03/28/2024
Mountains To Sea
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By Erin Smith

Mountains To SeaThe Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail are organizing a Mountains to the Sea in a Day event to encourage North Carolina and Bladen County residents to walk a leg of the trail.  The event is planned for September 9, 2017. The trail is 1,175 miles and a  segment of the trail known as Segment 13B – Carolina Bay Country, traverses Bladen County from the entrance of Suggs Mill Pond Game Land to Singletary Lake State Park. 

A segment of the trail travels through the town of White Lake and the sponsor for this segment is White Lake Marine.  Carl deAndrade, owner of White Lake Marine, spoke briefly about the event at the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday.

“This the 40th anniversary of that trail,” said deAndrade. He explained to those gathered at the Chamber luncheon the section of trail passing through Bladen County is 39 miles in length. It begins at the entrance to Suggs Mill Pond Game Land passes through Jones Lake, travels down Sweethome Church road and US 701 and passes through White Lake before reaching Singletary Lake State Park.

“White Lake is on the trail. It is called a trial town,” said deAndrade. He is encouraging the residents of White Lake and well as Bladen  County to sign up to walk a segment of the Carolina Bay Country trail in Bladen County.

Howard Lee, former NC Secretary of Natural Resources and Community Development, has signed up to walk the segment of trail which passes through Jones Lake State Park along with UNC-TVs Tom Earnhardt who hosts “Exploring North Carolina.” 

The trail now passes through 36 counties from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. Almost 700 miles are built and people use connecting back roads to hike across the entire state.

To sign up to walk a segment of trail, go to www.mstinaday.org or contact Carl deAndrade via email at carl@whitelake.com or phone/text at 910-876-1312. The goal is to have 1 to 5 people on each leg.

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