In 1977, Howard Lee, then the secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, gave a speech in which he proposed “establishing a state trail between the mountains and the seashore in North Carolina.” His department envisioned the trail would give “hikers a real feel for the sights, sounds and the people of the state.” In The Courage to Lead, Lee’s autobiography, learn about his early life growing up on a sharecropper's farm in Georgia during segregation. He tells about the hurdles he faced, as well as the triumphs and the people who helped him during his college and army days and his long and respected career in North Carolina. Written in 2008, The Courage to Lead is an insightful look into Lee’s far-reaching impact on the state, that reaches far beyond the MST.

Hardback.