Hikers Love the Appalachian Trail

By Michael Buchanan

From the state of Georgia in the South to Maine in the North, the Appalachian Trail calls more than 3 million hikers to the woods every year.

Most hikers spend a day or two on the trail, but every year an intrepid 3,000 attempt to walk the entire trail, and one-quarter of those complete the 3,500-kilometer hike, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, an organization that coordinates trail upkeep. Throughout a typically five- to seven-month journey, these hikers face an elevation change equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times.

The idea for creating the trail came from a regional planner named Benton MacKaye in 1921, but it took until 1937 for the entire path to be built.

It is the longest hiking-only trail in the world, the conservancy says.

Black bears, salamanders, deer, porcupines and moose inhabit the forest along the trails, depending on location and season. Walking the trail, hikers see spectacular vistas atop mountains and ridges along the Appalachians, America’s East Coast mountain range.

Every year, thousands of volunteers work to keep the trail safe, well marked and beautiful. Thirty local clubs spend 10,000 days’ worth of time maintaining the trail, which is affectionately called the “A.T.” The U.S. National Park Service has placed the lands of the Appalachian Trail under federal protection since 1968.

The trail has helped inspire similar projects such as the Transcaucasian Trail, under development in Armenia and Georgia, and the Via Dinarica, which connects seven Balkan countries along a scenic hiking route.

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Previously Published on share.america.gov

Photo: iStock, iStock

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