Much has occurred over the past
quarter. It takes a team to run Mountain High Hikers, and your club has a
good one.
Our strides in trail maintenance
have been tremendous. John Quinlan has done a stellar job. In just 6 months,
he has built a good working relationship with the Forest Service of both NC and
GA and has pulled a core group together that has worked on special projects such
as building steps, retaining walls, water bars, and even the opening and blazing
of a new trail. Groups have also performed routine maintenance such as sawing,
lopping, and picking up trash.
Jim Reynolds has faithfully
documented the time expended by our volunteers, and the results are posted under
the Trail Maintenance section of the website. To date over 780 hours have been
spent maintaining our commitment and duty to the Forest Service. While we are
a club of 166 members, only 46 have participated to date in trail maintenance.
We need our forests and trails to hike; likewise, our forests need us to help
maintain trails. Those of you physically able, come out for a scheduled
trip—you will make new friends and have a feeling of accomplishment.
George Owen, along with Sue
Sorice and Becky Keller, put on a fantastic trip to Abington, VA for hiking and
biking enthusiasts. A great deal of effort went into this event ,and the
results were certainly enjoyed by all attendees.
Thank you again to George Owen
for his conservation efforts on behalf of the Rim Trail in Fires Creek. George
had many meetings and spent a great deal of time preparing letters and securing
documentation relating to this issue.
Hats off to George Jurand and
Johanne Kittle for planning wonderful hikes for us. They put in a great deal of
time not only planning but also securing great leaders and then putting the
schedule together. We can aid them by suggesting hikes and volunteering to lead
hikes.
Lanier Deal and the hike planning
committee have been hard at work reviewing and updating guidelines for
members/guests as well as hiking etiquette and "leave no trace" issues. The
committee members are: Lanier Deal, Jean Caputa, Janet Faist, George Jurand, Ben
Kennedy, Johanne Kittle, and George Radcliffe. We deeply appreciate all
their efforts on behalf of the Club.
All of our board members continue
to be active and work diligently at their duties. Bill Carter keeps our
membership roster current, receives monies and applications from new members and
forwards to our treasurer, Millie Bayne, who oversees the club's financial
dealings. Suzanne Paul has done a great job on the website by keeping it fresh
and current for us. Merri and Michael Murphy have worked hard arranging
facilities for our covered dish dinner and the summer picnic socials. Nancy
Teryl keeps our records straight for us (sometimes not an easy job)! We have a
great team.
