Appalachian Gathering 2012: On Finding a Site in 2012

Where in the Appalachian Bioregion are we going?

Where in the Appalachian Bioregion are we going? The consensus was for the White Mountain National Forest (in the Northeast), or the Appalachian states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia. Spring Council selected a site in North Eastern Tennessee.

If you're not familiar with the gauntlet on the road into the gathering, and want to avoid a mandatory court appearance ticket click here.

For the Howdy Folks and directions to the gathering, click here. For the United States Forest Service Incident Command website with groovy maps and updates, click here.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

On Finding a Site in 2012

The consensus for 2012 covers a lot of territory and it's going to take a lot of effort by a large number of people to find the best site we can find. People have already started map scouting and sharing knowledge with each other about how to find sites on a map.

There's a good thread going here on the basics of map scouting with good comments. There's also some really good discussions on various techniques going on here. (Unfortunately you have to be part of the evil empire (aka FaceBook) to access it ).

3 comments:

offcenterAugust 17, 2011 at 12:39 PM
A good site would be the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area wich is part of the Jefferson National Forest. Several major trails intersect here including the Applachain Trail. There are wild ponies, spectacular meadows, and areas outside main camping areas that are lightly used. Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Va. and one of the highest on the east coast.
ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousAugust 23, 2011 at 10:29 AM
So No ocala this year :[
ReplyDelete
Replies
KarinSeptember 3, 2011 at 9:38 AM
Ocala is a regional family gathering. This page is dedicated to the Annual 4th of July Gathering.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket

Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket
Every year the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement (USFS) Incident Management Team (the cops) attempts to write as many tickets to family coming home as they possibly can to justify their presence. They give out tickets for broken tail lights, failure to use a turn signal in a deserted parking lot at 2 AM, lack of seat belts, controlled substances (even just a trace amount), beads hanging from your rear view mirrors, prescription medications if the label doesn't clearly have your name on it and you can't prove who you are, dogs off leash, a vehicle missing a front license plate even if you live in a state that does not issue a front license plate and a lot more violations of the letter of the law.

However, these tickets are not the type of citation you would probably receive for any of these issues in your hometown. These are mandatory court appearance tickets. There will be special court dates set up just for us, so we can go to the local courthouse, fire station or visitors center and go before a magistrate. In the past, charges have been reduced, fines were often minimal and the court has allowed people to make payment plans ranging from 90 days to pay $75 to 18 months to pay $25 depending on the hardship cases people have expressed.

If you do not show up for your mandatory court appearance on the date indicated on your ticket, a Federal Bench Warrant will be issued for your arrest. Then the USFS LEOs will come into the gathering looking for you. If they find you they will arrest you and put you in jail until the next court date. If this happens on a Friday afternoon, you will be in jail until Monday. If they do not find you at the gathering, the next time a law enforcement officer for any reason stops you, your ID will be run through the database and you will go directly to jail.

Of course, everyone is free to manage this situation as they wish but I strongly recommend you go to your court date. I have seen people charged with crimes that could potentially result in a six years sentence walk out with a $500 fine and three years’ probation. Keep in mind that every year the dynamic is different and these results may not always be available. There are lawyers at the gathering (I am not a legal expert) who attend the court dates and will assist as best they can although I recommend you catch up with them before your court date to gain a better understanding of your specific charges and strategies to get the charges dropped or reduced. If you do not know these people personally, go to INFO and let them know you received one of the magic tickets and you need legal assistance.