Date: 2005-10-17
To: Introduction to the Appalachian Trail
Miles today: 0.0

This has become an extended journal over multiple years. What started as a 2006 hike was interrupted by family illness and is now being continued in 2007. For current information check 2007 dated entries.AN INTRODUCTION TO THE APPALACHIAN TRAILThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,175 mile foot trail along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in the central Maine wilderness to Springer Mountain in a designated wilderness area in north Georgia. It was designed, constructed, and marked in the 1920s and 1930s by volunteer hiking clubs joined together by the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC), but it wasn't until 1968 that the National Trails System Act made the Appalachian Trail a linear national park and authorized funds to surround the entire route with public lands, either federal or state, protected from incompatible uses. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. The goal is to maintain the entire Trail environment as a place for everyone to hike, backpack, or otherwise enjoy the Appalachian Mountains and wildlands, while at the same time conserving the natural, scenic, historical, and cultural resources of this one-of-a-kind park. Primary use is by weekend or short-term hikers. "Thru-hikers" generally start from the South in early spring and hike the entire length in 5 to 6 months. More than 98% of the Hiking Trail is now on public land and two-thirds of the population of the US live within 550 miles of it.The most primitive section of the trail and the highest of the entire route is through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with 70 crest-line Trail miles. Beyond the Great Smokies come the Yellow Creek-Wauchecha-Cheoah Mountain areas, which are difficult to traverse because of steep elevation changes. Next is the outstanding Nantahala National Forest section, with 4,000-foot gaps and 5,000-foot peaks.Those heading from Georgia to Maine, are termed "north-bounders" (also NOBO or GAME) while those heading in the opposite direction are termed "south-bounders." (also SOBO or MEGA) Northbound is the direction in which the whole route is most often attempted. Many hikers will start out in early spring and follow the warm weather as it progresses northward. Part of hiker subculture includes making colorful entries in log books at trail shelters, signed under trail names (mine is Bald Eagle) adopted by the hikers.The Appalachian Trail, completed in 1937:¢¢        Is a unit of the National Park Service. ¢¢        Is the nation's longest marked footpath, at approximately 2,175 miles. ¢¢        Is the first national scenic trail, designated in 1968. ¢¢        Houses more than 2,000 occurrences of rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species. ¢¢        Crosses six national parks. ¢¢        Traverses eight national forests. ¢¢        Touches 14 states. ¢¢        Is maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships. Fun facts about the Appalachian Trail:¢¢        Lowest elevation: 124 feet. ¢¢        Highest elevation: 6,625 feet. ¢¢        There are 165,000 blazes along the length of the Trail. (Two-inch by six-inch vertical white paint blazes mark the trail. A double blaze¢one above the other¢is placed before turns, junctions, or other areas that require that hikers be alert. Blue blazes mark Appalachian side trails. Usually these lead to shelters, water supplies, or vistas.) ¢¢        More than 8,000 people have reported hiking the length of the Trail. ¢¢        It takes approximately 5 million footsteps to walk the entire length of the Trail. ¢¢        The total elevation change is almost 90 miles by hiking up and down over 250 mountains.AccommodationsThroughout the length of the trail there are various shelters and camp sites available for hikers. The shelters, often called lean-tos, are generally open three-walled structures with a wooden floor (often infested with mice!). Some shelters are much more complex in structure; however, for the most part function opposed to form is the focus in their construction. Shelters are spaced less than a day's hike apart, most often near a water source and with a privy (very primitive but a very welcomed site after a long day or days of no bathroom facilities!).