From the Mountains to the Sea

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Issue:

05/2019

Segment 1 - Starting Out The view from Clingmans Dome in the Smokies, where the MST begins, provides an inspiring start for the hike ahead.

Segment 4 - Above It All One of the many awe-inspiring scenes along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is the view from Shortoff Mountain, on the Southern rim of Linville Gorge, looking toward Lake James.

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Executive Director Kate Dixon in the field

Segment 18- Final Steps Stretching 1,175 miles, the MST ends at Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks.

MST visionary Jim Hallsey at Pilot Mountain “The original route planning for the MST included a lot of practical considerations, but it was inspiring too.” —Jim Hallsey

Segment 6 - Eastbound & Down Stone Mountain State Park, with its massive 600-foot rock face, marks the transition from the mountains to the Piedmont. Within six miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the trail descends more than 2,000 feet.

Segment 6 - View From the Top Stone Mountain’s granite dome and sparse vegetation provide for unobstructed panoramas in all directions.

Elkin is a shining example of an MST trail town, where the path is marked on sidewalks.

Elkin's directional tree sign are among the signifiers.

Bill Blackley

Thanks to the efforts of Bill Blackley and the Elkin Valley Trails Association, a mural proudly identifying Elkin as a trail town

Segment 16 - Bridge Over Troubled Water In the east, the MST cuts through the 161,000-acre Croatan National Forest, home to pocosin wetlands and rare long-leaf pine forests. The metal tags are trail blazes set in place to withstand forest fires.

Organized by the Friends and its task forces, the MST’s volunteers work on trail building, which includes boardwalks and bridges in some places. Get Involved! Visit <a href="http://www.mountainstoseatrail.org">www.mountainstoseatrail.org</a> for an interactive map, help with planning a hike, info about the Friends and becoming a member, and more ways you can contribute to the cause.

Get Involved! Visit <a href="http://www.mountainstoseatrail.org">www.mountainstoseatrail.org</a> for an interactive map, help with planning a hike, info about the Friends and becoming a member, and more ways you can contribute to the cause.

Get Involved! Visit www.mountainstoseatrail.org for an interactive map, help with planning a hike, info about the Friends and becoming a member, and more ways you can contribute to the cause.