Johnson contacted Tom Potter, 

 eastern North Carolina's regional 

 trails specialist with the N.C. Division 

 of Parks and Recreation, for technical 

 help, and the two set to work. Their 

 plan was to plot a number of trails in 

 smaller, more protected bodies of 

 water that were easily accessible. 



Though most of the streams in the 

 system are just down the road for 

 many eastern North Carolinians, they 

 have generally been overlooked by 

 residents when they plan outings, 

 Potter says. One aim of the project is 

 encouraging locals to take advantage 

 of the nearby opportunities to appreci- 

 ate the state's natural wealth. 



Escaping the stresses of the 

 modern world is an added benefit for a 

 canoeist on these trails. 



Says Potter, "Traveling these 

 streams slows down the pace of life. 

 You're not bothered by televisions, 

 telephones or other interruptions. It's 

 one of the quickest ways to get out in 

 nature for people in this part of the 

 state. You're isolated but not too far 

 from everyday life." 



It seems that some people have 

 gotten that message already. Johnson 

 is quick to point out that canoeing has 

 become a more popular sport here in 

 the past few years. Every day, he spots 

 canoes on top of vehicles. Just five 

 years ago, he says, that was a rare 

 sight in eastern North Carolina. 



According to Paul Cook, a 

 spokesperson for the N.C. Division of 

 Travel and Tourism, the trail system 

 will also benefit the state's tourism 

 trade. Many of the top 20 attractions 

 in North Carolina are outdoor areas 

 such as state parks. 



"Obviously, a lot of people come 

 here to enjoy the great natural beauty 

 and outdoor activities North Carolina 

 has to offer," Cook says. "Having 

 specific trails is an advantage because 

 they offer another selling point." 



Many canoe and kayak enthusi- 

 asts may already know about particu- 

 larly good but obscure waterways to 

 travel here, but other folks visiting the 

 Tar Heel state are not so fortunate. A 



clearly defined and well-advertised 

 trail system may encourage more 

 visitors to explore these areas. 



"That knowledge becomes a tool 

 for us and for the state's travel 

 industry," says Cook. "We have 

 hundreds of people calling every week 

 for that kind of information — from 

 North Carolina residents to people 

 from out of state to international 

 visitors." 



Boosting tourism is an important 

 goal of the project, Johnson says. 



"The metropolitan areas within 

 several hours' drive from eastern 

 North Carolina hold millions of 

 people, and many are eager to get out 

 of those places for a little while," 

 Johnson says. "This made the project 

 feasible from the very beginning." 



About 2.5 million people live 

 within a two-hour drive of the area 

 and about 20 million within a six-hour 

 drive. 



To some natives, those numbers 

 might sound daunting and raise 

 concerns that inviting so many visitors 

 to eastern North Carolina's water- 

 courses is also inviting trouble. 

 Johnson understands the fears for 

 private property and the environment 

 but says that the number of users at 

 any one time will be small and the 

 people who come will treat the trails 

 with respect. 



Another potential conflict is that 

 between slow-moving canoeists and 

 speedier motorboaters. Johnson and 

 Potter anticipated this when laying out 

 the system and sited most of the 

 courses in the upper ends of streams 

 where motorboats cannot run full 

 throttle. 



Establishing a trail system that 

 takes advantage of the area's natural 

 beauty while avoiding clashes among 

 users and property owners is no small 

 — or speedy — task. To begin, Potter 

 and Johnson examined topographical 

 maps and identified "canoeable" 

 streams. They then undertook a 

 yearlong physical assessment of the 

 waterways by canoeing all of the 

 targeted streams themselves. 



Their next task was to plot a sign 

 system. They decided to mark the 

 streams at least once every mile so that 

 canoeists will be assured they are on 

 the right path. Directional arrows 

 positioned at potentially confusing 

 places like oxbows will help them know 

 which way to go to stay on the trail. 



Potter and Johnson then spent 

 about a year and a half locating access 

 points. They figured that access should 

 be available every eight to 10 miles — 

 the equivalent of about six to eight 

 hours of canoeing time — so that folks 

 can plan day trips and get off the water 

 with little trouble. To follow through on 

 this effort, the two identified the 

 landowners of good access sites and got 

 their cooperation. Many of the access 

 points are Wildlife Resources Commis- 

 sion boat ramps, city and county 

 recreational park ramps, private marinas 

 and community ramps at bridge 

 crossings. 



After about two and a half years of 

 hard work drawing up the trail system's 

 details, Potter and Johnson still had 

 what could have been two difficult 

 pursuits ahead of them: convincing the 

 county commissioners to give the 

 streams official trails designations and 

 then obtaining the funds to complete the 

 project. Fortunately, neither was an 

 obstacle. 



For example, North Carolina 

 Adopt-A-Trail provided $5,000 for the 

 signs necessary to mark the streams and 

 access points. Once the signs were 

 printed, volunteers and county staffers 

 spent about half a year positioning 

 them. 



The final concern for Potter and 

 Johnson was getting the word out. A 

 regional brochure with a map and brief 

 descriptions of each trail was printed, 

 and individual county brochures with 

 more detailed information will be ready 

 by summer. 



To make the trails even friendlier 

 for vacationers, Potter next plans to add 

 some raised camping platforms so that 

 canoeists can spend the night in 

 swampy areas where there are no high 

 banks or dry land. 



10 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1997 



