News
Reports of new developments and events along the GET. Email the webmaster to have new events posted here.
The GET Newsletter, Volume 1, Edition 3, by Tim Hupp, has been added to the "GET Newsletter" Page for download.
Please feel free to download and distribute this newsletter via email or print, and at any and all club or community functions.
Added "GUIDE TO THE GREAT EASTERN TRAIL IN TENNESSEE
FIRST EDITION, SEPTEMBER 2011" to the Documents page.
The GET Newsletter, Volume 1, Edition 1, by Tim Hupp, has been added to the "Documents" Page for download.
Please feel free to download and distribute this newsletter via email or print, and at any and all club or community functions.
Crystal Hills Trail Aka GET in NY
Fall 2010 The Crystal Hills Trail-aka GET in NY.
For many who have worked on this trail over the last 4 years, it will hold a special place in their hearts as the GET in NY as all of us make the transition to Crystal Hills Trail.
Congratulations to two scouts who reached the rank of Eagle Scout because of their projects on the Crystal Hills Trail last year. Mike Parken (bridge construction) and Kyle Pruden (crew leader) were recognized for their efforts at an awards ceremony in Painted Post on August 15, 2010. Jake Olson was recognized as a crew leader at an awards ceremony in Perkinsville on October 31, 2010. As you read this article, two more Eagle Scout projects are in progress. Arick Swain from Dansville is constructing a kiosk to hold a trail map of the Pinnacle/McCarthy State Forest/Addison area at the Pinnacle State Park. Tristan Ponader is constructing a bridge over a channel in the Meads Creek area. Two more projects are awaiting Council approval for Tyler Gee and Patrick Greaney to build identical kiosk on Watson Homestead along with some trail improvements.
Congratulations also go to the first hikers to complete the Crystal Hills Trail on July 14, 2010. Ruth and Dan Durroughs have hiked the entire length (actually twice since they did out and back day trips). Personal congratulations were given to them for this accomplishment—but no patch—it hasn’t even been thought of yet!! Design and construction have been on top of the list for the last few years. Patch design will make it to the top of the list—in the winter months. (There is a strong possibility that a tru-hiker may attempt to hike the Get from south to north. We will welcome him to Ny next year if he takes the challenge.)
One particularly interesting project for the trail this year was to determine how to go from one side of an 8 foot deer fence to the other side. With the permission of Terry Towner (landowner), Jim Bange, Marsha and John Browning and Pat Monahan added a corral gate to let the hikers easily move along the trail while keeping the deer away from the tree farm. Nice work—just be sure to close the gate!!
Work efforts in 2010 occurred on the northern section and the Addison area of the trail. The trail has been blazed from M13 at the Moss Hill Lean to in South Bradford (as the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Trail) to Meads Creek Road, across Watson Homestead Conference and Retreat Center to West Hill State Forest/ Rogers Rd below the cemetery. This will give the hiker approximately 9 miles of uninterrupted trail. In the Addison area, the trail has been extended from Maple Street in the Village, through a cemetery, across Towner Tree Farm and other private landowner’s properties to the Mose Rd./Beeman Hollow Rd. This will add approximately 4 miles of marked trail to the Addison area from the NY/PA border. Many thanks go out to students from RIT, families from the Alternative Math and Science School in Corning and numerous community volunteers from the area and throughout the State. Next year, we will continue construction from West Hill down the hill to the I86/Painted Post area. The trail may be completed in 2012 followed by moving sections below Addison off road to the PA border in the future. If you are interested in becoming involved in any aspect of building the Crystal Hills Trail, please contact Pat Monahan at pmonahan@stny.rr.com. Your name can be added to the list serve for all information about the GET in NY.
Cumberland Trail project update
1. During the 2010 BreakAway program an additional 3.89 miles of the Cumberland Trail was constructed with volunteers and students graciously donating 8078 volunteer hours. While the weather did cause issues with accomplishing the main goal, the completion of trail between Cooper and Caine Creeks, in the North Chickamauga Gorge segment, 66.6% of the goal was accomplished. Future BreakAway plans are to finish trail construction in this segment. Additionally, the Audubon Acres connector trail was finished. From this connector trail, future trail will connect the Rock Creek segment with the newly acquired Graysville Recreational Management Area.
2. The CTC is continuing the effort to complete the New River segment of the CT. This segment is located in Campbell, Scott, and Morgan Counties, which is a very mountainous region of the Cumberland Plateau. Once completed, this segment will connect Cove Lake and Frozen Head State Parks, adding 35 miles to the over-all trail and fitting together another piece of our linear puzzle. In April, a CTC trail crew and volunteers constructed 1.25 miles of trail in this segment. This was a successful outing. Trail personnel camped at an established remote base camp, fully equipped, even with a hot shower. The weather was excellent, it was a good time, and a lot of work was accomplished. Other trail building programs for this segment are planned with the goal of completing this segment by June 2012.
What’s happening in West Virginia?
The newest section of the Great Eastern Trail, from Pine Mountain, Kentucky, to Pearisburg, Virginia, goes through 181 miles of the coalfields of West Virginia. If that creates negative images in your mind, take a look at some of the trail sections through that area.
Twin Falls section in winter and New River in summer
People Make It Happen
Peggy Pings, in the Morgantown office of National Park Service, Rivers Trails and 
Conservation Assistance program, first proposed that the trail should be routed through southern West Virginia. She has driven the process at every stage.
Peggy found Becky Morris, an AT long-distance hiker, in 2009. Becky was looking for a new challenge, and Peggy suggested that she apply for a job as a VISTA volunteerin 
West Virginia to work on this new trail section. Becky took the challenge, and began working in Pineville in November of 2009.
Steve Clark, working in the West Virginia extension office in Pineville, agreed to be Becky’s supervisor. An avid hiker himself, Steve had already selected the route of the
Great Eastern Trail through West Virginia. He was the ideal person to work with Becky.
Kim Steika, working in the Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech, supervised the GIS and mapping program for the new trail section. Kim, too, is an enthusiastic hiker, and has hiked portions of the new trail section. 
That’s Kim in the red Virginia Tech hat, next to her husband, Nils, at Angel’s Rest, an overlook on the Appalachian Trail near Pearisburg, Virginia.
Steve Reece, is the president of the newest Great Eastern Trail club, the TuGuNu. For those of you not from West Virginia, that stands for the Tug, Guayandotte and New Rivers in southern West Virginia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 12, 2010
Bredesen Announces Cumberland Trail Acquisition
Critical Partnerships Made 3,200 Acre Acquisition Possible
NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke announced today the closing of a land acquisition that will add more than 3,200 acres and 10 linear miles of trail to the Cumberland Trail State Park in Hamilton and Rhea counties.
The acquisition was funded through a variety of sources, including a grant from the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund, federal grants and private funds raised by the Cumberland Trail Conference. It includes a significant conservation easement put in place by the Land Trust for Tennessee.
“This acquisition speaks to the power of leveraging resources and cultivating partnerships to accomplish more than we could do alone,” said Bredesen. “I’m pleased that a variety of agencies and organizations were able to come together to accomplish an acquisition that will benefit Tennesseans for generations to come.”
The property on Graysville Mountain is part of Tennessee’s Cumberland Trail State Park. It will allow the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail to expand between Dayton, in Rhea County, and Sale Creek in Hamilton County. The area provides opportunities for fishing, day hiking, whitewater paddling, swimming, rock climbing and trail running.
“Not only will the Graysville Mountain acquisition protect priority land and natural resources, it also represents an important piece of the Cumberland Trail,” said Fyke. “Under Governor Bredesen’s leadership, we have made considerable progress on the trail, increasing the acreage managed by the Cumberland Trail State Park from 1,200 acres to 23,000 acres since 2003.”
The project is funded with more than $3.5 million in federal grants and a $1 million grant from the state’s Heritage Conservation Trust Fund from Fiscal Year 2007-2008. The Cumberland Trail Conference will contribute up to $300,000 in private funds for administrative costs. The Land Trust for Tennessee assisted in negotiating the transaction with the seller, Richard Kinzalow, and will hold a permanent conservation easement on the 2,197 acres located in Rhea County. The project marks the Land Trust’s first in Rhea County and places a total of more than 5,000 acres under easement managed by the Land Trust in Southeast Tennessee.
“The Land Trust for Tennessee is thrilled to be a partner on this wonderful conservation project that will forever protect the incredible biodiversity of the unique, irreplaceable cove ecosystem along Walden Ridge,” said Executive Director Jeanie Nelson. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the state of Tennessee and Mr. Kinzalow on this landmark acquisition, and the permanent contribution to the future generations of Tennesseans that it signifies.”
The Cumberland Trail Conference, a non-profit organization that assists the state in a variety of efforts related to the continuing development of the Cumberland Trail, raised money to assist with this acquisition during its, Pathways for People, People for Nature capital campaign.
“We appreciate all the donors, volunteers and CTC staff that contributed and worked to execute a very successful fundraiser,” said Tony Hook, Manager of the Cumberland Trail Conference. “It is because of their efforts that the CTC was able to assist with this land purchase to expand the reach of the Cumberland Trail.”
About the Cumberland Trail State Park and Scenic Trail
Upon completion, the Cumberland Trail, the state’s only linear park, will be 300 miles, cutting through 11 Tennessee counties from the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park on the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border to the Signal Point near Chattanooga. More than one hundred and fifty miles of the Cumberland Trail is currently open and ready for exploration. For more information on the Cumberland Trail State Park and Scenic Trail, visit www.tnstateparks.com.
About the Cumberland Trail Conference
The Cumberland Trail Conference is an affiliate organization of the non-profit Tennessee Trails Association. The CTC is dedicated to the establishment and development of the Cumberland Trail. Since 1997, the Conference has assisted with land acquisitions, volunteer organization, trail construction and trail maintenance. Working with park staff, the CTC has constructed and maintained more than 100 miles of the Cumberland Trail to date. For more information, visit www.cumberlandtrail.org.
About the Land Trust for Tennessee
The Land Trust for Tennessee is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, founded in 1999. Its mission is to preserve the unique character of Tennessee’s natural and historic landscapes for future generations. To date, the Land Trust for Tennessee has protected more than 50,000 acres of land and is working with numerous other landowners across the state. The Land Trust works with willing landowners to find ways to preserve forever the historic, scenic and natural values of their land. The organization is supported primarily by financial contributions from individuals. The Land Trust has offices in Nashville, Sewanee and Chattanooga. More information is available at www.landtrustn.org.
Tisha Calabrese-Benton
Communications Director
Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation
865.594.5442 - Knoxville Office
Tisha.Calabrese@tn.gov
">Nature Valley Video featuring the Great Eastern Trail
Basores Ridge Shelter
On October 25, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club held “Celebrate Tuscarora” at the newly dedicated Basore’s Ridge Shelter, near Siler, Va. The Shelter was built by PATC’s 
Tuscarora Trail Central District Shelter Crew, led by Mike Wingart and Frank Turk, with grant support from REI. Below, PATC Central District Manager Walt Smith addresses local residents and PATC members.
PATC CADILLAC CREW ON DEVILS NOSE
PATC Members have been working on a major Tuscarora Trail/Great Eastern Trail relocation at the north end of Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area, in The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. During work in the fall of 2009 progress was made to the very top of Devils Nose, which will take the trail past some spectacular scenery in this unique area.
Great Eastern Trail Summit finds a way
The Great Eastern Trail Summit Conference, held at the Breaks Interstate Park on June 27, 2009, adopted a route through the coal fields from the Breaks to Camp Creek State Forest, West Virginia. The new route will proceed north from Elkhorn City, Kentucky, the northern end of the Pine Mountain Trail. From there, it will use existing trails through Pike County, Kentucky; and Wyoming, Mingo, Raleigh and Mercer Counties, West Virginia; to intersect with Camp Creek State Forest trails. This closes an approximately 100-mile gap in the Great Eastern Trail.
The plenary session (left) devolves into smaller groups (right) during the afternoon
The conference, hosted by the Great Eastern Trail Association, National Park Service/Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance, and Virginia/DCR, generated great enthusiasm from the 40-odd participants who gathered in a conference room at the Breaks. Competing routes were mapped, including an alternative that comes off the east side of the Breaks and proceeds through Dickenson and Buchanan counties, Virginia, to link up with the main GET route in West Virginia. Groups of conferees floated back and forth in the room, conferring on various options, and late in the day they announced that they had a consensus. Two routes, the main and the alternate, were adopted. Virginia Tech/Community Design Assistance Center will map the final route of the two alternatives.
Conferees, wading through piles of maps, work to find the best route
The trails are already on the ground, and are used mostly by ATV riders and equestrians. The main route and some of the side trails have already been GPS’ed, as a result of a parallel project, the Spearhead Trails Initiative, going on in Virginia. There are trail towns and camping spots along the way. Much work is ahead, initially to obtain landowner permissions for the trail route, and later to make it more hiker-friendly.
This closes the longest remaining gap in the Great Eastern Trail. There is still a gap in Georgia that we are working to close, and a proposed trail extension in Alabama that would take the GET all the way to the Florida state line.