Benton MacKaye Trail Assn. - Activities Calendar

Benton MacKaye
Trail Assn.

Activities Calendar

"...leaving a footpath for generations to follow."

Overview

Below are listed scheduled activities of the BMTA, current and past, for 2007. Work trips are normally held on the second Saturday of the month in Tennessee/North Carolina and on the fourth Saturday in Georgia. Recreational outings (Fun Hikes) are planned on other weekends to avoid scheduling conflicts and are set up as hike leaders become available.

All Are Welcome

The BMTA welcomes all who would like to participate in any scheduled activity. Members and non-members alike are encouraged to join in; no experience is necessary.

Notes

Be sure to confirm event details with the activity leader in advance.
If you would be interested in leading, or learning how to lead an activity, please contact us.
Email addresses of event leaders can be found in the monthly newsletter (free with membership) but are not listed here so as to avoid spammers.

Current Events 2008
Month	Date	Location & Details

January	January 12	Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: If the weather cooperates, we will be sidehilling on a 1/4-mile stretch of section 16a (parking at Sandy Gap and walking north). Pulaskis and fire rakes will be supplied. Please contact leader Eric Eades, 706-313-0873, for meeting arrangements.
	January 26	Georgia Work Trip: The main job is to refresh sidehilling on Section 6 between Scroggin Knob and Rocky Mountain. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the Weaver Creek Road trailhead at 8:45 AM. Trip leaders are Ralph Heller, 770-235-9760 (c), 706-636-3497 (h); and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016.
February	February 9	North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: Location to Be Announced. For information, please contact Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823.
	February 23	Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three, but will walk in from the other direction, from Skeenah Gap. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead at Skeenah Gap Road at 9:00 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716; or Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016.
March	March 8	(3/7/08) - The TN-NC March work trip has been cancelled due to anticipated bad weather. Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: We will work section 17d, Mud Gap - Beech Gap, Nantahala NF. Activities will include brush-out work and fix side-hill tread where needed. Meet at Hardees at 0800, in Tellico Plains. We will leave Hardees at 0830 and drive to trailhead (Mud Gap). Michael Harwood will lead this work trip. For information, please contact Michael at 828-735-9396 or Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823.
	March 22	Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog Reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Or meet at the trailhead, GA Hwy. 60 and Little Skeenah Creek, at 9:00 AM. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716; or Tom Keene, 770-422-4838.
April	April 12	North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: We will be cleaning up some blow downs and some light brush on section 17d, from Mud Gap trailhead on the Cherohala Parkway, south. Eric Eades, 706-313-0873, and Mike Harwood will lead the work trip.
	April 26	Annual Walk-Thru: Start the hiking season out right with a spring jaunt on the BMT. This annual tradition keeps us on top of what needs tending to in the southern 200 miles of trail. Hikers can choose one or more sections to walk, or have one assigned (two hikers-per-section for safety). Shuttle drivers are needed also. Please contact Tom Keene, 770-422-4838, for trail in Georgia and Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823, for Tennessee and North Carolina. Or email using the Contact Form.
May	May 10	Tennessee/North Carolina Work Trip: Location to Be Announced. For information, please contact Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823.
	May 24	Georgia Work Trip: We will again work on the Great Wallalah-Licklog reroute on Section Three. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. Trailhead meeting place to be named after the February trip. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716; or Tom Keene, 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016.
June	June 7	National Trails Day - June 7th: Come join us in celebrating National Trails Day with a work trip on the John Muir Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail. We will be working on constructing a new trail segment that fixes several long standing problem areas on the existing trail. The work will consist of digging in the dirt with pulaskis and mattocks in an area close to Towee Creek and the Hiwassee River. This event is sponsored by the Ocoee / Hiwassee Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest, Hiwassee Hiking Club, Cherokee Hiking Club, Chattanooga Hiking Club, and the Benton MacKaye Trail Association. Tools and safety gear will be provided, but remember to bring plenty of food and water. T-shirts will be awarded to the first 24 participants, and there will be other door prizes available to everyone who helps make this event a success. Meet at the intersection of US 411 and Tennessee Highway 30 in the vacant lot across from the store at 9 AM.
	June 14	North Carolina/Tennessee Work Trip: Location to Be Announced. For information, please contact Bill Lundin, 423-344-0823.
	June 28	Georgia Work Trip: We will work on Section 10b in the Cohutta Wilderness. It’s a beautiful section, from the crossing of Jacks River Trail to the Spanish Oak Gap (aka the intersection with the Hemptop Trail.). Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM or meet at the trailhead, Dally Gap on FS 22 at 9:40am. We will walk down the Jacks River Trail to hit the BMT, then work up toward Spanish Oak Gap, then walk back to Dally via Hemptop Trail. Mostly swingblade work, but refreshing some sidehilling. FYI, it takes close to an hour to drive from Blue Ridge to Dally Gap. Trip leader is Tom Keene 770-422-4838 or, the night before only, 770-722-6016).
July	July 12
	July 26	Georgia Work Trip: This is a joint trip with the Forest Service and Cohutta Wilderness Area volunteers. On Section Ten (Section Eleven in Homan’s guide) from Spanish Oak Gap to Hemp Top Mountain. We’ll be mostly over 3000’ and, we trust, enjoying those famous “ridgeline breezes.” The effort will be mostly swingblade work. We meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 7:15AM. Note the time; it’s 45 minutes earlier than usual. We must depart the restaurant at 8:00 AM sharp to keep our rendezvous with the Forest Service group. The trailhead meeting at Dally Gap will be at 8:50 AM. Trip leaders are Bill Ross, 404-234-6488, and Tom Keene 770-422-4838, or the night before only, 770-722-6016. See you there!
August	August 9
	August 23	Georgia Work Trip: Swingblade work on Section 3 (probably). We will mostly battle mid-summer brambles, perhaps breaking into separate crews based on reported trouble spots. Meet at the Village Restaurant in Blue Ridge at 8:00 AM. No trail head meeting scheduled in case the trip shifts. Call for update Aug. 17th or after. Trip leaders are George Owen, 706-374-4716; and Tom Keene, 770-422-4838, or 770-722-6016, the night before only.

Activities History, 2005
Activities History, 2006
Activities History, 2007

BMTA Home Contact Us Site Map Events Membership Info