Rebecca Oreskes, the U.S. Forest Service recreation program leader in New Hampshire, said meetings have been held this month with the Appalachian Trail Club to find new ways to disseminate information. She said thru-hikers grow accustomed to the regulations in other states, so that then when they reach northern New England, where there is an Alpine zone, rules forbidding them to camp above the tree line are new. Caverly said it would be better to have uniform regulations along the AT, but that s impossible, given that the trail passes through 14 states. But better communication could help, he said. If you catch the first hiker going south on the AT in the spring of the year and make good contact with them, they are the best messenger to send the word all the way down to Georgia, Caverly said.
Word travels faster through the grapevine.
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