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The Mountain-to-Sea Trail Executive Director, Kate Dixon has given a list of how the MST brings the state together. This year Bladen County heard how the trail will be running through the local State Parks, including White Lake.

Ben Jones, MHS, MLA, Coastal Crescent Project manager gave an update this afternoon on the progress of the MST project in Bladen County. He stated, “Our workday on Dec. 28th at Singletary Lake State Park in Bladen County was a great way to round out 2019! The weather was beautiful and our crew of awesome volunteers knocked out 2.5 miles of blazing on 4×4 posts.”

Jones gave a special thanks to volunteer and board member Carl DeAndrade. He said, “We couldn’t have done it without you!”

Ms. Dixon sent a letter out as reminder of the efforts of MST and asks for special end of year gifts. Read the letter to below to find out more.

Dear Friends of MST,

What better way to end a tumultuous year than by giving to a project that is helping to unite our state? The Mountains-to-Sea Trail, literally and figuratively, is bringing our state together in a variety of ways, and your special End-of-Year gift will further that movement.

As the MST comes together, it is physically linking many of North Carolina’s finest national parks and forests, state parks and game lands, municipal parks and greenways, and scenic private lands. What an amazing thing it will be to unite these diverse “islands of beauty,” allowing people to safely walk end-to-end across our state, as well as providing a new recreational resource within individual communities.

The MST is also helping to create bonds among our citizens. Hikers on the trail are sharing stories and creating friendships with fellow hikers and with owners of land and businesses along the route. Volunteers working shoulder-to-shoulder to build and maintain the trail are developing friendships. Community leaders, seeing how the trail is bolstering civic pride in their towns, are encouraging leaders in other towns along the route to plan, fund, and build their own MST links.

The urgency to donate now is several fold.

First, the MST has gained momentum across the state, with communities seeking to bring the trail to their doorstep and volunteers, from Boy Scouts to retirees, eager to take on trail and bridge building projects. Our ability to provide materials, tools and technical guidance to all these volunteers and communities determine how many miles of trail are built.

Second, in the aftermath of this year’s extreme temperatures and heavy rains, many miles of trail all over the state have suffered damage. Land managing agencies and local governments often do not have enough staff to do the work and depend on Friends volunteers to do repairs and cleanup.

Last, we know the value and impact of a project that draws North Carolinians together. Working side-by-side on trail crews, meeting as hikers on the trail, joining together in planning trail segments for their community, our citizens have a chance to get to know each other and to work toward a common goal—a gift for present and future generations.

More than 1,200 families, individuals, and companies from almost every county in North Carolina plus 24 other states support the work of Friends of the MST. All donors receive:

A subscription to the e-newsletter
Invitations to special events, trail workdays, and the annual Gathering of Friends
A 10% discount on MST merchandise in the online store
Recognition in the annual report
The satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to build, protect and promote North Carolina’s state trail.

All gift amounts are welcome and valued, and we’ll put your donation to work immediately to help communities and volunteers build new trail, to repair trail damaged through the hurricanes, and to encourage people to enjoy it.

So, please end your year on a high note by making a gift to unify our state – step-by-step and mile-by-mile – along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.