BMTA Annual Mtg.

[envirodiver]

I guess the question is: What is progress? Is more trail useage progress? Is being unable to spend time on the trail without running into a lot of people progress? Is increasing usage necessary to develop the funds to maintain the trail.

I think it is very difficult to ensure that the decision made will be "in the best interest of everyone". If everyone had the same view of the direction needed there would be no unrest at this time.

However, I do believe that the people making the decisions are doing what they think is best for everyone and the trail. So we'll see.

[MOWGLI]

Folks, we're talking about volunteers. This matter will be resolved, and the trail will continue to be one of the best in the region.

If you take nothing else from this thread, that should be the lesson. Hike the BMT! You won't be sorry that you did.

[Ghosthiker]

Don't misunderstand me, from my previous post. I am for the BMTA and hope to be able to assist some with work days and what not. I just hate to see the kind of "first impressions" that new members might have gotten if they, like me, received that newsletter as their first correspondence from the Association. I wish there was a good place to get caught up on the issues on both sides of this conflict.

[envirodiver]

You're right MOWGLI. It is a great trail, it was designed and built well. It is maintained very well. I'll continue to support financially, try to make some work groups and hike it.

I'm sure everyone is doing what they think is right.

[SGT Rock]

I got told about this thread and will weigh in some. I know Bill and Diane and consider them friends. Bill is an engineer and comes up with solutions to problems and implements them. That is how he thinks. Anyone that has ever worked with an engineer knows that they can have very strong opinions about their ideas and goals. Anyone here that ever got the chance to talk with him would find him to be VERY passionate about the BMT and he does take on a lot of tasks. At one point he created the website, came up with the trail maintenance reporting systerm, wrote the databook, supervised trail maintenance for TN/NC and did the newsletter. That is a lot of work and sort of gives you the idea of his drive to do things and get things done - and imagine that all that is only his part time gig and is only some of his volunteer work.

Bill doesn't want shelters or anything like that, he wants to keep the trail primitive but at the same time get the fact that it is there to be used out in the public mind. The trail still needs work though it is "complete" and to get volunteers you got to get people interested. This means pushing to be more inclusive in other things besides day hikers like long distance backpackers, geocachers, and even ATV or hourse groups as some parts of the trail are multi-use. You don't build a 300 mile trail and hope no one uses it except your buddies.

The maps for the first 100 miles (actually you can trim that down to about 60) do suck. There wasn't any documentation about the trail (as I understand it certain people opposed that because it would increase use) and there are places where the trail should be re-routed because of safety like the Dragon. Honestly, to fix some of this you have to either have a strong leader that thinks these things are important or have a grass roots movement by users to push these things. Bill tried to get the leadership to move without a lot of success because of their personal feelings (or maybe a small group's feelings) and now has dropped almost all his responsibilities because it was being too slow to move. I presonally support some of what he wants and will continue to go from the grass roots end to help get things going the way I think it should. If that means making maps and putting them out there myself or writing my own guides and putting it out there, or hiking and promoting the trail and volunteers on my own - then that is what I'm going to do. I figure if ALDHA pushes the ATC at times on things, then me and people like me can push the BMTA at times. Maybe someday I can be president of the BMT, but until then I'll just do it, and Bill is the same type of person.

[MOWGLI]

Maybe someday I can be president of the BMT, but until then I'll just do it....

IMO, you'd make a great President.

[SGT Rock]

Thanks, and maybe someday I'll run for the office.

[envirodiver]

Rock thanks for your input, it does answer a lot of my questions. I assure everyone that I didn't start this thread to try and create a ****storm or put my personal agendas out there.

I do like this trail very much and want to see it be a viable part of our hiking options.

My concern was that there might be so much internal strife wihtin the BMTA that it may fall into obvilion.

The people that have responded here and the passion that is attached to the trail, make me feel much better from this standpoint. I want to get more involved and as I said before will continue to provide financial support.