Appalachian Trail 101Flowers on Springer Mt, Georgia, April 2016

What is the Appalachian Trail?

The Appalachian Trail, or AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail is approximately 2,200 miles long.

The trail runs through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

It passes through 10 of the original 13 colonies.

History of Trail

• First conceptualized in 1921 by a regional planner, Benton MacKaye.

• 1923: The first section of the trail was completed in October (Harriman State Park, NY).

• 1925: The Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) organization was formed in March by MacKaye to promote his vision.

• End of the 1920s: Arthur Perkins, a retired judge, and his associate, Myron Avery, took over the ATC. Avery adopted the more practical goal of building a simple hiking trail.

• 1937: The Appalachian Trail was declared “open” from Maine to Georgia after more than a decade of work, although improvements and changes continue.

Who Manages & Maintains the Trail?

The AT is managed by the:

National Park Service (NPS), United States Forest Service (USFS), Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC- a nonprofit)

Trail Clubs / Volunteers

• 550.3 miles of the trail (885.6 km), more than a quarter of the trail.

• Large sections parallel the Blue Ridge Parkway and, further north, the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park.

• McAfee Knob (near Salem, VA) is known as “the most photographed spot on the A.T.”

Trail Highlights - Virginia

Trail Highlights – Your Notes

Presenter, Appalachian Trail 101

Donna Evans, Author and Herbalist

http:www.herbaleducator.com

www.facebook.com/HerbalEducator

E-mail: historicherbs@gmail.com

References

• https://www.visitmadisoncounty.com/activities/hike-the-appalachian-trail-in-madison-county/history-of-the-appalachian-trail/

• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tales-from-the-appalachian-trail-34902244/?no-ist

• http://wilderness.org/no-time-hike-appalachian-trail-try-these-12-easy-section-hikes

• https://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/appalachianTrail/history.shtml

• https://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/appalachianTrail/history.shtml#facts