A To Z Tour of Transylvania County

For the next several months Picturing the Past will be presenting an A to Z tour of Transylvania County.  We are starting off with A is for airstrip, as in the former Camp Summit airstrip located within the current boundaries of DuPont State Forest.  The following article was written by Kent Wilcox for the Friends of DuPont Forest newsletter.  For more information about FODF visit their website at www.dupontforest.com

In the fall of 1967, Ben Cart purchased more than 1,400 acres in Cedar Mountain from private landowners and the DuPont Corporation. The mostly-forested land, locally referred to as Buck Forest, encompassed portions of the watersheds of the Little River and Reasonover Creek and was adjacent to a large tract of more than 6,000 acres owned by the DuPont Corporation. Soon thereafter, Mr. Cart built a dam on Reasonover Creek to create Lake Julia, which became the centerpiece for his two summer camps, one for boys and one for girls, called Summit Camps. By the mid 1970's, youth from 25 states and several foreign countries were enjoying their summer vacations at Summit Camps.

Ben Cart, Sr. beside his Beechcraft Bonanza airplane.
Photo courtesy Ben Cart, Sr.

During the off season, Mr. Cart traveled extensively around the country to promote Summit Camps. He gave presentations about Summit Camps and met with parents and their children at expositions sponsored by youth camping associations. Three of Mr. Cart’s children had private pilot’s licenses and encouraged their father to do the same. Mr. Cart attended ground school at Blue Ridge Community College, obtained his pilot’s license, and purchased a Beechcraft Bonanza airplane to use for business and pleasure.  To make his frequent traveling more convenient, he built a runway and hanger at Summit Camps, both of which are still highly visible landmarks for those who hike to Bridal Veil Falls from the Fawn Lake parking lot.

Mr. Cart recruited local friends to assist in construction of the airstrip, which began in 1975-76 and was completed in 1978-79. His business partner, Dick Garren helped with the engineering phase and built a house on the east side of the airstrip, where he lived while he worked at Summit Camps. The house is currently used as a residence for forest service staff. Mr. Garren’s two nephews, Kit and Tom, spent a year on-site clearing brush and doing other chores while the airstrip was being built.

Ron Hubbard, who currently owns Hubbard Grading in Pisgah Forest, NC, oversaw the grading operations. Mr. Hubbard and his crew (including Ben Cart and Dick Garren) used heavy equipment such as bulldozers and scrapers to carve through a large hill at the south end of the runway and to level a smaller hill at the north end of the runway. These hills were composed mostly of soil and loose rock, but removal of the last layers required dynamite. For this task, Mr. Cart hired a professional who lived for six months in a tiny trailer near the north end of the runway while blasting rock. The contents of the two hills were sufficient to create a level foundation for the entire runway. On more than one occasion, a truck or bulldozer slipped down the steep slope on the west side of the airstrip and had to be hauled back up by winch. The three year project left a legacy of worn out equipment that is slowly rusting and rotting away in DuPont Forest.

Mt. Pisgah in the distance from the Camp summit airstrip.
Photo courtesy Kent Wilcox.

The asphalt-paved Summit Airstrip is 2,800 feet long and 40 feet wide with a bearing of 340° NWN. This is exactly the same bearing as the Asheville Airport runway, which, for comparison, is 8000 feet long and 150 feet wide. The iconic view of Mt. Pisgah from the north end of the runway was purely coincidental. Although the Summit Airstrip was intended for private use only, it was listed on FAA charts and could be used for emergency landings. Mr. Cart installed lights for night landings, but after a few attempts, he decided that night landings were too risky due to inadequate lighting and frequent fog. Night landings were banned after the lights were removed, but Mr. Cart continued to use Summit Airstrip for night departures. Aircraft fuel was available on site from a 5000 gallon aviation refueler truck. The airstrip was frequently used by Mr. Cart, his family and friends, as well as parents who brought their children to Summit Camps in single and twin engine planes.

In the mid 1980's, Mr. Cart decided to close the Summit Camps and sell his properties. Next week Picturing the Past will complete the story of the Camp Summit airstrip.

Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.