Camp the carolinas

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clipped from www.gainesville.com Sweet mountain retreat By Linda Hallam The North Carolina mountains have long been a traditional summer respite from Florida’s torrid summers. And if you are thinking of such an escape from the heat and humidity, your timing couldn’t be better. This summer is also an ideal time to visit one of America’s premier destinations and its most visited national park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this summer, says Wit Tuttell, public relations director of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism. In honor of the anniversary, the park has a new Web site, www.greatsmokies75th.org, which gives a virtual tour of planned activities. (See “Planning Your Getaway for more Great Smokey Web sites.) Asheville, the gateway city to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains, hosts Bele Chere, the largest free outdoor music festival in the Southeast, July 24-26,

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clipped from www.citizen-times.com Gary Eblen Summer camps have been an important business in Western North Carolina since Camp Keystone first opened in 1915. Greystone followed in 1920. Mondamin in 1921. A study from a few years ago estimated that the summer camps generated about $9 million for the local economy. Summer camps and outdoors programs offer children the opportunity to explore and learn in the great outdoors, the world’s “oldest classroom.” Hiking, camping, canoeing and working together outside with others can be a most positive and unforgettable experience. Maybe the song sparrow is early, but summer will surely come, and when it does the woods and rivers will be full of kids, hiking, camping, paddling, roasting marshmallows and just messing around. Gary Eblen is community outreach director at Diamond Brand Outdoors in Arden. Contact him at geblen@diamondbrand.com. ARDEN – From 1-5 p.m. Feb. 8, Diamond Brand Outdoors in Arden will host a Summer Camp Fair. The event is free and open to the public.

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Recently, I wrote a post about Camping on the Decline. It is in fact, the pages name, It talked about how many less people visited our National Forests, because of, economy, less Forests to visit, more noisy off road vehicles, and a trend in youth to plug in headphones, play more video games and spend time on the computer. True, its a changing world, but how much are YOU and I, prepared to let it keep changing !

With bail outs and budget cuts, it spoke of how its only a matter of time, before the Gov. can no longer afford to keep campgrounds and visitor centors open. So, it was with a happy heart that I read about how many more people reported camping this past year, BECAUSE of the economy! This was in New York, and there is some beautiful land in NY, great Mtns, and all around good camping country.

I love to Camp the Carolinas, but having been born in Pa, I know they have some georgous places to camp.  But I was glad to see that report, perhaps its just people visiting the National forests that are declining, and not camping in general. Keep your fingers crossed!

Take a kid camping!

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JOCKEY’S RIDGE STATE PARK – Long-distance hiker Scot Ward, with his sandals covered in sand and a Boogie Board strapped to his backpack, crested Jockey’s Ridge on Sunday beneath a ray of sunlight and with a calm breeze at his back.

“It’s done,” said Ward, planting his hiking pole into the dune.

The final day of Ward“s 930-mile journey across North Carolina on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail was, he said, his best day since he stepped off from Clingman’s Dome in the Smoky Mountains on May 23.

”I’ve been waiting a long time for today,“ he said. ”It’s been a tough road.“

To reach his mark, Ward dodged cars and tropical storms, experienced dehydration and negotiated a trail that is sparsely marked and hardly complete.

”I knew this was a new trail,“ Ward said. ”I wanted to be among the first to hike it, and I wanted to write a guidebook for those who may want to hike it from start to finish.“

He purchased the official guidebook for the trail but knew right away it was too heavy to carry.

Ward’s guidebook, which he hopes to test with a second MST hike next year, marks possible camping spots, water sources along the trail and businesses where hikers can buy supplies.

Ward pitched his tent

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A Must have handbook for anyone even interested in Tent Camping !!

Completely updated and includes only the most pristine campgrounds in the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

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