APPALACHIAN TRAIL TRUST BUYS BOTETOURT LAND
PURCHASE PRESERVES PART OF WELL-KNOWN VIEW FROM MCAFEE KNOB
Date: Sunday, July 9, 2000
Section: VIRGINIA
Page: B1
By C.S. MURPHY THE ROANOKE TIMES
Imagine hiking a steady and rocky climb 3 1/2 miles to McAfee Knob,
reaching the famed summit dripping with sweat and out of breath, only to find
a view that includes the rooftops of a housing development.
The Appalachian Trail Conference is a step closer to avoiding that and
preserving what is considered one of the most dazzling - and most photographed
- views on the 2,000-mile national scenic trail.
The conference's land trust recently purchased 72 acres of pristine,
forested Botetourt County land that's visible from the landmark.
The seller was the Rev. Clyde Carter, a longtime trail enthusiast.
"This tract is very visible from one of the most prominent lookouts on the
trail," said Bob Williams, director of land trust programs. "From McAfee Knob,
looking north, you see a ridge line curving off in front of you, a mile or so
away. That's it."
McAfee Knob, a large, windswept sandstone formation that juts out of Catawba
Mountain in Roanoke County, is a spot on the well-traveled footpath like no
other. It also is a favorite stopping point for hikers traveling the entire
length of the trail.
McAfee Knob is a celebrated day-trip destination in the color-streaked
autumn season and often serves as an introduction to the Appalachian Trail for
new residents and visitors.
"There are certain areas along the trail that have a combination of being
very important from an aesthetic standpoint and also because they're close to
population centers where people are looking for places to build," Williams
said.
Purchasing and preserving key parcels of land along the trail is like buying
insurance, Williams explained.
The trust paid $87,300 for Carter's property, using $43,600 in state Land
Conservation Foundation funding and $20,000 from the private Bierne Carter
Foundation. The rest will come from fund raising.
Williams said a letter sent out last month to Appalachian Trail Conference
members brought in another $10,000 in donations.
Protecting the Carter land from future development also will safeguard a
spring on the property that feeds Haymaker Creek, Catawba Creek and ultimately
Carvins Cove, Roanoke's main water source.
"The spring is just above the pipe that goes into Carvins Cove," Carter
said. "Their drinking water is coming off this property."
Carter contacted the Appalachian Trail Conference about two years ago when
he put his land on the market. He showed it to a couple of prospective buyers
before settling on the trust.
He's pleased that the land his family enjoyed for so many years will help
preserve the trail's view.
"We hiked and picked up fossils and swung on the grapevines," he said. "We
spent time climbing over rocks and building dams in the creek, catching
salamanders."
The property's proximity to the Appalachian Trail further endeared the land
to the Carters because the family had long used the footpath as a serene
getaway and even donated some land to help form a trail passage.
"It has a spiritual dimension for many people," said Carter, who has hiked
about 200 miles of the trail. "We've had hikers spend the night with us in our
home. We've seen them out on the road and picked them up. I just really like
what the trail means."
Carter, a retired Church of the Brethren pastor, has performed weddings and
the dedication of children to the church on the windy peak of McAfee Knob.
Carter bought the land in the mid-1970s. He never lived on the property, but
spent time with his family at a cabin built there.
"At the time, I was living in a parsonage next to a church and I wanted a
place to get away. We had three children and they loved it."
Carter's children are in their 30s now and have children of their own. Years
passed without visits to the property.
"The groundhogs were working on the cabin," Carter said with a chuckle. "I
never locked it. Not in 25 years. I never had any damage done to it. People
used it. Hunters. But there wasn't one speck of damage."
The family now lives on 30 acres in Daleville, where they still can reach
the Appalachian Trail.
"That's the essence of what the Appalachian Trail is all about," Williams
said. "It's a place where people can escape from the trappings of civilization
and find solitude and those unbroken views of a more natural landscape."
Since the land trust was founded in 1983, it has had a role in protecting or
substantially monitoring 52,000 acres of land adjacent to or visible from the
trail. They keep tabs on land surrounding the trail through local clubs,
organizations and trail users.
"My feeling is that land protection only happens when you have a local
presence. Then you have a connection to the people and the politics and the
community," Williams said.
Williams said his hope is to transfer ownership of the land to the National
Park Service.
C.S. Murphy can be reached at 981-3114 or cindym@roanoke.com
Caption: photo - 1. ERIC BRADY THE ROANOKE TIMES Hikers on the
Appalachian Trail enjoy the view Saturday from McAfee Knob in
Roanoke County. A 72-acre tract (approximately in the center of
photo) has been bought by the Appalachian Trail Conference's land
trust to protect the land from development. COLOR 2. map - McAfee
Knob COLOR THE ROANOKE TIMES
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