Shuckstack Lookout Tower
Showing posts with label Shuckstack Lookout Tower. Show all posts

Update: Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike / Save Shuckstack Tower

Sunday, July 18, 2010

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Below is an email update I just received from Peter Barr, author of Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers. Peter is making steady progress on two of his main goals this summer: hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, and raising funds to help restore the Shuckstack Lookout Tower in the southwestern corner of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here's his email:


Dear Friends,

I have finally reached New England on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, having hiked about 1,500 miles to this point. To say the least, my hike has absolutely been an adventure of a lifetime. I hope everyone has been following my progress at my online journal at
www.PeterOnTheAT.com. The journal entries remain a bit behind schedule but are now posted regularly. You can still track me in real-time with the Twitter feature on the right-hand side of the website, or by visiting http://www.twitter.com/whippersnap.

I am so very fortunate to have been interviewed and offered the position with a land conservancy that I was seeking in western North Carolina. Beginning September 1, I will begin an internship with the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy in Hendersonville, NC. Both Allison and I will be moving to the mountains of North Carolina at that time. I am very excited about this second adventure that will begin immediately following the completion of my AT hike: a new job and a new place to live. Because of the position's starting date, I will be completing my Appalachian Trail thru-hike by the end of August. It will require a dedicated pace with little time off during the remainder of my hike to finish on schedule.

I am very excited to report that my goal of raising one dollar for every mile that I hike on the Appalachian Trail - $2,178 - for the restoration of the Shuckstack lookout tower, has been met and surpassed! With still nearly one-third of the entire Trail remaining to hike, I am creating a second challenge of reaching $3,000 for Shuckstack, an additional $800. Many people have asked me and continue to ask me how they may help me on my AT adventure. I have always said, and I continue to reiterate, that contributing to my Shuckstack restoration fundraising campaign is the single most important action that you can perform to help me on my hike. Please help me reach my goal of raising $3,000 to save the Shuckstack lookout tower. To help me by contributing, visit
http://www.SaveShuckstack.com.

Thanks so much for the interest in my AT thru-hike. I hope to catch up with everyone once I return from Maine in September!


Jeff
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Hiking the AT to save the Shuckstack Lookout Tower

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

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Peter Barr, Chair of the Carolina Mountain Club Challenge Committee, and author of Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers, is hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise money for the restoration of the Shuckstack fire tower in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

On March 22, Peter started his hike from Springer Mountain in Georgia. His goal is to raise a dollar for every mile that he hikes on the Appalachian Trail for the restoration of the Shuckstack Lookout Tower in the southern Smokies.

For those interested, you can follow Peter's journey by clicking here.

To find out more about his campaign and help the Shuckstack Fire Tower, please click here.

For more information on hiking to the Shuckstack Fire Tower, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
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Future of Shuckstack Lookout Tower in question?

Saturday, November 22, 2008

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While I was researching my article on Peter Barr’s new book, Hiking North Carolina's Lookout Towers, I discovered that there’s some uncertainty about the future of the Shuckstack Lookout Tower located in the southwestern corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The source of this uncertainty stems from this statement made by park officials:

“Since the use of Shuckstack as part of the radio system has been discontinued, park management will need to make a decision about the need for and future of this tower”

Built in 1934 by the CCC, the tower overlooks the Smokies, Unicoi, Snowbird, Nantahala, and Blue Ridge Mountains. It also offers spectacular views of Fontana Dam.

These days the Shuckstack tower has fallen into disrepair. Several loose steps and a missing railing make the 60-foot climb a little frightening, and those who reach its top find holes and a partially rotted floor. Obviously, the steel tower is in desperate need of restoration.

“Fire lookouts in North Carolina are a dying breed,” says Barr. “About a third of the lookouts that once stood in the state are gone. Others are so badly deteriorated that they face removal. Most people assume that the towers on public lands are still maintained; sadly, this is far from true.”

In order to preserve the tower, Mr. Barr is encouraging people to write letters to Park Superintendent, Dale Mitmason. You can find more information on this campaign by following this link.


What are your thought on this? Is this a piece of history that should be preserved, or is it an eyesore that should be removed in order to return the mountain to its natural state?


Jeff

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