Sarah Jones Decker has been enamored by the unique, almost magical place known as Max Patch since she moved to Marshall in 2003.
Jones Decker, 39, used to hike often to the 4,629-foot-high mountain bald in the Madison-Haywood county area of Pisgah National Forest. She has done it as a thru-hiker - the 2,200-mile-long Appalachian Trail passes right over the top of Max Patch - and a day hiker with her young daughter.
The stunning, open space, the 360-degree mountain views, the sense of peace and calm helped inspire Jones Decker to write a book about the AT, and to work with the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy to create videos about the trail.
Last weekend she was on a hike to Max Patch with her friend, Mike Wurman, a photographer and artist, when they were stopped on the gravel Max Patch Road, clogged with cars, nearly a mile from the trailhead.
When they finally arrived at the bald, they faced a scene that looked more like Woodstock than a serene mountain summit – massive numbers of tents, people climbing with coolers over fences that were made to keep people from destroying the fragile plant life on the mountainside, trash and toilet paper everywhere, loud music and absolutely nothing serene.
More: Max Patch restored in honor of 50th anniversary of National Trails Day
“By no means do I think the outdoors should be closed to anyone. But there's no bathrooms up there, and hundred of tents are up there. It looks like fun, but where are these people using the bathroom?” Decker Jones said.
“We said, ‘We need to show this because this, this has to get out.’”
Wurman, 56, of Asheville, launched a drone to get a true representation of the tent city that had taken over Max Patch.
"Max Patch was where I was inspired to hike the A.T. and I felt compelled to do something. To see the tents up close, it’s not as shocking. I knew it wasn’t allowed, but I knew I had to do it," he said of taking the photo that shows the widespread damage of user-created trails crisscrossing the bald, and the impossibility of socially distancing.
“It's not one person's fault or one person's problem, it's the responsibility of all of us when we're in the outdoors to recreate responsibly and to follow Leave No Trace ethics,” Jones Decker said.
“When there are that many people up there, the impact is taking its toll. And that was one picture of one night at one popular place in Western North Carolina. It's happening at Black Balsam, it's happening all over the place. So hopefully this is the image that makes people say, ‘OK, something's got to change.’”
Related: Why are people trashing Pisgah National Forest?
While Max Patch is governed by several land management agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Appalachian Scenic Trail, which is a unit of the National Park Service, and is maintained by the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Carolina Mountain Club, it is public land, and camping on the bald is allowed.
However, Decker Jones believes it needs to be done more responsibly, to allow the natural area to remain serene and beautiful for generations to come.
“It is an easy spot you can drive right to, but the parking lot holds eight to 10 cars and there were over 140 cars there on Saturday. There’s no bathroom, and no, not everything is being packed out,” she said of some of the LNT land ethics.
“I hope that this is a catalyst to start a bigger conversation of saving our special places. Because it's not just Max Patch, it's many places are being loved to death all across the country,” said Decker Jones, who regularly carries out trash on her hiking trips across Western North Carolina.
More: Max Patch, Appalachian Trail get much-needed rehab, repair
Can you camp on Max Patch Bald?
While it's not advisable, camping on the summit is allowed, said Morgan Sommerville, Southeast Regional Director of the ATC, which works closely with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service to manage and protect the AT as it runs through the Southeastern states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Related: ATC president: Stay off the Appalachian Trail to prevent spread of coronavirus
According to the National Forests in North Carolina, the same rules that apply at any Forest Service campsite apply to Max Patch, which include following the seven LNT principles: Plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waster properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife and be considerate of other visitors.
There is no fee to camp at Max Patch, but the limit is 14 days within a 30-day time period. Camping equipment and tents can’t be left unattended for more than 24 hours, and campers must take everything with them when they leave.
Related: What are Forest Service, National Park Service, doing to slow spread of coronavirus?
Campfires are allowed, but they must be completely extinguished once campers leave.
Unfortunately, Sommerville said, these rules are not being followed.
“It is legal but not advisable, primarily because it’s subject to pretty rapid changes in weather. Tents have been blown off, and woman was killed by lightning a few years ago,” Sommerville said.
“The rule of camping is climb high, camp low. I would camp lower down the mountain, where you’re more protected from rain, wind and lightning.”
Related: WNC experts weigh in on fall foliage forecast
Then there’s the trash and human waste issue. Sommerville said leaving those are big LNT no-nos, but with no trash cans and no bathrooms, people leave what they don’t want, and “use the bathroom” all over the place.
“I wouldn’t want to go walking around there at night and have to dodge all the poop,” he said.
This is also a health hazard during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are not able to social distance well, there is no running water for washing hands thoroughly and often as CDC rules require, and Sommerville said there is bacteria in human waste that can be dangerous to human health.
But he said the biggest problem is the parking. The trailhead is built for only 8-10 cars, so folks park up to a mile down Max Patch Road, on both sides.
“It’s literally not wide enough for a fire engine or ambulance to get through. Folks live along that road. It’s really a dangerous situation,” he said.
The ATC has been working with the Carolina Mountain Club, which performs the arduous, dirty and dangerous tasks of trail building and maintenance on the bald, and the U.S. Forest Service on a visitor use management plan, Sommerville said.
“This is to improve various parts of the trail and build a trailhead kiosk, which we did, but also things to cope with the significant use that area is getting. We’re looking into the possibility of a camping closure order for summit, and a lot of work done to close the steep routes to summit,” he said.
What's it like to live on Max Patch Road?
James Sutton Jr.’s parents bought a house on Max Patch Road in 1997, about 4 miles from the summit trailhead. His father died in April, and since then, Sutton, 37, and his three kids have been staying with his mother to help her out.
He said he is shocked by what the once quiet area has become.
“My mom cried when she saw the photo. She said Max Patch was the most peaceful place to be. It’s sad to see Max Patch turn out the way it is,” Sutton said.
“It used to be a real nice place, but now there’s trash everywhere. Friends from Knoxville said they have no interest in going back because of the smell of everyone using the bathroom. It’s overwhelmed with folks. It’s not going a good way.
He said his mother’s front porch is 15 feet from road and he is afraid for his kids to play in the yard with the constant convoy of people who “don’t even slow down when they see us and the kids. They’re doing 35 mph. They beat up the road so bad. It’s miserable on locals.”
Sutton said he would like a road for local residents only, or a way in where tourists could go to Max Patch without harassing the locals.
Marissa Ferguson grew up about a mile down the road from Max Patch.
"I can remember as a child, growing up going sledding in the winter, riding trails on my horses with my family, Sunday drives, fishing trips with my papaw … now, as it appears those activities as a family are now frowned upon and dangerous to me and my own children and horses," said Ferguson, 28, whose husband's family also grew up in the area.
"My family have taken our horses trail riding and not enjoyed our rides or cut them short due to dangerous and careless tourists. I myself have purposely almost been hit on my horse and screamed at for riding my horses close to my house. Horse camping is not even safe or enjoyable," she said.
She said it has become so bad that her family plans to move soon.
“Some people don't think it's a problem, but at the end of the day, the impact is being done," Jones Decker said.
"We don't want these places closed forever, and we don't we don't want to lose our access, so this is the conversation that needs to be out there.”
Karen Chávez is an award-winning outdoors and environment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times and USA TODAY Network. She is the author of "Best Hikes with Dogs: North Carolina," and is a former National Park Service ranger.
Reach me: KChavez@CitizenTimes.com or on Twitter @KarenChavezACT
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