly and always wanted to see it protected. With mature hardwood forest and a diverse botanical understory, TRLT was happy to take ownership of this land to ensure its natural resources are preserved in perpetuity.
In March, the second project of the year closed with the protection of a 410-acre organic dairy and organic beef cattle farm in Iredell County. This project took nearly 4 years to accomplish, with both state and federal farmland funding involved, one of the most complicated types of projects TRLT takes on. These landowners were so grateful to see this farm protected, which has been in their family for 8 generations, and can use these funds to buy additional equipment and land to make their farming operation even more sustainable into the future.
The next project was a 210-acre acquisition, known as Watery Branch, that adjoins a portion of the Uwharrie National Recreational Trail. This project holds a special place for me as there is now a trail shelter there named “Crystal’s Place.” This hardwood forest has US Forest Service (USFS) land on both sides and we are very close to getting it transferred to the USFS for the public’s use and enjoyment, possibly before year’s end.
Ribbon-cutting for Watery Branch! Among the dignitaries present were the Crystal Cockman of TRLT (2nd from left), Terry Savery of the USFS (sixth from left), Susan Miller of the USFS (eighth from left), and TRLT Director Travis Morehead (fifth from right).
This brings me to the next accomplishment of 2022- the transfer of the Dark Mountain property to USFS. This 70-acre parcel is the stuff of legend and lore, with places like Liquor Springs, Painted Rocks, and Outlaw Cave purported to be located on this land. It’s also the highest peak in Montgomery County, and adjoins the Uwharrie Trail. Getting this tract into public ownership took several years, but it’s now available for us all to experience.
TRLT also closed our first Hoke County project this year, with the protection of 272 acres of forest and wetland near Raeford. This property is near Fort Bragg and helps provide a buffer to the base, and is also near land owned by The Nature Conservancy, their Callaway Preserve. Longleaf pines and beaver swamps are found on this unique site, and this conservation easement closed in August of this year.
The next two acquisitions were 165 acres and 82 acres that add onto our complex of conservation lands at “The Point” in Davie County, where the Yadkin and South Yadkin Rivers meet. This land will be incorporated into our Sportsman Access Program and available for hunting, hiking, and fishing to SAP members starting next year. These tracts also boast hardwood forest and farm fields, which are home to a wide variety of wildlife. We look forward to managing these sites to make them the best they can be now that they are in our ownership.
On December 1st, we closed a project that we’d also been working on for about 3 years. This is a 172-acre property in Moore County along McLendons Creek that adjoins another tract we already owned. There were some obstacles to overcome on this project, and we were down the wire, closing on the very day our option on the property expired. We’re excited to own this great tract now, thanks in part to funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service through their North American Wetland Conservation Act small grant program.
Building upon our mission to expand public lands, we transferred another great property to Morrow Mountain State Park on December 19th. This 215-acre tract has mature hardwood forests and rocky outcrops and adjoins the existing parkland, connecting it directly to the town of Badin. This site is near the Native American archeological site known as the Hardaway Site, and brings the total acreage of Morrow Mountain State Park to over 6,000 acres.
The Land Protection team at TRLT brought in more than $7,000,000 in grant awards this year including funds from the NC Land and Water Fund, state and federal farmland funds, military funding, and private foundations. We also applied for 9 farms to the federal farmland fund and 15 farms to the state farmland fund for consideration for funding next year. We are currently working on over 30 projects in progress fully funded, and have more than 60 projects total on our list, when you consider tracts partially funded, applied for, or on our waitlist for grant applications.
Next year should be an even bigger year with over 4,000 acres of conservation work slated to be accomplished, not counting anything else that comes in the door before year’s end. I’m proud to work for an organization that turns every operational dollar into $12 of project funding, and works with great landowners to see very special natural areas, family farms, and rural landscapes protected for the benefit of future generations.
Thanks to all our supporters who make this important work possible. Although nothing worthwhile is ever easy, this work would not be possible at all without committed landowners, and great TRLT members who believe in our mission.
Registration is open for the spring and fall Uwharrie Trail Thru Hikes! Register at https://threeriverslandtrust.org/event/spring-2023-thru-hike/
Please stay tuned here on the UTB website, visit the UTB facebook page, and watch your email inbox for opportunities to do trail work and to participate in group hikes and other fun and educational programs offered by the UTB and organizations with whom we partner throughout the year. Let’s make 2023 the best year yet for the Uwharrie Trail!
editorial policy
The contents of this newsletter are authored collaboratively by the Uwharrie Trailblazers steering committee unless otherwise attributed and are intended to illuminate, educate, and inspire all who enjoy the trails of the Uwharries. The newsletter is edited by Uwharrie Trailblazers club secretary Kim Andersen. We welcome suggestions and questions from all readers.
Please send feedback and questions via email to uwharrietrailblazers@gmail.com and visit us on Facebook!
