North Carolinans Support Their State Trail in October
The 3rd-annual Mountains-to-Sea Trail Month was a great event - more than 1500 people enjoyed 23 events throughout North Carolina – dayhikes, paddles, trail workdays. Great Outdoor Provision Co was the title sponsor
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Whether it was hiking, downloading trail information, or buying raffle tickets to support the trail, thousands of North Carolinians helped celebrate October as Mountains-to-Sea Trail month.
“Enthusiasm has never been higher,†said Kate Dixon, executive director of the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. “The trail is becoming more and more popular now that we’ve built 500 miles of trail, and people want to get out and explore our beautiful state on foot.â€
Dixon said people showed their support in a variety of ways. More than 1,500 people participated in MST Month activities, including 23 events spread across the state. These numbers are a 25% increase over 2009.
Particular highlights of the month were the grand opening of 25 new miles of trail built by volunteers along the Blue Ridge Parkway and a presentation by Conrad Anker, sponsored by The North Face. Sponsorships for the events and raffle were at an all time high.
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a linear state park more than 1,000 miles long from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. It is being built and maintained almost entirely by volunteers. It will be one of the longest state trails in the country when completed. Each year Governor Beverly Perdue has proclaimed October as Mountains-to-Sea Trail month in the state.
Major contributing sponsors for the October celebration are Great Outdoor Provision Company; Patagonia; North Face; Merrell, Chaco, Columbia, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, Vasque, and Woolrich were among other sponsors who helped make this event possible.
