Spirit of Christmas Giving - Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Remember the Mountains-to-Sea Trail during the Holidays
submitted by Kate Dixon, Executive Director, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Happy Holidays! This year, as you think about charitable gifts at year end, we hope you will make a special donation to build, protect and promote the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

More and more people are hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail each year to experience the extraordinary beauty of North Carolina - in the mountains, piedmont, coastal plain and outer banks. Ian Fraher, who completed the MST just before Thanksgiving, wrote about his journey:

"I had an amazing experience walking across North Carolina. I cannot think of a better way to experience a land than to walk across it, and I fell in love with North Carolina.

It's exciting to be one of the first 20 people to hike the entire MST, to be a pioneer in some ways. Being an early thru-hiker comes with certain challenges: road walking and knowing when I can and cannot camp. But I'll be able to help the MST grow and become more hiker-friendly with the information I gathered on my trip, information I can share with others interested in walking the trail."

Members of FMST are pioneers too - just like Ian and others who have been early hikers of the MST. Your support helps the MST grow and makes these challenging, life-changing, inspiring journeys possible -- now in the early days and in the future too.

2010 has been a year of exciting progress for the MST.

• President and First Lady Obama hiked on the MST near Asheville.
• The MST was voted one of North Carolina's Top 10 Natural Wonders.
• State Parks opened 25 new miles built by FMST volunteers along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone and Jefferson.
• FMST volunteers built the final mile of trail at Falls Lake -- now, at 60 miles, the longest stretch of MST in the Piedmont.

You can help make this grand vision possible by making a special year-end gift to build, protect and promote the MST.

Your support of the MST will be greatly appreciated by all who travel the trail and experience the beauty of North Carolina. Please join with me and others to support the trail that is uniquely North Carolina.