Macon Pride, a county-based environmental organization, has recognized Caterpillar Precision Seals in Franklin for what it deems an exemplary recycling program. On a regular basis, Macon Pride highlights a local recycling program. The extensiveness and organization of the one at Caterpillar landed the company the honor this time around.

Caterpillar recycles large volumes of paper, metals and lubricants; its plant also has nearly a dozen stations for employees to recycle beverage containers and paper used daily.  

“We strive for 100 percent recycling at our facility,” said Curtis Green, the facility’s senior associate for environmental health and safety.

Macon Pride also wants to hear from other county businesses, clubs, classrooms and churches that have recycling programs to recognize the effort. And, if an organization is lacking a program, Macon Pride will facilitate implementing a no-cost recycling station on site.

828.349.5201 or 828.524.9991.

Can you make it in the corps? The Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs volunteers to join the Elk Bugle Corps and assist rangers with managing traffic and providing information to visitors in Cataloochee Valley. 

Cataloochee is a remote mountain valley in Haywood County where elk were reintroduced in 2001 as part of an experimental release. Approximately 140 elk now live in the herd, and their presence attracts throngs of visitors and lines of vehicles. Rangers have difficulty keeping up with the numbers and demands of visitors. Volunteers teach visitors about elk behavior and biology and impart ethical wildlife viewing.

Volunteers work at least two, four-hour shifts per month, starting the second week in May and continuing through November. This target period is during the high tourist season from elk calving season through their mating season. Volunteers will spend time roving the valley in a zero-emission electric vehicle or by bike. Volunteers who prefer to rove by bike are required to bring their own bicycle and helmet. 

828.506.1739.

For the third consecutive year, Western Carolina University has been listed by The Princeton Review as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in North America.

The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust has received national accreditation for its work in protecting treasured lands.

Folks interested in hiking a section of the Mountains to Sea Trail and learning a bit more about the storied path have a chance to chat with a MST guru in the Smokies Saturday, May 4.

As spring and backpacking season returns to the mountains, so does bear danger in the woods. A recent bear encounter, in which a bear got a hold of food that was hung from a tree, has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to encourage visitors to the Shining Rock Wilderness Area, and other parts of the Pisgah Ranger District in the Pisgah National Forest, to store their food securely and be on the lookout for black bears.

No injuries or property damage were reported in the incident, but it has the agency on alert. Officials had to close that area of the forest to overnight camping last fall when similar bear encounters were on the rise. To prevent bear run-ins, forest rangers are urging visitors to store food by properly hanging it between two trees or stashing it in a bear proof canister container at least 150 feet away. Forest-users should also clean up food and garbage around fire rings, grills and in the campsite.

In 1953, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, at the urging of the British M16, overthrew democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. In a declassified report completed in 1954 on the 1953 operation, “blowback” for the first time entered the CIA’s lexicon.

To the Editor:

A smile, a touch, a simple “how are you today?” are some of what I hear and see every day as I walk the halls of Medwest Haywood. Rain, sunshine or snow, those smiles are the ever-present greeting our patients and families receive. Our volunteers go beyond what we could imagine to support our team.

National Volunteer Week was April 21-27. On behalf of our entire team of staff and physicians, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to our very special group of volunteers. 

We don’t say thank you often enough, and we want our volunteers to know how very much we appreciate them, as we could not achieve what we do without them. They devote their time, energy and compassion to give back to the community, and I am glad that they chose our hospital to support.

Join me in congratulating all the men, women and young people who freely dedicate their time to giving back, making a difference in the lives of others each and every day.

Thank you to our amazing volunteers.

Janie Sinacore-Jaberg

President and Chief Executive Officer

Medwest Haywood

To the Editor:

I am a local biologist and an avid outdoorsman and spend a great deal of my time for both business and pleasure in the stream. 

Historically, we have abused our floodplains all over the world. In many cities, including Franklin, downtowns are built on the floodplain or filled floodplain. Over time, as human population has grown, we have learned what’s wrong with this way of development. We’re probably not going to move Pittsburgh, but we can profit from earlier mistakes. This is a large part of what motivated Macon County, and many other local governments, to adopt a floodplain ordinance. 

Our floodplain ordinance leaves plenty of room for debate as to how it should be applied. This is good — there is every reason to be able to discuss how individual floodplain parcels can be used, what can or should be planted or built, and how the risks associated with floodplain development should be assessed and distributed. 

Floodplain filling is a distinct case. When you propose to fill a floodplain area, this is no longer a discussion about use, it is a question of circumventing the ordinance by eliminating an inconveniently located portion of floodplain. It is a direct attack on the logic that led to creating a floodplain ordinance. It is, in essence, “fixing the map.” 

When working in the stream, I cannot tell you how many landowners approach me just to tell me about what their upstream neighbor has done to the creek and how it impacts their land. The principle, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” also applies to water. When you fill a portion of the floodplain, you are removing that area from the floodplain — at least until a large flood comes along and decides to reclaim it. 

Call me cynical, but if we allow filling of the floodplain, I foresee in the near future the turning of neighbor against neighbor. The first person downstream that chooses not to, or cannot afford to fill their portion, will be negatively impacted. If you are going to remove the prohibition on floodplain filling, better strike the whole ordinance and abandon the pretense of trying to protect the floodplain, the downstream residents and infrastructure, the river and the common good.

Jason Meador

To the Editor:

Most of us have heard the term fracking by now. In states where this underground energy extraction method is being used, the track record is not good for the folks who live there. Contamination of drinking water, associated health problems and even earthquakes have been tied to fracking.

There has been such a rush to make a profit from these energy sources that the welfare of people living over or near these extraction areas has been largely ignored. North Carolina is poised to give the green light to fracking – in its most populated areas — with virtually no safeguards in place.

It should be obvious to our legislators that a short-term profit from a relative small amount of energy resources should not leave land and drinking water contaminated for centuries. Apparently this is not the case.

There is action that you can — and should — take immediately. 

On a state level, urge your representative (Rep. Roger West, R-Marble, 919.733.5859 for Macon, Graham, Cherokee and Clay counties; Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, 919.715.3005, for Jackson, Swain and part of Haywood; and Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, 919.733.5732 for Madison, Yancey and part of Haywood) to vote against SB 76, which has unfortunately already passed the N.C. Senate under the co-sponsorship of Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and been referred to the House for action. West and Presnell are members of the House Commerce Committee, which will be the first to consider SB 76. This bill is essentially an end run around previous legislation which would have given timely consideration to the negative impacts of fracking and the measures necessary to assure a continuing healthy living environment for those living in impacted areas.

On a national level, tell your representative (Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, for most of us in Western North Carolina, 202.225.6401) to vote for — and to cosponsor — H.R. 1154, the Bringing Reductions to Energy’s Airborne Toxic Health Effects (BREATHE) Act, and H.R. 1175, the Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation (FRESHER) Act. This legislation has been introduced to protect air and water quality in communities across the country affected by oil and gas drilling. These bills seek to close loopholes that the oil and gas industry has secured that allow them to play by different rules than other industries. 

Please take time to call your representatives now, before the opportunities to protect our healthy environment have passed.

Doug Woodward

Franklin

Mail carriers in Haywood County will collected non-perishable food items for the National Letter Carriers’ “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive on Saturday, May 11.

Place canned goods or other non-perishable items in your mailbox before the mail carrier stops by to pick your mail on that Saturday. People may also leave donations at the post office. Do not include any items in glass.

All food gathered will go to Haywood Christian Ministry, the Open Door, Canton Community Kitchen, and the Salvation Army. Those agencies will welcome volunteers to unload food donations at each location beginning at 1 p.m. on May 11. 

Last year, nearly 41,000 pounds of food was gathered in Haywood County. 

The mail carrier food drive is held nationwide that day.

When Sydney Bridges sets out to do something, she doesn’t give up.

A 10th grader at Tuscola High School in Haywood County, Bridges is currently spearheading a fund-raising campaign to build a clear water well in Kampala, Uganda.

The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin is hosting a one-day leadership event from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 10 for those who want to move forward as a leader.

The simulcast event will be broadcast live from Atlanta and include the following speakers: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Duke University’s men’s basketball team; Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric; Henry Cloud, organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies, clinical psychologist and leadership consultant; and Sanya Richards-Ross, 2012 track and field Olympic Gold medalist, among others.

Tickets are $60 per person or $50 for two and includes a Chick-fil-A lunch.

GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Photographer Barbara Sammons will be showcasing an exhibit of her work from May 7 to July 31 at the Canton Branch Library.

Titled “Dusty Roads and More,” the exhibit will offer a collection of photographs of old cars, tractors, wildlife and scanography she has taken from the back roads of North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. Sammons is an award-winning photographer and published writer with over 40 years behind the lens who now resides in Candler.

828.707.4420 or www.barbarasammons.com.

The J. Creek Cloggers are gearing up for a lively summer festival season. A high-energy dance team based out of Haywood County, the group keeps the mountain tradition alive of clogging, audience participation square dances and broom dances.  Members demonstrate different styles of dance including buck dancing, flat-footing and clogging.  

You can see the J. Creek Cloggers perform around the area at The Stompin Grounds (Maggie Valley), Pickin In The Park (Canton), Lifestyle Celebration (Waynesville), Folkmoot International Music and Dance Festival, Labor Day Celebration (Canton) and Haywood County Fair.

828.734.0873 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The legendary David Holt and local gospel group Mountain Faith will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 10, in the Coulter Hall at Western Carolina University as a benefit for the Jackson County chapter of Junior Appalachian Musicians. 

Woofstock, a benefit festival for ARF (the Humane Society of Jackson County), will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the Mountain Heritage Award, an honor bestowed annually on one individual and one organization that has played a prominent role in the preservation or interpretation of Southern Appalachian history and culture.

Letters of nomination should not exceed five pages, and include a list of the nominee’s accomplishments, their influence in the relevant field of expertise (such as crafts, music or organizational cause), and their role as a teacher, advocate, leader or preserver of mountain culture.

Send nominations by June 24 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The awards are presented at Mountain Heritage Day, the university’s celebration of traditional Appalachian culture that takes place on the last Saturday each September.

Legendary country singer Reba McEntire will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

The graduating class of Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts program will exhibit some their best work at the Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville through June 23.

A national convergence of Appalachian Trail fans and hiking enthusiasts will descend on Western Carolina University this summer for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Biennial conference.

This year, the large gathering will be held July 19 through July 26 in Cullowhee. The event only occurs only once every eight years in the Southeast and will be hosted by the five southern Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs. It is expected to draw more than 1,000 trail managers, hikers and conservationists together for the common goal of celebrating and conserving the AT. 

This year’s program includes 137 organized hikes, 70 workshops, live music, dancing and trips to some of the region’s best spots. Hikes are planned on the AT and other regional trails. Workshop topics cover hiking, trail maintenance, natural wonders, cultural history and volunteer leadership development. Activities include rafting, zip-lining, touring Asheville’s booming art scene and visiting the Carl Sandburg Home and the Biltmore Estate.

www.appalachiantrail.org/2013biennial.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, Friends of the Smokies is recognizing the work of the Elk Bugle Corps.

The team of volunteers rove Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and help educate the hordes of visitors who come to see the elk each year. The share ethical wildlife viewing etiquette and teach visitors about the elk.

Last year, the Elk Bugle Corps was awarded the Haywood County Volunteer Organization of the Year. The Friends of the Smokies nominated them for the honor. Annually the Elk Bugle Corps members spend over 4,225 hours volunteering in the valley and assisting more than 45,540 visitors. www.friendsofthesmokies.org. 

A guided hike to the usually off-limits Waynesville watershed will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27.

During the three- to five-mile hike, naturalist Don Hendershot will talk about the surrounding flora and fauna, and Peter Bates of Western Carolina University will answer questions about forest ecology on the watershed property and the forest management plan.

The preserved 8,600-acre Waynesville watershed flanks the southern end of Waynesville, spanning the mountainside from the Blue Ridge Parkway down to the head of Allens Creek. It feeds a 50-acre reservoir and provides water to the residents of Waynesville and some surrounding communities. Guided hikes in the town watershed are held twice a year; at all other times this property is off-limits to public access.

Must call ahead to reserve a spot. 828.452.2491.

A group of about 30 demonstrators gathered last Monday at the public fountain on Main Street in downtown Sylva to demand state politicians take action to address climate change. The rally was one of a series of public gatherings around the state that culminated in the Climate Convergence gathering on Raleigh during the weekend, meant to raise awareness of environmental issues and push legislation to combat air pollution.

At the Sylva rally, local environmental leaders talked about climate change and a petition was circulated calling on the N.C. General Assembly to pass the Efficient and Affordable Energy Rates Bill. The bill would mandate the N.C. Utilities Commission to implement a new utility rate structure that rewards energy efficient ratepayers by charging them lower rates.

“Climate Change is real. It’s mostly man-made, and it’s urgent. It’s not something that’s going to happen in the future. It’s happening right now,” said Avram Friedman, executive director of the Canary Coalition, a clean air organization.

A video of the rally in Sylva is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Noy12zdRM.

A section of the Noland Creek Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed to hikers and horseback riders through May 2, as crews repair flood damage from the past winter.

Visitors to the Nantahala Gorge this weekend can take in a full lineup of freestyle paddling competitions, outdoor activities, film screenings, live music and family activities.

Spring means ramp season in Western North Carolina, but the ramp population in Southern Appalachians is being hurt by over-harvesting.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate the National Junior Ranger Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

Haywood County Public Library announces the addition of Zinio to its system.

Zinio is an online service that allows you to download digital copies of popular magazines to your computer, tablet or mobile device for free. You can view Zinio magazines via a web browser or via an app. Zinio apps are available for the following devices: desktop, Blackberry, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Kindle Fire.

Go to the Haywood County Public Library website and click on the Zinio icon. You should click on “Create Account.” After following the steps, you can get the magazine list currently available to Haywood County Public Library patrons. 

828.452.5169.

WNC Ecofest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Haywood Community College.

The festival put on by the Haywood Chamber of Commerce will share practical ways to embrace a sustainable lifestyle and environmentally friendly practices into your daily life.

It’ll offer everything from making soap to becoming a beekeeper to learning about food preservation. Learn about green building, how to create an eco-friendly backyard and healthy living. The event will help you save money by showing you the latest in environmentally friendly technologies. There will also be music and children’s activities, and vendors of environmentally friendly, sustainable products.

The event is free and open to the public. Parking is $5 per car.

Folkmoot USA will kick off its 30th anniversary year with the “BIG 30” from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 3, at Sid’s on Main in Canton.

It will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, music, cash bar and live and silent auctions. Folkmoot, an international folk dance and music festival headquartered in Waynesville, brings more than 250 performers from nearly a dozen countries around the globe to perform throughout WNC.

The annual cultural exchange brings the music and dance traditions of the world to Western North Carolina’s doorstep. It is one of the premiere festivals in the eastern United States, attracting 100,000 people each year.

This year, Folkmoot will be held July 17-28. In recognition of the mountain communities who have supported Folkmoot for the last three decades, the festival will feature local Appalachian music and dance at flagship performances in Haywood County.  

Tickets for the pre-festival celebration are $50 per person. Call 828.452.2997 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for tickets.

www.FolkmootUSA.org or 877.FolkUSA (877.365.5872).

Local historian Jane Nardy will lead a presentation on the secret child of Mordecai Zachary at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, at the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center.

The Cashiers historian, Nardy will deliver a presentation on the secret son of Cashiers’ founding father Mordecai Zachary. While Nardy has been conducting extensive research on the Zachary lineage for the past 30 years, she said that it wasn’t until two-and-a-half years ago that someone suggested using DNA testing to trace the ancestry. Following the suggestion, DNA swabs were submitted so that she and the Zachary family could further trace the surname back to its earliest settlers, but what came back was much more surprising.

828.743.7710.

The Handlebar Corral presents the annual Thunder in the Smokies spring rally will be held May 3-5 in Maggie Valley.

Tennis superstars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will play a charity exhibition match on Saturday, July 27, at Cedar Creek Racquet Club in Cashiers.

Country star Ronnie Dunn will be taking the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, April 27, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

Haywood County Arts Council announces a new exhibition, “Under the Sea,” featuring work by Dr. John Highsmith from May 1-27 at Gallery 86 in Waynesville.

Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the fifth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, May 3, in the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU.

To the Editor:

I’m deeply troubled to learn that some Haywood Democrats are still disgruntled about the appointment of Greg Christopher as sheriff. First of all, no one was more disappointed than me that Chief Deputy Larry Bryson was defeated. I proudly submitted his nomination to the Executive Committee. However, after talking with several committee members afterward, it was apparent that Greg’s inclusive management style and desire for increased collaboration with other community agencies had resonated strongly. While Larry was viewed as capable and experienced, most committee members thought he represented the “status quo” and Greg reflected a “fresh start” for the sheriff’s department. 

I challenge any Democrat still upset about the outcome to be guided by the example set by Hillary and Bill Clinton. Following her failure to win the 2008 presidential nomination, Hillary was described as “somber, prideful, aggrieved and confused,” but she and Bill regrouped and pledged their full support to Barack Obama. Just think what could’ve happened if Hillary had disengaged from the Democratic Party and encouraged supporters to stay home or vote for John McCain.

It’s time to focus on 2014 and working together to elect Sheriff Christopher to his first full term in office. 

Myrna Campbell

Chair, Saunook Democratic Precinct

To the Editor:

Career politicians are ruining this country. Unfortunately, once elected, most of our politicians’ concerns are to become career politicians. Numerous tactics are used to meet their goal, i.e., gerrymandering, voter ID, caving in to lobbyists, etc.

Currently the hot topic is gun safety involving background checks. Roughly 40 percent of gun sales (Internet and gun shows where the seller is not a licensed dealer) are occur without background checks. Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, stated in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee in 1999 that the NRA supported expanding background checks. LaPierre has flip-flopped and now does not support background checks. The majority of NRA members support background checks, as well as an overwhelming majority of Americans.  

The Senate won’t pass background checks because the career politicians are afraid they might not get reelected. I respect and admire Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan for saying she would vote in favor of background checks. This could be the demise of her senatorial career; however, she has the intestinal fortitude to vote for what the majority supports.

Ron Rokstool

Maggie Valley

To the Editor:

How will the saga of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad end? There have been many letters written about this grant, comparing it to a loan of Jackson County taxpayer money, which it is not. It is a grant with many terms attached. The state of North Carolina provided this grant money to help counties attract new businesses. This is the money that Jackson County is using to fund the grant for the GSMR. We cannot expect to get more grant money until we use the money we have. 

What are the chances the grant will be successful for both parties? Several weeks ago, Western Carolina University made a presentation to commissioners concerning the impact the railroad would have on north Jackson County and Dillsboro. It was astounding the number of direct and indirect jobs that would result from the return of the railroad. The benefit would be significant if only half of the jobs forecast in the report would occur. 

Our unemployment rate is more than 10 percent. Does anyone think it is likely our rate will decline if we don’t start attracting new businesses? Business owners are depending on the GSMR to bring new customers. Our unemployed people need jobs as well as some of our young people who have not been able to find work. The GSMR can help our county make life better for many of our people.

 Jim Mueller

Glenville

Chris Cooper, associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University, has been named one of the best teachers in the University of North Carolina system in recognition of his engaging and dynamic teaching style.

Cooper is among 17 recipients of the 19th annual UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

A faculty member at WCU since 2002, Cooper regularly wins rave reviews from his students and earns praise from his faculty colleagues as “an engaging professor who is actually energized as a teacher by his interactions with students.”

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors elected Phil Drake, chief executive officer of Drake Enterprises, and Kenny Messer, an executive with Milliken Corp., to four-year terms on the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees.

A native of Franklin, Drake began developing tax software in 1977. His companies now employ more than 500 people in businesses that include accounting, retail, software, dining, theater, golf, printing, Internet service, family entertainment, construction and fiber optics.

Messer is global business director of specialty chemical and packaging at Milliken & Co. in Spartanburg, S.C. A 1986 graduate of WCU, he is a past president and member of both the WCU Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Catamount Club Board of Directors.

Drake and Messer will fill vacancies created by the departure of Joan MacNeill and former N.C. Sen. Steve Metcalf.

The Fines Creek Community Association is offering $500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors living within the Fines Creek, Panther Creek and White Oak communities, as well as home-schooled students who graduate from a program certified by the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education.

The scholarships serve to support motivated students within the community to further their education from an accredited college or university.

The Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam is the primary source of funds for the scholarship program. This year’s event will take place Aug. 9-10 on the grounds of the old Fines Creek School. As the jam has grown in size, more scholarships have been available to area seniors.

Applications are available in the guidance office of Tuscola High School or online. Deadline is May 15.

828.627.1113 or www.finescreek.org.

A free kids festival featuring music, activity areas, performances and give-aways will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Haywood County Fairground by Haywood Smart Start.

There will be craft and activity stations for kids, including face painting and balloon animals, plus storybook characters and clowns on site. Outside, there will be free hayrides by Canton’s The Maize, Haywood County Rescue Squad Ambulance Demonstrations, Mission Children’s Hospital Tooth Bus and Waynesville Fire Department’s Smokehouse.

On the stage, there will be performances by Angie’s Dance Academy, Voices in the Laurel, Take the Stage Fairy Tales, Dixie Darlin’ Cloggers and MusicWorks costumed children performing Seussical Musical & Little Mermaid. 

For parents, there will be dozens of booths offering free literature and handouts on parenting tips and raising happy, active children.

Everything is free. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.586.0661.

A 16-year-old Tuscola High School student was arrested by Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday afternoon, April 18, and charged with a felony after telling fellow students he planned to commit mass acts of violence at the school the following day.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to impart wildlife viewing etiquette in high-traffic tourist areas at the N.C. entrance to the park outside Cherokee, as well as interact with the public and provide general park information.

The Highlands Nature Center is offering a lineup of summer Nature Day Camps for children. Five different camps on ecology and outdoor exploration will be offered for varying age groups. Most of the camp programs are offered more than once during the summer, and sessions run from Tuesday to Friday each week.

A pesky stomach virus has turned up among hikers along the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, especially on a stretch of trail running north out of town toward the Tennessee border.

A number of hikers fell sick to the 24-hour bug last week, and it is speculated that the illness is being passed between hikers in the region. The U.S. Forest Service warns that several shelter locations have been identified as hotspots, including No Business Knob, Big Bald and Hogback Ridge.          

A guided hike involving some off-trail bushwhacking to a little-known stand of old growth forest in Graham County will be held on April 20 by the WNC Alliance.

The remnant of old-growth forest that rivals Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in its grandeur and beauty but is simply lesser known. There should be good displays of wildflowers and early arrivals of migratory birds. The hike will be very difficult, mostly off-trail, and will include four very wet stream crossings. WNCA Biologist and old-growth expert Josh Kelly will lead this hike. To sign-up, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Another guided hike in the Joyce Kilmer forest itself will be held April 25 with the Benton MacKaye Trail Association to view the peak of spring wildflowers in the area along the two-mile forest loop trail. The group will then take in a second late afternoon hike to Huckleberry Knob off the Cherohala Skyway.  Bring supper and stay to see the full moon rise.

Sign up by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.479.2503.