Hugh of Blue
Grandfather Mountain owner Hugh Morton passed away on June 1, after a six-month battle with cancer. Morton inherited Grandfather Mountain from his grandfather and created a world-class recreation destination and international biosphere reserve. A pioneering enviornmentalist, Morton was instrumental in garnering support for the Ridge Law to protect NC’s highest peaks from development, and he also led efforts to protect viewsheds along the Blue Ridge Parkway by purchasing or negotiating scenic easements from landholders. Morton was also a world-class photographer whose images were first published in <em>Time Magazine</em> almost 70 years ago. His photographs, activism, and his wild mountain embody Morton’s lifelong love of the Southern Appalachian landscape.
Lost and Found
It’s rare when a person becomes a savior through their own death, but one Virginia native has done just that. In May 2005, 60-year-old John Donovan, an experienced hiker from Petersburg, Va., got lost while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Caught in an early May snowstorm in the Sierra Mountains, Donovan disappeared and was never found, leaving only a make-shift camp and his backpack behind. The last entry in Donovan’s journal, found inside the pack, tells of how Donovan, down to his last three crackers, expected to die there in a remote gorge of the High Sierras.
Exactly one year later, Brandon Day and Gina Allen found themselves lost in the same gorge after wandering too far into the wilderness on a nature walk. After three days of walking deeper into the forest without food or shelter, they didn’t expect to make it out alive. Then the couple stumbled upon Donovan’s makeshift camp. Donovan was long gone, but his pack contained a box of matches stored inside a waterproof bag. The matches, thanks to Donovan’s meticulous preparation, were still functional, and the couple used them to light a signal fire. Day and Allen were soon rescued, able to escape the fate that Donovan could not avoid.
The Whole Globe In Your Hands
Just south of Blowing Rock, N.C., and adjacent to Julian Price and Moses Cone Parks along the Blue Ridge Parkway, lies the Globe Forest, a popular recreation destination and old-growth oasis, with some trees over four feet in diameter. The Forest Service is proposing to log 231 acres of this ancient forest. Hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and other outdoor enthuisasts are particularly upset by the logging proposal, which would degrade trails and water quality near Thunderhole Creek-only a stone’s throw from the beloved Wilson’s Creek trail system. Public comments on the logging proposal (due by August 12) will determine whether the Globe gets axed, or the old-growth forests remain intact for future generations to enjoy. Wanna save the Globe? Submit your comments at www.sabp.net.
Georgia Wilderness Bill Proposed
Two Congressmen from north Georgia introduced legislation recently to provide special protection for nearly 22,000 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest. H. R. 5612, if enacted, will provide increased protective measures for the 13,382-acre Mountaintown, the state’s largest inventoried roadless area, and add 8,448 acres to existing wilderness areas nearby. The bill was proposed in response to local citizens, business owners, and political leadership in Gilmer County. By establishing the Mountaintown Creek Scenic Area, the bill will protect more than 13,000 acres of beautiful, wild and remote national forest lands in the Cohutta Mountains northwest of Ellijay, Georgia. Visit www.gafw.org for more info.
Outdoor Dictionary
Whole Milk:
The original, the best, top notch – referring to any action, product, or athelete that rises above the rest. Originally, “whole milk” was a surfing term, but it’s spreading to other sports, particularly mountain biking. Usage: “that new trail at Bent Creek is so good it’s whole milk.” Alternative usage: Whole milk can also be used to describe an attractive mail or female. “Dude, check her out. She is so whole milk!”
Bacon:
Scabs on a biker’s knees or elbows.
Gutter Bunny: A person who commutes on a bike.
