Programs

Jerry Barker is a lifelong outdoorsman and hiker, and first director of Camp Oak Hill & Retreat Center north of Oxford. He retired as an administrator from NC State University, as Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Emeritus. He maintains a section of MST at Falls Lake, and in 2025 named Falls Lake section volunteer of the year. Jerry served on the board of Friends of MST for 9 years with 3 years as Board President. He completed the entire trail in 2017 at age 71, as a 3-year “section hiker”, which inspired him to write a book with UNC Press focused on history and culture along the MST. It is not a guidebook but a companion for hikers and armchair explorers.
The MST is the longest NC state hiking trail and stretches about 1,175 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. Along the trail, you will see mountain vistas, rolling Piedmont farms, rivers and streams, miles of seashore, and more, as Barker offers a new way to understand and appreciate not only the natural beauty of North Carolina but also its people and history – the stories that live on each segment.