the panther’s roar · friends of panthertown the panther’s roar panthertown valley wnc!!!!!...

Friends of Panthertown The Panther’s Roar Panthertown Valley WNC

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www.panthertown.orgPage !1Spring 2019

SAVE THE DATES !Saturday, March 30 Spring Trail Work Day

Tu e s d a y, A p r i l 2 3 NEEF Trai l Work Day

S a t u r d ay A p r i l 2 7 G r e e n i n g U p T h e Mountains in Sy lva

S a t u r d a y , M a y 4 Member Wildflower Hike w i t h D a n P i t t i l l o

S a t u r d a y, M a y 1 1 Member Hike to Elbow Falls with Mike Kettles

S a t u r d a y, M a y 1 8 Hook Line & Drinker Trout Festival in Sylva

S a t u r d a y J u n e 1 National Trails Day in Panthertown Valley

S a t u r d a y J u l y 2 0 P e t e R i p m a s t e r I d i t a r o d C h a m p i o n

THE PANTHER’S ROAR PO BOX 51 CASHIERS, NC 28717 | WWW.PANTHERTOWN.ORG | (828) 269-HIKE

Spring 2019 Friends of Panthertown News

Happy hikers pose at the Blackrock Overlook during a recent Friends of Panthertown guided hike.!Me m b e r Hi k e s Mo r e Po p u l a r T ha n Ev e r!We have several guided hikes planned for our members to enjoy this spring including an easy-paced wildflower walk with Botanist Dan Pittillo, and a more strenuous trip to Elbow and Red Butt Falls with Mike Kettles. Space is limited and an RSVP is required to sign-up.! !Meet Charly, Our New Trail Crew L eader !Exciting news as we announce that we have just hired our first trail crew leader. Check out the story about Charly Aurelia on Page 3.!!Iditarod Champ To Speak At Panthertown Benefit!“Pete Ripmaster is the winner of the 2018 Iditarod Trail Invitational. You’ve probably heard of the Iditarod before, and you might think it’s bizarre to be pulled by a bunch of dogs in sub-zero temperatures in the Alaskan wilderness. But that’s not the Iditarod that Pete won. He did the same course - 1,000 miles and 50 degrees below zero - in the form of an ultra-marathon. With no dogs to help him along the way, Pete's feet carr ied him an a vera ge of 38 mi les a day over 26 days . ” Introduction from the MtnMeister podcast episode #207. Don’t miss Pete. Tickets go on sale in April. (Continues on Page 4) !

O U R M I S S I O N !The mission of Friends of Panthertown is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve this outstanding natural resource while improving the quality and experience of recreational o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n Panthertown Valley.

http://www.panthertown.org

https://panthertown.org/about/

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recreation/recarea/?recid=48686

https://panthertown.org/panthertown-valley

https://panthertown.org/about/

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recreation/recarea/?recid=48686

https://panthertown.org/panthertown-valley


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Our supporting members and volunteers help us do the work needed in Panthertown. Thank YOU!

!Thank you to National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance for awarding Friends of Panthertown a $5,000 grant in support of our ongoing stewardship work in Panthertown Valley. Our volunteers were able to maintain 30 miles of trails over the summer and fall of 2018, including a backlog of deferred maintenance projects we were able to complete.

!Thanks to Melanie Jones for assisting our membership and development committee this season.

!To volunteer with Friends of Panthertown, or to learn more about the work our volunteers do, visit: p a n t h e r t o w n . o r g / v o l u n t e e r !To Adopt-A-Trail in Panthertown Valley, or to become a supporting business member, please visit: p a n t h e r t o w n . o r g / a d o p t And, to renew your membership o n l i n e , y o u m a y v i s i t : p a n t h e r t o w n . o r g / r e n e w

U. S . Fo r e s t Se r v i c e a n d Friends o f Panthertown Back To Working On Trails After Federal Shutdown!A f t e r a 3 5 d a y g o v e r n m e n t a l shutdown closed U.S. Forest Service offices and furloughed s t a f f d u r i n g Ja n u a r y, Fr i e n d s o f Pa n t h e r to w n w a s r e -authorized to continue maintenance work on the trails in Panthertown. Volunteer groups, including Friends, were asked to not do any on-the-ground work in the National Forests during the shutdown. While trail work was on hold, Friends staff continued to plan for 2019 work projects. In February, Fr iends h i red C h a r l y Au re l i a a s Tra i l Cre w Leader to coordinate the volunteer trail work in Panthertown Valley. !

N e w s & H a p p e n i n g s !As we finish off the winter season looking forward to the warmer days ahead and the magnificent wildflower blooms soon to come, we present to you our spring 2019 edition of The Panther’s Roar.!

We are excited to announce we have recently hired Charly Aurelia as our p a r t- t i m e Pa n t h e r t o w n Tr a i l C r e w Leader. Charly will help us protect and m a i n t a i n t h e P a n t h e r t o w n Tr a i l System and work with volunteers on much needed conservation projects.!

We also welcome outstanding volunteers Abbey Bearer and Marcia Shawler as the newest trustees to serve on our board.!

Our ded icated vo lunteer s worked throughout the autumn keeping the 30 mile trail system in Panthertown clear before winter arrived. Our volunteers took a break f rom t ra i l work dur ing the 3 5 -day government shutdown and have now returned to continue the much needed work needed to conserve Panthertown and the trail system for all to explore and enjoy.!

Member hikes and trail work days are both great ways to get involved and meet others who also care for Panthertown. We hope to see you on the trails this season. !

!!B o a r d o f T r u s t e e s

Margaret Carton President !

Mike Purdy V.P. Trail Boss!

Virginia Willard V.P. Development!

Abbey Bearer Treasurer!

Tony Austin Mike English Paul Johnson Mike Kettles Margo Purdy

Marcia Shawler Tom West

Jason Kimenker!Executive Director!

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Charly Aurelia!Trail Crew Leader!

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Friends of Panthertown is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

organization. All donations and memberships are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.!

PA N T H E RTO W N B E A R A L E RT

See important informationposted on our website at panthertown.org/bears

http://panthertown.org/bears

http://panthertown.org/bears



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F r i e n d s o f P a n t h e r t o w n H i r e s Tr a i l C r e w L e a d e r !

Friends works in partnership with the U.S. Forest Ser vice by providing funding and volunteers to conserve, maintain, and improve 30 miles of backcountry trails in Panthertown. !!In late February, after a month-and-a-half long region wide search for qualified candidates, Friends of Panthertown hired Charly Aurelia for the newly created part-time position of Trail Crew Leader. Charly will coordinate the project work and volunteers needed to maintain the Panthertown Trail System. Trail Boss and Friends of Panthertown co-founder Mike Purdy will continue to oversee our mission. !!Charly comes to us with extensive backcountry experience. Always an explorer, he has traveled much of the North American continent by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, and on four wheels. Lately his focus has been avid trail running, hiking, and mountain biking with his pup, Jack. He began facilitating learning 35 years ago and during that time he has been a professional educator in emergency and wi lder ness medic ine , communication skills, self protection, and navigation. He will be training and leading the Friends of Panthertown trail crew volunteers. !!Charly also serves on the Board of Directors for Pi sgah Area Souther n Off road B icyc le Association (SORBA) and functions as their Trails Coordinator managing over 200 miles of trails in Pisgah National Forest as well as municipal, county, and state lands. He is a USFS Certified Sawyer and in addition to extensive Trail Crew Leader training, he has developed the Trail Crew Leader training program for the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest. Charly also cares for trails in the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge as a part of Conserving Ca r o l i n a ’s Ro c k Cr u s h e r s Tr a i l Cr e w. !!This is the first time Friends has offered a paid trail crew leader position. Funding for this important position came in part from donations from our generous members and will continue to be sustained in the future with grant funds.!!!

Above: Charly Aurelia (right) shares trail maintenance tips with a representative from SAWS (left) while recruiting volunteers at a recent Southwestern Community College event.

Above: Charly Aurelia pauses to admire the view after a long day of sawyer work on the Gray Rock over look on the Weed Patch Mountain Trail near Lake Lure, North Carolina. Char l y w i l l be work ing wi th Fr iends o f Panthertown volunteers to maintain the 30-mile public trail system in Panthertown Valley.



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Friends of Panthertown to host Id i t a r o d Tra i l In v i t a t i o n a l Champion Pete Ripmaster: Ultra Runner, Adventurer, Public Speaker !Henry David Thoreau wrote, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”!!Pete Ripmaster would be quick to tell you that for the music he hears, “far away” would be an understatement. He was an athlete from day one, but didn’t find his true passion until later in life when he was first invited to run one of the toughest endurance races on the planet, the Iditarod Trail Invitational. This human powered race - without dogs - is a 1,000 mile ultra marathon on the Iditarod Trail in Alaska. !!You may ask what got Pete to this point. Well, it’s a long, colorful story! And one he's more than happy to share. No matter the audience, Pete will inspire, as he speaks from the heart encouraging others to chase their passions through determination and grit. Pete speaks on a number of topics including setting and achieving audacious goals including, winning the 2018 Id i ta rod on foot , and Running 50 Marathons in 50 States.!!When you hear Pete Ripmaster speak, you will leave inspired to hear your own drummer. Take a walk on the wild side: make plans to hear Pete speak this summer. Tickets sales begin in April.!!Pr o ce e d s f r o m t h i s e v e n t w i l l b e n e f i t conservation work in Panthertown Valley. !

"Pete nearly died attempting the ITI in 2016… He had every excuse never to return to Alaska. But in 2018, Ripmaster ran the Iditarod again -and won it.” - Blue Ridge Outdoors!

"Pete Ripmaster has an amazing stor y of tr iumph by ultra running the 1 ,000 mile Iditarod Invitational. He went from dead last, having a near death experience, to winning the race…" - Adventure Sports!

"Three years ago, accomplished ultra runner Ripmaster, read an article about the 1,000-mile race and wanted in. He called the director the same day. His sheer enthusiasm secured him a spot” - Gear Junkie!

"Buckle your seat belts, because you're in for a t rea t… I ' l l l e t Pete te l l you about h i s journeys and obsessions about this event that led to his victory… " - I Could Never Do That!



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General Admission tickets will be available beginning on Earth Day, April 22, 2019. Please contact us about V.I.P. tickets which will include reserved seating and an invitation to join Pete on a group hike in Panthertown.


Grant Funded Projects in Panthertown !Randy Welsh, National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance Project Manager, reported NWSA was “exc i ted to o f fe r fund ing to suppor t the volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and agency partners who are stewarding the National Forest trail system on their local public lands”, including Friends of Panthertown and Panthertown Valley. “These trail stewardship projects accomplished much needed work to improve trail conditions on the National Forests. Americans are lucky to have such diverse and beautiful National Forest areas across our country, but we are even luckier to have caring stewards who give their time and their energy and their love to this unique American resource.” The stewardship work in Panthertown that was funded under the NWSA grant was accomplished between May and December 2018. !

Above: Board member Mike English takes a break from trail work to speak with a young volunteer about Greenland Creek Falls and why conserving Panthertown is so important.

Friends’ members jo ined us on a guided hike and visited the popular Frol ictown Fal l s (left), Wilderness Fal ls (right ) , and Sa l t Rock Gap overlook (above).


Spring 2019 Page !6 www.panthertown.org


P h o t o s f r o m J e n n i f e r P h a r r D a v i s P r e s e n t a t i o n Friends of Panthertown hosted a presentation last summer featuring Jennifer Pharr Davis, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. The program was held at The County Club of Sapphire Valley where more than 200 people attended. Don’t miss hearing Iditarod Champion Pete Ripmaster on July 20.

Right: Steve Shawler, Margaret Carton, Friends’ President, Marcia Shawler, and Jennifer with Executive Director Jason Kimenker. Photo by Don Richeson .

Above: Jennifer poses with members and event sponsors, Marcia and Steve Shawler. !

Below: Virginia Willard and Margaret Carton




Friends of Panthertown PO Box 51 Cashiers, NC 28717

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED

Join us on Saturday, March 30, 2019 for a Panthertown Valley Spring Trail Work Day.!

Volunteers of a l l experience levels are we lcome and a p p r e c i a t e d .




the panther’s roar · friends of panthertown the panther’s roar panthertown valley wnc!!!!!...

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