Benton MacKaye Trail Association Annual Meeting & Hike Fest
Annual Meeting Agenda
Lands Creek Log Cabins
October 30 – November 2, 2025
For lodging information, go to Lodging.
THURSDAY – OCTOBER 30
1:00 PM – HIKE FEST BEGINS
……….Check the Hike Fest Sign Up page for Meeting Locations
Harmony Hall, Lands Creek Log Cabins
4:00 PM – Check-in
Harmony Hall at Lands Creek Log Cabins
6:00 – Supper
Deli Trays
Potato Salad
Green Salad
Tea & Water or BYOB
$12 per person
BMTA Store Open, BMTA Raffle Tickets Available
Lands Creek Log Cabins
7:30 – BMTA Campfire and Social
FRIDAY – OCTOBER 31
All hikes begin at 9:00 AM from the Deep Creek Pavillion, Great Smoky Mountains National Park unless otherwise noted.
Harmony Hall at Lands Creek Log Cabins
3:30 PM – BMTA Board Meeting
4:30 PM – BMTA Store Open, Raffle Tickets Available
5:00 PM – Supper to honor BMTA Veterans (BYOB)
6:00 PM – Ceremony to Honor BMTA Veterans
7:00 PM – Veteran and Founding Member of BMTA George Owen shares Trail Tales with George
Lands Creek Log Cabins
7:30 PM – Campfire and S’mores at Lands Creek Log Cabins, bring your favorite ghost story!
SATURDAY—NOVEMBER 1
9:00 AM – All hikes begin from the Tunnel to Nowhere Parking Lot near the Tunnel
Harmony Hall – Lands Creek Log Cabins
Bryson City, NC
4:00 PM – BMTA Store and Raffle Tickets Available, BYOB
4:30 PM – BMTA Annual Meeting
- President’s Message
- State of the Trail Report
- National Scenic Trail Update
- Treasurer’s Report
- Election of Officers – View Nominees
6:00 PM – Keynote Speaker, Marci Spencer, author of Cherokee National Forest, A History
6:30 PM – Awards Banquet (BYOB)
7:30 PM – Ken Jones, Here’s To 45 Years
8:00 PM – BMTA Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony
Raffle Drawings!
- Blaze Team Awards
- Hike Leader T-Shirts
- 50 Miler Hike Leaders
- 30 Hour Maintenance T-Shirts
- 100 Hour Club Maintenance Awards
- 30 Hour Volunteer T-Shirts
- 100 Hour Club Volunteer Awards
- Volunteer of the Year
- Trail Worker of the Year
Please put on your T-Shirts & jackets for after the banquet photographs.
SUNDAY—NOVEMBER 2
10:00 AM – Hike Fest
(Daylight Savings Ends 2:00 AM November 2.)
……Check the Hike Fest Sign Up page for Meeting Locations
10:00 AM – Check-out Time at Lands Creek Log Cabinsocations
Hike Fest Schedule
BMTA member Patti Barrows has put together a great list of hikes for this year’s Annual Meeting Hike Fest!
- Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
- Mingus Creek Trail
- Deep Creek-Waterfalls Loop Trail
- Deep Creek Loop Trail
- Thomas Divide Trail
- Lonesome Pine Overlook
- Take A Walk with Suzy Downing and Bring Your Phone Camera
- Tunnel Bypass Trail
- Noland Creek Trail along the BMT
- Lower Forney Loop Trail (unofficially named by Dick)
Evans) - Lake Shore Trail along the BMT
- Tsali Recreation Area – Right Loop
- Appalachian Trail from Tellico Gap to Wesser Bald
- Tsali Recreation Area – Thompson Loop
Use the button below to register for the Annual Meeting and to sign up for the hikes of your choice!
BMTA's Celebration to Honor Our Veterans
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
–Maya Angelou
The BMTA Board and members are excited to announce we will hold the first annual Vets for BMTA event at this year’s Hike Fest in Bryson City, North Carolina. Every year, the BMTA holds a Hike Fest to celebrate the accomplishments the association has achieved at advancing awareness of the BMTA, maintaining the trails, and advocating for future generations’ engagement in the wilderness of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
At this year’s Hike Fest, there will be a special event to celebrate the veterans that are an important component of BMTA’s mission. This event will be held on Friday, October 31, 2025, at the Deep Creek entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park under the pavilion. The specific time will be announced as the event gets closer.
Veterans demonstrate their commitment to their countries through dedication, leadership, sacrifice and fellowship with other service members and the greater community. This spirit of military service is easily seen in the engagement of veterans with the BMTA. You’ll frequently find a veteran participating in one of the many scheduled hikes and/or working hard on the maintenance trips that are held throughout the year. The BMTA’s mission is ‘To preserve, protect and maintain the Benton MacKaye Trail’. The veterans who are part of the BMTA exemplify their commitment to preserve, protect, and maintain the BMT – just as they did for their countries.
In the iconic words of Maya Angelou, please join us to ‘celebrate our heroes and she-roes’ of the Army, Marines, Navy, Airforce, Coast Guard and allied armed services who work alongside us at the BMT.
We salute you!
If you are a veteran, please complete the Veteran’s Survey on the right.
Veteran Information
"*" indicates required fields
Complimentary Friday Nite Supper
…..
Harmony Hall at Lands Creek Log Cabins
Bryson City, NC
Supper Menu
Hamburgers,
Veggie Burgers Plus Trimmings
Slaw
Baked Beans
Mac’n Cheese
Beverages
Tea or Water
BYOB
Dessert
Salute to Our Veterans Sheet Cake
5:00 PM — Supper
6:00 PM — Vets for BMTA
7:00 PM — Veteran and Founding Member of BMTA George Owen shares “Trail Tales with George”
BMTA Awards Banquet
…
Harmony Hall at Lands Creek Log Cabins, Bryson City, NC
6:30 PM – Saturday, November 1, 2025, Saturday
Buffet Menu
Fried Trout
Baked Chicken
Veggie Lasagna for Vegetarians Only
New Potatoes
Green Beans or Fried Okra (if available)
Salad
Rolls
Dessert
Fruit Pies
Beverages
Tea / Water / Coffee
BYOB
$35
Casual Attire
You can pay online or by check. Checks should be made payable to the
Benton MacKaye Trail Association and mailed to:
Benton MacKaye Trail Association
PO Box 6
Cherry Log, GA 30522
Featured Speaker - Marci Spencer
BMTA member and renowned author Marci Spencer is the featured speaker at this year’s Annual Meeting and Hike Fest.
A Master of Science degree from East Tennessee State University prepared Marci for a career as a nurse practitioner in the fields of cardiology, family medicine and overseas medical missionary service. Weekends found her piloting a private airplane or climbing a mountain somewhere. After retirement, and thousands of hiking miles later, Marci volunteered for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a Clingmans Dome Rover, providing natural, cultural and recreational information to park visitors. After thirty years of independent nature study, she earned a Blue Ridge Naturalist certificate at the North Carolina Arboretum, a Southern Appalachian Naturalist certificate at Tremont in GSMNP and a North Carolina Environmental Educator certificate from the NC Department of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. Her published books include Pisgah National Forest: a History; Nantahala National Forest: a History; Cherokee National Forest: a History; Clingmans Dome, Highest Mountain in the Great Smokies; Pisgah Inn, Images in America and Potluck, Message Delivered: “The Great Smoky Mountains are Saved!” Yosemite Conservancy and the Personal Story Publishing Project have published several of her essays.
Marci is a BMTA member and she and her husband John Spencer. M.D. will be staying with us for the event.
–Published in updated Clingmans Dome, now Kuwohi book
Picture is Marci Spencer at Clingmans Dome
Annual Meeting Raffle
All proceeds go to
BMTA’s Land Acquisition Fund
Tickets — $10 each or 3 for $25
Tickets available at the meeting!
Ninety-five per cent of the Benton MacKaye is on either Forest Service or National Park Service property. BMTA needs to move as quickly as possible to secure permanent routes that eliminate the remaining 15 miles or so of road walk and “non-permanent” trail that crosses private land.
BMTA is getting prepared — the Board has established a Land Acquisition Fund. But we need your help to fund these endeavors. Tax deductible donations can be made online on the Donate Page. As you check out, in the “Billing details” section, be sure to put “Land Acquisition Fund” in the Additional Information/Order Notes field opposite your name. Or mail a check with that notation in the memo field to BMTA, PO Box 6, Cherry Log, GA 30522.
Another way you can help — and have some fun at the same time — come to BMTA’s Annual Meeting and Hike Fest October 31 – November 3 at Unicoi Lodge in Helen, GA, and purchase some raffle tickets. We have some great raffle items — including several two-nite stays at Unicoi and Lands Creek Log Cabins as well as a one-nite stay at the Hike Inn and more — ALL proceeds go to BMTA’s Land Acquisition Fund!
Thank You to All Who Have Donated Items for the Annual Meeting Raffle!
Adri Herman
Brenda & Rick Harris
Charit Creek Lodge
Darcy Douglas
David Watkins
Jess Morgan
Jessie Hayden
Suzy Downing
It’s a Surprise!
Patrick Ward
1 Nite Stay for Two at the
Hike Inn
Cindy & Patrick Ward
Non-Hiking Activities
Shop Bryson City, NC!
Explore the shops of downtown Bryson City, NC. It’s an easy strollable town with local bookstores, arts and crafts galleries with working artisans, bike shops, fly fishing shops, family friendly museums, an aquarium, two breweries and brew pubs and a wide variety of restaurants.
Bryson City Visitors Center
Located in the 1908 Court House, it is a great place to start your visit. This also is the gift shop for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Heritage Museum in the Courthouse – Free
Upstairs in the 1908 Courthouse.
Fly Fishing Museum
17 Island Street, Bryson City NC
Through exhibits and videos visitors will learn about the evolution of rods and reels, basic knots, fly fishing types of gear, types of gamefish, regional fishing waters as well as the history of fly fishing in western North Carolina.
Smoky Mountains Train Museum
Bryson City NC
A collection of 7,000 Lionel engines, cars, and accessories, impressive operating layouts, and a toy gift shop. Ticket cost varies by age.
Native American Craft Shop
Hwy 441 N & 1847 Tsali Blvd. Cherokee NC
The shop features pottery, baskets, jewelry, beadwork, wood and stone carvings.
Smokemont Riding Stables
(828) 497-2373
Beautiful trails with wooded forests, mountain streams and waterfalls located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cherokee NC
Oconaluftee Indian Village – Take an Immersive Journey
Cherokee, NC
This provides an interactive journey through Cherokee Lifestyle and is highly recommended. Explore historical buildings, witness captivating shows such as “Time of War,” and be enchanted by traditional Cherokee dancing. Takes 1-2 hours.
Darnell Farms
Has wonderfully tasty seasonal/local produce. It’s a great spot to sit and relax at a picnic table or on rockers by the river and especially for their Dream Whips. They’re known for their Dram Whips, wings, teeter-totters and a fleet of tricycles for young children.
Appalachian Rivers Aquarium
Located near the Fly Fishing Museum, it has all the local types of trout, other local fish as well as the endangered hellbenders on display in their aquariums.