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About

MST birthday

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Birthday Challenge this year! Through our optional Activity Log, we had a total of 326 activities logged by 41 participants throughout the month. Of those, 28 participants logged enough activity to meet at least one of the Birthday Challenge completion thresholds. That’s pretty incredible! 37 hikers logged 2,164 miles in 2026, including one thru-hiker with 322 miles and one section hiker with 144 miles. Even excluding those two high-mileage efforts, the remaining hikers still averaged about 48.5 miles each. Only six participants logged litter removal this year, but together they removed 857 pounds of trash — 107 pounds more than last year’s nine participants! Trail maintenance remained remarkably consistent: 13 maintainers logged 160 volunteer hours this year, nearly matching last year’s 164 hours. Reminder: If you completed the Birthday Challenge, don’t forget to fill out the Completion Form at bit.ly/MSTbirthday to be entered into our Prize Drawing! The deadline to submit your completion is October 7. We’re already cooking up some new things for next year’s challenge! In the meantime, check out some of the stats from this past month. #mountainstoseatrail #MSTbirthday

How is it already the end of September? We don’t know about you, but we have loved celebrating our birthday this year. And it’s because of all of YOU that this year’s Birthday Celebration has been so much fun! Between the 49 Mile Challenge, workdays, special Birthday Gifts, fundraisers, and everything else happening along the trail this month, we’re feeling pretty good about turning 49. We have certainly felt the love! Today is the LAST DAY to get out and log those miles for the 49 Mile Challenge. This year, we’ve watched hikers and volunteers get out on the MST from one end of the state to the other, and we have thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone log their miles, volunteer hours, and pounds of trash collected along the trail. Remember: If you have COMPLETED the Challenge by fulfilling one of the requirements, you must submit the Completion Form by October 7th to be eligible for our prize drawing! Speaking of completing things, quite a few folks completed the ENTIRE Mountains-to-Sea Trail this month! A huge congratulations to all of you on this hard-earned accomplishment. Don’t forget to submit your completion form as well! Thank you again to everyone who hiked, volunteered, cleaned up the trail, donated, participated in an event, or simply followed along with us this month. You made our 49th Birthday Celebration a special one! #mountainstoseatrail #mstbirthday

As of yesterday, five people have filled out their Birthday Challenge completion forms. Looking at the Challenge Leaderboard, there are quite a few more that are eligible for our prize drawing, but still having filled out their form. And, there are even more that are so close to completing the Birthday Challenge! This is that last weekend of September and the weather is supposed to be nice across the state, so if you're thinking about getting out to collect some miles/hours/litter before the end of the month, now is the time! Personally, I (Adam) logged my final 3.31 miles on Wednesday to put me at 49.5 miles on the MST for the month of September. If you remember from earlier in the month I mentioned that each year I like to take on two personal goals every year as well- to log more miles than anyone else in the Challenge and to complete the equivalent mileage of whatever number birthday the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is having in a single day. Today is that day! I'm attempting to run/walk/crawl 49 miles today on the MST, doubling my mileage for the month. I'll be sharing updates on our stories, so feel free to follow along! Drop a comment below if you'll also be out on the trail this weekend. #mountainstoseatrail #MSTbirthday (The image is from last year when I attempted a 48 mile day, but was run off the trail at mile 35 by lighting).

What better way to celebrate the Mountains-to-Sea Trail than by helping keep it clean? A huge thank you to @mountainstosea_litterfree and their dedicated volunteers for giving back to the trail we all hold so dear. Six volunteers, 2.8 miles, and an incredible 260 pounds of litter removed from the Panther Creek watershed. Talk about a Birthday Celebration! Here’s how they celebrated: "Happy Birthday MST! 6 amazing volunteers joined for a Hike-Cleanup-Picnic at Panther Creek. We cleaned 260lbs from the watershed as we hiked the 2.8ish miles. We finished with a picnic and cupcake to celebrate the MST!" Feeling inspired? Grab a bag, hit the trail, and help leave the MST a little cleaner than you found it. Every little bit makes a difference! Reach out to us or @mountainstosea_litterfree if you’d like to get involved in the next trail cleanup. #mountainstoseatrail #MSTbirthday

We are officially 1/2 way through our month long Birthday Celebration. And, we have a few folks who are already very close to completing our 49 Mile Birthday Challenge! If you are out on the trail this month hiking, trail maintaining, or picking up litter, don't forget to log your activities. Once you have done ONE of the following in its entirety, don't forget to report your challenge completion to be entered into our prize drawing! - Walk 49 miles on the MST - Volunteer 15 hours on the MST - Remove 49 pounds of litter from the MST We see lots of hikers on the leaderboard. Where are our Trail Maintainers and Litter Crews? A little over two weeks until this Birthday Month and Birthday Challenge are over! #mountainstoseatrail #MSTbirthday

"I think the time has come for us to consider the feasibility of establishing a state trail between the mountains and the seashore in North Carolina. North Carolina is a state with tremendous variety in geography, scenery, and people. I want our State Trails Committee to look at recommending a trail that would give North Carolinians and national visitors using it a real feel for the sights, sounds and people of this state." -Howard Lee (September 9, 1977) Happy 49th Birthday to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail! Forty nine years ago today, Howard Lee proposed the idea of a trail that spanned North Carolina. Little did he know what would come of those words as he said them during the National Trails Symposium in Lake Junaluska. Thanks to thousands of volunteers, dedicated partners and the passionate commitment of so many people, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail now stretches nearly 1,200 miles across the state from Kuwohi to Jockey’s Ridge and continues to evolve and improve every year. It truly is the people that make the MST possible and your support for Friends of the MST will help us grow our progress in the years to come as we continue Howard Lee’s vision for a trail that connects the people of North Carolina in addition to our state’s natural beauty. Visit our website today to make a special Birthday Donation to support our work and find more info about other ways to give back to the trail. #mountainstoseatrail #mstbirthday (Image taken just up the road from Lake Junaluska near Waterrock Knob in Segment 1)

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