Were you aware that the
Appalachian Trail, famous for its white “blazes”, the makers along its
ribbonous length, was conceived in eighty years ago, in 1925 by a forester named Benton MacKaye. MacKaye saw the trail
as an outdoor refuge from urban life…even though at the time, people probably needed an escape less than they do
today.
I have hike only part of the trail, but after reading Bill Bryson’s Walk in the Woods, of course would like to do the
whole thing some day…perhaps with a young son or something, wouldn’t that be the ultimate father/son thing to do?
The trail, you may remember is quite long. It runs 2,175 miles from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Mount Katahdin,
Maine, offering escapes for hikers of every ability, from novices to long-distance hikers who often spend as long as
six months walking the entire route.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the group that overseas the trail, is
hoping to raise awareness and get folks to hit the trail ts year, so if you’re interested, check out their site, or
visit this site which has an immense amount of info on the trail and
was obviously assembled by a very impassioned AT hiker.