Building of the
Appalachian Trail
(a report prepared by Charles D., Challenger
for school class in English IV, Ms Jeri Stewart, December 18,
1998)
Thesis: Benton MacKaye was the
founder of the Appalachian Trail: Today the trail is being
made longer and is being kept clean.
Outline
I. Introduction
II. Brief History
III. Building the Trail
IV. Conclusion
**************************************************************************
Building of the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail, simply the "AT" to most hikers, is a
continental scale wilderness
path set aside for recreational foot travel only. Benton MacKaye was named the
founding father
of the Appalachian Trail. Today, more than four million people use some part of
the
Appalachian Trail annually, and about 2500 individuals attempt to backpack the
entire
Appalachian Trail in one continuous journey each year ("Katahdin One
Day" Backpacker 82).
The Appalachian Trail currently stretches from Springer Mountain in the North
Georgia
Mountains to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail passes through fourteen states,
eight national
forest, and two national parks. The Appalachian Trail is currently estimated to
be 2160 miles
along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains ("Appalachian Trail"
Encyclopedia America 111).
Because, most of the Appalachian Trail is on public land, there is no fee to
hike the Appalachian
Trail, or any special permission is needed to hike anywhere on the trail-way
("About the
Appalachian Trail").
The entire trail route is clearly marked with 2-inch wide by 6-inch high white
rectangles
painted on trees, rocks, and other objects along the trail. The Adirondacks,
3-sided building with
a roof, are placed along the trail about a day's journey apart. Water is
available from springs
and towns that are close to the trail where through-hikers can resupply
("Appalachian Trail:
History").
The Appalachian Trail dream began with the publication of an October 1921
article in
the Journal of the American Institute of Architects titled, "An Appalachian
Trail: A Project in
Regional Planning" by Emile Benton MacKaye ("An Appalachian Trail: A
Project in Regional
Planning"). Closely reading, his article suggests that he was proposing a
social and political
agenda for the postwar move, not a continental-scale wilderness pathway. MacKaye
presented
the Appalachian Trail concept as "a new approach to the problem of living,
to reduce the day's
drudgery and to improve the quality of American leisure that had been increased
so much by
labor-saving devices," ("An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional
Planning"). The article
also proposed an extended wilderness along the Appalachian Mountain crest to
prevent "the
demoralization of urban labors" and channeling the heroic instincts into
the care of the
countryside. MacKaye envisioned a series of recreational communities throughout
the
Appalachian Mountains, to include farm camps that are connected with by a
"walking trail."
MacKaye thought it would also help in fighting forest fires and provide jobs for
people after the
war in its construction. He stressed that the Appalachian Trail project should
be conducted
through the spare time of its builders.
In 1964 at the Appalachian Trail Conference, MacKaye said his dream may well
have
originated at the peak of Vermont's Stratton Mountain in the summer of 1900. He
climbed to
the top of a tree for a better view of the scenery, he wrote, "I felt as if
atop the world, with a sort
of 'planetary feeling' . . . Would a footpath someday reach far-southern peaks
from where I was
then perched?" ("An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional
Planning"). MacKaye was not
consistent in his recollections of the source of the Appalachian Trail idea.
However, researcher
Larry Anderson notes indicate the idea did evolve to a marked extent from
MacKaye's turn-of-
the-century hikes and back-country explorations to places such as New
Hampshire's White
Mountains and Vermont's Green Mountains. MacKaye's diaries from the 1920's also
clearly
show friendships with the key individuals of the New England Hiking Clubs, both
before and
after his 1921 article ("Building the Trail").
In February 1935, MacKaye said that his brother James MacKaye's "last
written words to
me were about the creative value of the wilderness. From him I drew my
fundamental
inspiration. In a sense (though he did not conceive the scheme itself), he was
the real father of
the Appalachian Trail" ("Building the Trail"). Before the
publication of MacKaye's article,
many hiking clubs in the New England and New York's Hudson River Valley had been
involved
with path building for the first two decades of the century. Many helped these
efforts which
MacKaye dreamed of a "grand trunk" trail, which would stretch the
entire length of the eastern
Appalachian ridge lands.
MacKaye included many of the elements of a 1919 Labor Department report, which
also
favored general principles over detailed, concrete plans for implementation. A
footpath as a
source for self-sufficient camps and communities developed to meet economic and
social needs.
The wise use of natural resources, conscious planning for leisure as well as
jobs, and designing
for living rather than for profit.
"On that July Sunday half a century ago, the seed of our Trail was planted.
Except for
the two men named, it would never have come to pass," wrote MacKaye, not
specifically
mentioning his long-time acquaintances among the New England trail-builders who
had been
dreaming and planning in this direction for years ("Building the
Trail"). In MacKaye's 1969
letter to Stanley Murray, MacKaye did give credit as the founder to Herlan
Kelsey for the phrase:
"From Maine to Georgia" ("An Appalachian Trail: A Project in
Regional Planning").
Why did MacKaye's proposal for a new approach to the problem of living takeoff?
MacKaye's had a grand, inspiring vision and his article hints about the
publicity value of one
aspect of the proposal or another. He encouraged supporters to take advantage of
this
opportunity as well. MacKaye caught the eyes of reporters and columnist who
would give the
idea of a continental-pathway more general exposure.
The New England Trail Conference passed a resolution
approving the Appalachian Trail
concept in January 1923, and began work on the building of a new trail
specifically for a part of
the Appalachian Trail in the Hudson River Valley area. The Bear Mountain Bridge
was under
construction at the same time across the Hudson River at Harriman State Park.
This place
seemed the ideal place to bring the Appalachian Trail across the Hudson River.
The New York-
New Jersey Trail Conference officially opened the section from the Bear Mountain
Bridge to the
Ramapo River on October 7, 1923 ("Building the Trail"). On October 18,
1923, the conference
agreed to adopt to the Appalachian Trail as a trail marker the monogram designed
by William
Welch, with the crossbar of the A serving as the top of the T. This emblem on a
square piece of copper with "Appalachian Trail - Palisades Interstate Park
Section" in raised relief. The monogram was adopted as the official trail
emblem in 1929, but the square with the logo surrounded later by
"Appalachian Trail - Maine To Georgia" changed to a four-inch diamond.
This design is now a registered trademark of the Appalachian Trail Conference
(Appalachian Trail Conference).
The Appalachian Trail Conference, Inc., was successfully formed during a annual
conference meeting at the Hotel Raleigh on March 2 and 3, 1925. The Appalachian
Trail
Constitution was adopted after a speech by Stephen Mather, first director of the
National Park
Service. The constitution was written by MacKaye, along with a general work plan
which would
provide for management by the Appalachian Trail Conference (Appalachian Trail
Conference).
The Appalachian Trail's "main line" was part of the plans adopted at
that meeting would
run an estimated 1,700 miles from Mount Washington, New Hampshire, to Cohutta
Mountain,
Georgia. Various extensions were also proposed during this meeting at the Hotel
Raleigh.
In 1931, with 1,207 miles of an estimated 1,300-mile Appalachian Trail
completed,
Myron Avery was elected Appalachian Trail Conference chairman. A continuous
Appalachian
Trail from Maine to Georgia should have been open in 1936. By this time, Avery
had walked
and measured every step of the constructed route. By hiking this route, Avery
became the first
"2,000 miler" on the footpath. One mile remained between Davenport Gap
and the Big Pigeon
River in Tennessee, and two miles had to be built 186 miles south of Katahdin,
on a high ridge
connecting Spaulding and Sugarloaf Mountains in Maine ("Building the
Trail").
A late-summer snowstorm prevented completion of the Maine work in 1936. On
August
14, 1937, a six-man crew completed the final link in the Maine woods. Then the
crew moved on
to build the shelters along the trail.
In this report I have learned that the Appalachian Trail was not originally
thought of as a
continental-scale pathway but as a social and political agenda for America on a
post-war move.
In the building of the Appalachian Trail, it took the hard work of many people
as well as the
time of careful planning for the Appalachian Trail. I plan to one day follow in
Avery's footsteps
and hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.
Work Cited
"Appalachian Trail" The Encyclopedia America,
Connecticut: Grolier Incorporate, 1994, p111
"Appalachian Trail Conference" Appalachian Trail
Conference [On-line]; available from
http://www.atconf.org/; Accessed 5 December
1998.
"Building the Trail: 1921-1937" Appalachian Trail
Conference [On-line]; available from
http://www.atconf.org/History/History2.html;
Accessed 6 December 1998.
Bruce, Dan. "About the Appalachian Trail"
Trailplace [On-line]; available from
http://www.trailplace.com/intros/index_at.html;
Accessed 5 December 1998.
MacKaye, Benton. "An Appalachian Trail: A Project in
Regional Planning." [On-line];
available from http://www.fred.net/kathy/at/mackaye.html;
Accessed 6 December 1998.
Morris, Michele. "Katahdin One Day." Backpacker,
December 1998, p82.
Olsen, Matthew. "Appalachian Trail:
History" Webhiker [On-line]; available from
http://www.webhiker.com/history.html;
Accessed 6 December 1998.
Research Links
Appalachian Trail Appalachian
Trail appalachian trail
... The Appalachian Trail is a continuous marked footpath that goes from
Katahdin in
Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, a distance of about 2160 miles. Many ...
Description: Explore the famous hiking
trail that runs along the ridge of the Appalachian Mountain range from
Georgia...
Appalachian Trail Conference: Hike the
Appalachian Trail
... Welcome to the Appalachian Trail Conference . . . ATC 75th Anniversary. . .
. responsible
since 1925 for coordinating the volunteer-based development, protection ...
Description: Appalachian Trail Conference
Clubs are volunteer-centered nonprofits which maintain the 2,160-mile...
Appalachian Trail Trailplace for
Thru-hikers
Order On-Line! Thru-hiker's Handbook Revised 2000 Edition. ... APPALACHIAN
TRAILPLACE
An Interactive Website for Appalachian Trail Thru-hikers. ...
Description: Devoted to through hikers of
the Appalachian Trail. Hikers' forum, online journals, directory of current...
Welcome to the Ultimate Trail
Store of the Appalachian Trail ...
Welcome to the. of The Appalachian Trail Conference. Our
specialty is books and merchandise ...
GORP -
National Scenic Trails - Appalachian Trail
... National Scenic Trail Appalachian Trail. The ancient, worn-down, and ...
The International Appalachian
Trail
... Mountain Chain as its most prominent geographical characteristic - giving
rise
to our organizational designation : The International Appalachian Trail. ...
Description: English language site for
information on the Sentier International des Appalaches/International Appalachi...
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
... The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is a volunteer trails organization
with
a membership of over 7,000 headquartered in the Washington, DC area. The main
...
Description: (DC) A volunteer trails
organization with a membership of 6,400. PATC helps to maintain and improve...
Georgia Appalachian Trail Club,
hiking, maintenance
... love of our wilderness areas, have assumed responsibility for maintenance of
the
Appalachian Trail in Georgia at, at, georgia, appalachian, trail, club, hiking
...
Description: Hiking, backpacking, and
trail maintenance information.
Appalachian
Trail
Appalachian Trail. If you wish to discuss some aspect of
the Trail, try this out! --Kathy February 20, 1995. ...
Welcome to The Official Maine Appalachian
Trail Club Homepage
... Maine Appalachian Trail Club PO Box 283 Augusta, ME 04332-0283 tlohnes@pivot.net.
... Awards:
Key Resource Links 2 Go Appalachian Trail.
Bob and Brian's Appalachian
Trail Thru-Hike:
... Welcome to Bob and Brian's Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike page. This page was
set up
to allow family, friends, and total strangers to share with us in our journey
...
ALDHA: Appalachian Long Distance Hikers
Association ALDHA ...
... Appalachian Trail Museum We have donated space on our Web site to a home
page for
the Appalachian Trail Hiking Museum, a project we ask all members of ALDHA to
...
Description: Association of hikers who
have shared experiences on the Appalachian Trail. Club members get together...
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
(National Park Service)
... North Carolina and Georgia. The Appalachian Trail (AT) is used by day,
weekend and
other short-term hikers, section hikers and thru-hikers. Thru-hikers hike ...
Description: Information on this
multi-state national trail.
Appalachian Trail
Map Tee Shirt
Appalachian Trail Map Tee Shirt. ... Books about the Appalachian
Trail. Appalachian Spring--Serigraph. ...
Hot Air from
Dragon's Breath - Introduction - Thruhiking the ...
... Hiking the 2160-mile Appalachian Trail in 1998 Springer Mountain (Georgia)
to Mount Katahdin (Maine) ... Key Resource Links 2 Go Appalachian Trail. ...
Adventure Treatment-- Appalachian
Trail Thru-Hike
... 20, 1999 Mike Adamo and Steve Beggs, cancer survivor, completed a 2,160
"thru-hike"
of the entire Appalachian Trail. The team hiked from Georgia to Maine in ...
Official Appalachian
Trail Map
... AT Maps. ... Appalachian Trail. National Scenic Trail/Maine to Georgia
National Park
Service/US Department of the Interior, New Hampshire through Maine. ...
The Appalachian Trail: Waldo
Takes A Walk
... An ongoing tale of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Beginning in 1996,
Waldo
has hiked over 1800 miles of the Appalachian Trail, breaking 8 feet in the ...
Then The Hail Came
... The Appalachian Trail Home Page This is just one version of the Appalachian
Trail's
story. Everyone who tackles this journey will have a different tale to tell ...
Appalachian Trail Stories
Appalachian Trail Stories. ... Site Map. Appalachian Trail
Stories, Volume I A cooperative book project. ...
Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail
Club
Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club. The NATURAL
BRIDGE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CLUB, organized ...
Web Hiker - AT98
... about other's hiking adventures on Trail Journals Visit the Webhiker's
Appalachian
Trail Book Store The Webhiker started his Appalachian Trail hike on March ...
Susquehanna Appalachian Trail
Club
... The Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club is dedicated to group hiking and
other outdoor
recreation, nature education, trail and shelter maintenance and the ...
Season On
The Trail: Appalachian Trail; Setzer, Lynn; Trade ...
Season On The Trail: Appalachian Trail; Setzer, Lynn - Trade
Paper, ... Season On The Trail: Appalachian Trail. ...
Brian Vaughan's
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike
... Brian Vaughan's Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike. Contents:
What is a thru-hike? Who is Brian Vaughan ...
Dan Grossman's
Appalachian Trail Journey
... I hiked every mile of the Appalachian Trail over the course of two summers.
This
site is mostly a collection of details that may help others attempting long ...
The
Geological History of Pittsburgh - Building the ...
... Building the Appalachian Mountains. Southwestern Pennsylvania has a long
history
of sedimentation punctuated by mountain building episodes (orogenies). Until ...
Geologic
History of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachiantales. Geologic History of the Appalachian
Mountains, The story of the Appalachians ...
Expedia Worldwide
Links - Appalachian Mountains, United States
... G E O G R A P H Y, How Were the Appalachian Mountains Formed?
The geological history of the Appalachian Mountains. ...
Appalachian
Mountains - A-to-Z Geography - DiscoverySchool.com
... wildlife in the region. Appalachian soils and lakes are ... History. The
Appalachians
were formed between ... transport settlers across the mountains in the 1840's.
In ...
Cartersville
and Bartow County, History and Geology
... at the Pumpkinvine Pivot Point of the Cartersville Fault occurred during
their
formation. Here is an outline of the history of the Appalachian Mountains: ...
Appalachian
Tectonics
... Discussion of the formation of the Appalachian mountains has been the forum
for many
debates throughout the history of geologic studies of eastern North America ...
Lecture
14 - The Appalachian Mountains
... Ridge Province of the Appalachian which contains the highest ... geology of
Great Smoky
Mountains (Figure 48.6) is very ... much of its history with the Shenandoah and
...
ASA: Selected
Bibliography
... Rice. Musical Instruments of the Southern Appalachian Mountains: A History
of the
Author s Collection Housed in the Museum of Appalachia, Norris, Tennessee. ...
Appalachian
Mountains
... formed by folding (see mountains), consist largely of sedimentary ... Mts.
national parks.
The Appalachian Trail winds 2,050 mi ... role in US history; major east-west ...
Books -- The Civil War
in the Middle Appalachian Mountains
... Civil War in the Middle Appalachian Mountains was fought by regular ... the
South in the
mountains of Eastern Tennessee, Southwest ... History of the First Regiment of
...
Appalachian Studies
Association
... John Rice. Musical Instruments of the Southern Appalachian Mountains: A
History
of the Author's Collection Housed in the Museum of Appalachia. Norris, Tenn ...
THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
... drive along any modern Appalachian mountain highway. Notice ... slices
through geologic
history that provide perhaps ... that created these mountains. In contrast, a
...
ABC
... House, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Department of History,
Appalachian State
University, for Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association. #390. ...
APPALACHIAN
MOUNTAINS. The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition ...
... Reference > Columbia Encyclopedia > Appalachian Mountains. ...
GEO_PLATE_T-11
... the subdivisions of the Appalachian orogen. ... to the west. The Green
Mountains consist
of Taconic thrust ... have a long complex history. It has been interpreted in
...
Chesapeake
Bay Watershed - Access Guide
... The history of the Appalachian Mountains reflects its geology. The rugged
mountains
initially were a barrier to westward expansion; colonial settlement barely ...
GORP -
National Scenic Trails - Appalachian Trail
... resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. ... 2,159 miles of Appalachian
Mountain ridgelines
from Maine ... scenic vistas. Carver's Gap - History and scenery in the ...
Cougars in
the Appalachian Mountains
... COUGARS IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS A Fact Sheet By ... European settlers
arrived. Many
Appalachian stories tell of panthers ... Lion: An Unnatural History of Pumas
& ...
Barbara
E. Smith - "Beyond the Mountains": The Paradox of ...
... Beyond the Mountains": The Paradox of Women's Place in Appalachian
History. Barbara Ellen Smith. ...
Geology
in the Classroom
... The Appalachian Mountains in geological terms are old, having formed ... as
the present
day Himalayas. The history of how the Appalachians were formed is ...
Appalachian
Mountains
... to form the Great Smoky Mountains; the ridge-and-valley zone ... The chief
rivers of
the Appalachian system are the Hudson, Delaware ... History In colonial times,
the ...
White
Mountains, Appalachian Trail, Cool Nights, Roman Smilin ...
White Mountains, Appalachian Trail, Cool Nights, Roman Smilin',
Site Map. Click on image for larger map. ...
Sherpa
Guides | Georgia | Mountains | Appalachian Trail In ...
... Georgia Mountains > Long Trails > Appalachian Trail
In Georgia Map. Click here to close this window.
Trail Maps and Travel
Kits for the Smokies
... 1 - Great Smoky Mountains Trail Map & Guide: Shows every hiking trail in
the Park,
including the Appalachian Trail, with major roads marked for quickest access ...
www.rodsguide.com/trail_map.html - 16k - Cached
- Similar
pages
EASTERN
CONTINENTAL TRAIL (ECT)
... For a map and more information about the construction of the ... Sections
#4-#8 - Appalachian
Mountains Trail (AMT) 3130 miles. As the ECT winds it ...
ABC
... 1990. MAP: Appalachian Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Big
Pigeon River,
TN, to Little Tennessee River at Fontana Dam, North Carolina. Appalachian ...
North America Maps
... Gap, North Carolina, to Springer Mountain, Georgia, Including the Great
Smoky Mountains
Paperback Book APPALACHIAN TRAIL MAP 1, VA. Sheet Map; Scale: 1:100,000 ...
THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
... The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is the nation's longest ...
predictions on a map
where they think the Appalachian Mountains are located. Use ...
Peakware
- Appalachian Mountains
... for mountain hiking enthusiasts is the Appalachian Trail, a 2,100-mile
hiking trail
that winds through forested mountains from Springer Mountain in ...
Appalachian
Mountains - A-to-Z Geography - DiscoverySchool.com
... nation's longest marked footpath. This trail extends about 2,000 miles ...
John Edwin
Coffman, "Appalachian Mountains," Discovery Channel School, original
...
GORP -
National Scenic Trails - Appalachian Trail
... resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. ... across 2,159 miles of
Appalachian Mountain
ridgelines from Maine ... Notch - This section of trail in Maine is known ...
Long Trail -Vermont
... go without a USGS map, compass, guide book and ... Trail The longest single
trail venture
in New ... of Vermont's Green Mountains. Appalachian Mountain Club Home Page ...
Appalachian Trail Conference: Hike the
Appalachian Trail
... Welcome to the Appalachian ... hike on the Appalachian Trail. ... forest
management plans;
trail descriptions and ... North Carolina Smoky Mountains, Virginia's Shenandoah
...
Description: Appalachian Trail Conference
Clubs are volunteer-centered nonprofits which maintain the 2,160-mile...
NYNJTC Regional
Trail Map
Appalachian Mountain Club New York ... REGIONAL TRAILS MAP. ... NY-NJ Trail
Conference Trail
Systems. ... Forest, Pequannock Watershed, Ramapo Mountains, Ringwood State Park
...
