Sweetwater – Partners of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness rang in the season Dec. 10 with a potluck holiday party at The Gleanings Foundation.
The meal included dozens of homemade dishes, as well as turkey and
gravy provided by Chef Alex Henry of Fontana Village Resort and lobster bisque by Chef Shae Blaylock of Willow Tree Restaurant.
The party was held not only to “celebrate another wonderful year of growth” and hold a board meeting, but to acknowledge the service of outgoing president Jim Kriner and welcome incoming president Katy Lynch. Member Kim Hainge described the party as “pure joy,” in spite of the dark and dreary weather.
One of the most active volunteer organizations in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, the Partners’ mission includes protecting, conserving and enhancing the Wilderness, assisting rangers, supporting education and research, and supporting the United States Forest Service.
As U.S. Forest Service funding has been cut to the point of trail maintenance being impossible, volunteers such as the Partners take up the slack. Composed of “volunteers that love the forest and love to walk in the woods to help keep the numerous trails clear,” volunteers maintain trails, but also raise funds and install signage in the Wilderness.
The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, founded in 1975, encompasses 17,394 acres in the Nantahala National Forest and Cherokee National Forest and is located approximately 20 miles outside of Robbinsville. The Wilderness includes virgin forest with trees hundreds of years old.
The Wilderness is named for Joyce Kilmer, journalist for The New York Times and author of the poem Trees, who died in action in WWI. Trails range for easy walks Memorial Loop Trail to the Slickrock Creek Trail, one of the most difficult hikes in the country.
For more information about the Partners of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, visit
joycekilmerslickrock.org.