Appalachian Gathering 2012: Directions to Spring Council

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.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Directions to Spring Council

Updated 5/31/2012 @ 6:30 AM PDST

Spring Council for the 2012 Gathering is happening at the location of the 2005 gathering: Cranberry Glades Botanical Area of the Monongahela National Forest.

Directions from I-64 in West Virginia (south of Spring Council). I-64 runs East/West between I-77 and I-81 (the north/south Interstates in the area)

Take Interstate 64 to Lewisberg, West Virginia.

Take 219 North (exit 169). Continue north on 219 to 55/39 Turn ~~Right~~ LEFT on 55/39. Go 6 miles passing WV150 on the right. Proceed with caution --- If the GATE is open --- about 0.2 miles from WV 150 on 55/39 ----- turn right into the opening. If the gate is NOT open -----then Continue West on WV55/WV39 for 0.6 miles to Forest Road 102. Park on 102.

N 38.18403 W 80.26079

Cranberry glade IS in black bear territory so be careful w/ your food stuff there.

additional pertinent information: Spring Council is where the site for the 2012 Gathering will be determined and gathering layout begins. There will be travel to see sites the scouts propose, lots of walking, discussion and consensus. Come & plug in. Be prepard and self sufficient. Bring clothes for warm, wet and cold weather, good boots/shoes. Water and Food to share, shelter (tent, sleeping bag, etc) your own cup bowl spoon, all the stuff you'd need for gathering & a sense of humor. This site was chosen for Spring Council because it is centrally located to proposed sites and has no bearing on where the gathering will be.

2 comments:

jaimeMay 30, 2012 at 11:29 AM
My sister and I need a ride from beckley WV to spring counsil next week. How can I make this happen? It's an hour and a half from the site. Please call me ! 561 665 1456 <33
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AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 9:58 AM
hello jaime im jerky from ocala fla.i will b in beckley on sat night going t the gathering.if u git a ride i have lots of gos and love and light.my num is1- 352-304-7305.if u find a ride and theres room please call.i have 2 git theh--- out of fla and bablon. love u
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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.