The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Across North Carolina: Walking a Thousand Miles through Wildness, Culture and History

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail shows off the most spectacular, historic and quirky elements of the North Carolina landscape.

Stretching one thousand miles from Clingmans Dome in the Smokies to Jockey's Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks, the route takes in Fraser fir trees and pelicans, old grist and textile mills, working cotton and tobacco farms, Revolutionary War sites and two British cemeteries complete with Union Jacks. The trail is half on footpaths and half on back roads, offering experiences not only in nature but also in small towns, at historic monuments, in family cemeteries and in local shops. Author Danny Bernstein has taken it all in and shares her knowledge for those who might follow in her footsteps.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609497200
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/19/2013
Series:	Natural History
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	1,012,681
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Danny Bernstein is an outdoor writer and hike leader. She is the author of two hiking books on the Carolina Mountains, and writes for National Parks Traveler and various regional publications. She maintains an active blog on her website, HikertoHiker.com, and leads regular hikes for the Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 13

Introduction: Walking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail 15

1 Starting in the Mountains 19

Route from Clingmans Dome to Mount Mitchell 19

Clingmans Dome, Highest Point in the Smokies 20

Horace Kephart, Lover of the Smokies 23

Cherokee: More than the Casino 25

On the Blue Ridge Parkway 28

Sylva, a Mountain Trail Town? 29

Constructing the MST Through the Mountains 31

Pisgah Forest, Land of Milk and Honey 35

George Vanderbilt's Buck Spring Lodge 36

Allen de Hart, Granddaddy of the MST 38

Zipping Around Asheville 40

Stopping at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center 42

Rattlesnake Lodge, Summer Home of a Mountain Activist 44

2 Continuing Through the Mountains 47

Route from Mount Mitchell to Stone Mountain State Park 47

Mount Mitchell, Highest Mountain in the East 48

Up Bald Knob, the Toughest Climb of the MST 51

Overmountain Victory Trail 52

Linville Gorge, Remote and Rocky 53

Tanawha Trail on Grandfather Mountain 55

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, a Legacy from the Denim King 57

Crest of the Blue Ridge: Grazing Cows and the Story of Tom Dula 61

Kate Dixon, Friends of the MST 64

Doughton Park: Bluffs and Meadows 66

Traversing Stone Mountain State Park 68

Wilkes County's Moonshine Past 70

3 The Piedmont 73

Route from Stone Mountain State Park to Falls of the Neuse 73

Elkin, a Trail Town? 74

Through Pilot Mountain State Park 76

Sauratown Trail: Using Private Lands for Public Good 78

The Rock House, a Revolutionary War Fort 80

Hanging Rock State Park and the Last Waterfall on the MST 81

Musings on Private Land 84

The Revolutionary War in the Piedmont 85

Sharon McCarthy: Biking the MST Roads 87

Glencoe Mill: "I Owe My Soul to the Company Store" 90

Emily's Cookies, a Welcome Stop 93

Reaching the Eno River 96

Falls Lake State Recreation Area: Sixty Miles of Trail in the Triangle 99

Falls of the Neuse: Where Are the Falls? 104

Jeff Brewer, Friends of the MST Activist 106

4 The Coastal Plains 109

Route from Falls of the Neuse to the Cedar Island Ferry 109

In Praise of Walking the Road 110

Growing Tobacco and Cotton in Eastern North Carolina 111

Kathy Kyle: Remembering a Coastal Plains Childhood 115

Smithfield, a Trail Town? 117

La Grange, a Happy Place 120

New Bern, the First Capital of North Carolina 121

To the Minnesott Ferry 125

Backpacking the Neusiok Trail 126

Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge: Protecting Wildlife 132

5 The Outer Banks 133

Route from Cedar Island Ferry to Jockey's Ridge State Park 133

Ocracoke Island: Lighthouse, Blackbeard and a British Cemetery 134

Protecting Birds and Turtles 137

Climbing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 138

Off-Road Vehicles on the Beach 141

Buxton, a Trail Town? 144

Salvo, Waves and Nights in Rodanthe 145

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge: Sustaining a Wildlife Habitat 147

Remembering the Pea Island Lifesaving Station 149

Bodie Island 150

Jockey's Ridge State Park: A World of Sand and Wind 152

On Reaching the End of the Trail 156

6 The MST's Past and Future 157

7 What People Want to Know about Walking the MST 163

Bibliography 167

Index 171

About the Author 173