Welp, it's almost time to go. But before I start, I thought I might share a little trivia about the 6-inch path I'll be following:
The first idea for a trail through the mountains was proposed by Benton MackKaye in 1921. The original AT was finally completed in 1937, and while the original southern terminus was further south (at Mt. Oglethorpe, GA), the trail was actually shorter than it is today. Generally, every year the trail grows in length little by little, because it has to constantly be rerouted due to road construction, suburbanization, general maintenance, and probably lots of other stuff. Currently the trail is a wonderful 2,176 miles from Springer Mt, GA to Katahdin, ME. Earl Shaffer completed what is considered to be the first thru-hike of the trail in 1948, with only his feet and a rucksack. The AT was designated the first national scenic trail in 1968 and today is a unit of the National Park Service. It is maintained by approximately 30 different trail clubs and partnerships. The AT...
The first idea for a trail through the mountains was proposed by Benton MackKaye in 1921. The original AT was finally completed in 1937, and while the original southern terminus was further south (at Mt. Oglethorpe, GA), the trail was actually shorter than it is today. Generally, every year the trail grows in length little by little, because it has to constantly be rerouted due to road construction, suburbanization, general maintenance, and probably lots of other stuff. Currently the trail is a wonderful 2,176 miles from Springer Mt, GA to Katahdin, ME. Earl Shaffer completed what is considered to be the first thru-hike of the trail in 1948, with only his feet and a rucksack. The AT was designated the first national scenic trail in 1968 and today is a unit of the National Park Service. It is maintained by approximately 30 different trail clubs and partnerships. The AT...
...crosses through 14 states, 8 national forests, and 6 national parks.
...has its highest elevation at Clingman's Dome, TN (6,643 ft).
...has its lowest elevation at Trailside Museum and Zoo at Bear Mt., NY (124 ft).
...extends for 549 miles in Virginia. That's about one quarter of the trail in a single state. Jeez.
...is marked by approximately 165,000 white blazes.
...takes approximately 5,000,000 steps to walk the entire length (I really have no idea how they estimated that).
According to the ATC, 9,583 thru-hikes have been reporetd since the trail's creation. As of January 18, 2008, out of the 1125 thru-hikers who registered at Springer Mt. in 2007, only 269 reported reaching Katahdin.
That's about 24%.
...has its highest elevation at Clingman's Dome, TN (6,643 ft).
...has its lowest elevation at Trailside Museum and Zoo at Bear Mt., NY (124 ft).
...extends for 549 miles in Virginia. That's about one quarter of the trail in a single state. Jeez.
...is marked by approximately 165,000 white blazes.
...takes approximately 5,000,000 steps to walk the entire length (I really have no idea how they estimated that).
According to the ATC, 9,583 thru-hikes have been reporetd since the trail's creation. As of January 18, 2008, out of the 1125 thru-hikers who registered at Springer Mt. in 2007, only 269 reported reaching Katahdin.
That's about 24%.
And with that, I guess I'll be off to hikes my hike and takes my chances. I hope you enjoyed this educational interlude.
