Date: 2015-11-04
To: Appalachian Trail Overview
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I thought I would provide a quick overview of the Appalachian Trail and its history for any friends and family that decide to read this journal. I basically pieced together a few excerpts I found on various websites. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is the nation's longest "marked footpath," stretching approximately 2,178 miles (the exact figure fluctuates) from the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail blazes through 14 states (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) and ranges from deep wilderness to strenuous mountain hiking above the tree line ¢ its elevation dips to 124 ft. in New York and climbs to 6,625 ft. in Tennessee, at the top of Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail was the brainchild of Benton MacKaye, a New England regional planner who published the idea in 1921. He originally envisioned wilderness communities along the trail where visitors could stop and renew themselves in a natural setting. Even though the Trail was proposed by MacKaye, he was kind of a lazy dude and his efforts faded until they were picked up by Myron H. Avery, who had around 200 activists backing him up. Avery and his team were the ones who established routes and published guidebooks and maps while working with national parks and other federal agencies to get the show on the road. Hikers and outdoors enthusiasts embraced the idea for the trail and promptly started building. The first portion was opened in New York in 1923, and the full trail was completed by 1937, constructed and maintained by volunteer groups along the Eastern seaboard. The trail fell into disrepair in the 1940s as manpower and resources were drained by World War II, although after the war its supporters banded together to restore it by 1951. The Federal Government named the A.T. a National Scenic Trail in 1968, and today the full length ¢ almost all on public land ¢ is maintained by a network of nonprofit groups and protected by the National Park Service. The Appalachian Trail attracts thousands of hikers each year, most of whom traverse small sections of the trail on short day trips. A hardier band of explorers shoot for the big enchilada: hiking the entire length of the trail, some 5 million footsteps. Each year about 500 "thru-hikers" or "2,000-milers" complete the grueling trek; the A.T. foils about 80% of those who try. The total number of reported "thru-hikes" hit 10,000 in 2008. Traveling the length of the trail takes between five and seven months; most people start at the southern end and head north. Campgrounds and shelters are available along the route, and the trail passes through small towns with a history of welcoming campers. In 1948, legendary hiker Earl Shaffer became the first person to travel the full trail in one season. Fifty years later, at age 79, he repeated the feat ¢ also becoming the oldest thru-hiker at that point (an 81-year-old completed the trek in 2004). The trail is marked with white rectangles, 2x6 inches, called white blazes. Some fun facts:-The elevation gain/loss of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 16 times.-It¢s estimated that about 99% of the entire trail has been either relocated or rebuilt since its completion.-Springer Mountain is not the original southern terminus of the trail. Springer Mountain did not receive the title until 1956. Before that the honor of the southern terminus fell to Mount Oglethorpe.-The trail¢s creators thought most people would actually hike Southbound.-The famed Appalachian Trail Days Festival in Damascus, VA is only 27 years old.-If you¢ve driven Skyline Drive¢s 105 miles of winding road through Shenandoah National Park you¢ve traveled along the original path the AT was intended to follow! The idea of Skyline Drive was proposed in 1931. This was six years before the official completion of the trail. Its path along the crest of the Blue Ridge is the original siting for the Appalachian Trail through the area.-The A.T. is home to an impressive diversity of plants and animals. Some animals you may see include black bears, moose, porcupines, snakes, woodpeckers, and salamanders. Some plants you may encounter include jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage, and flame azaleas.-For nearly sixty-two years, Mount Washington, New Hampshire (which the AT goes through) held the world record for the fastest wind gust ever recorded on the surface of the Earth: 231 miles per hour, recorded April 12, 1934 by Mount Washington Observatory staff.-August 14, 1937 was the day the Appalachian Trail was completed as a continuous footpath.-The Trail¢s famous white blazes are more numerous that the miles. A total of 165,000 blazes are on the Trail guiding hikers the whole way.