America The Beautiful: The Appalachian Trail

Nov 27, 2024 | 0 comments

“Purple mountain majesty” is an evocative image, written about Pikes Peak in Colorado, but on the East Coast, it’s cornflower, sapphire, indigo and powder blues that rule. There, the mountain swells of the Appalachian Trail ripple down the United States, unfolding as 2,197.4 miles of wonder. Conceived and published in only three months and completed in just 16 years by private citizens, The Appalachian Trail is now a joint management effort between the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Today, it connects 14 states and over three million hikers that bond through happenstance as they traverse its scenic route.

Benton MacKaye, Father of the A.T.

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, the youngest son of (James) Steele MacKaye and Mary Ellen (Mollie) Keith Medbery, brother to suffragette and playwright Hazel MacKaye, “Ben” spent his entire childhood connected to the great outdoors. By age 14, he had already begun compiling a journal of intensively documented countryside “expeditions.” While attending Harvard, he biked to New Hampshire and hiked the backcountry, an experience he said was “a second world – and promise!” Not long after, he joined the U.S. Forest Service, which led to a focus on regional planning inspired by his aversion to the rapid expansion of cars, crowds and cities in America.

In 1921, following the death of his wife of four years by suicide, this passion sustained him. In the most productive mourning period ever, MacKaye produced “An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning,” equal parts a rage against the machine and utopian idea of building agricultural and forest communities on federal government lands. With the help from his equally learned and societally prominent circle, and the lure of good publicity was to a post-war American government, the trail’s first section was opened two years later on Bear Mountain in New York; the final piece fell into place in 1937.

From the Bottom to the Top

The idea of hiking the trail in its entirety isn’t for the faint of heart; the pile of stones carried from one terminus to another, a tradition common to this trail, isn’t exactly a wall. But there’s no shame in doing it as a thru-hiker or taking multiple years to tackle sections. In fact, the majority of the 20,000 hikers that have completed the trail fit in that category, dropping in and out from hundreds of different trailheads throughout the years. Whichever you choose, it’s recommended to go it upside down: start from the bottom – south, at Springer Mountain in Georgia – to get to the top, Mount Katahdin in Maine. The toughest trails, even for veteran hikers, are there and New Hampshire.

Join the Hiker Parade in “The Friendliest Town on the Trail”

Nobody celebrates A.T. hikers more than Damascus, Virginia. Not only does the trail cross paths with the famous Virginia Creeper Trail here, it runs right through Town Park and down the sidewalk of Main Street. And every May, during the Appalachian Trail Days Festival, nearly all 767 residents (by 2022 census) turn out to welcome roughly 25,000 past and present A.T thru-hikers. Live concerts, scheduled events, a pet-friendly Tent City, vendors providing free services like gear repair and complimentary shuttles are all on the annual docket, but the headliner is the Hiker Parade. During this epic water fight, attendees on sidewalks and roofs alike bear super soaker water guns to spray down the dusty hikers marching … and anyone else similarly outfitted.

Cruise the Skyline

The development of Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park was the cause of the decades-long departure of Benton MacKaye from the A.T. project in his infamous falling out with ATC leader Myron H. Avery. MacKaye felt it intruded on the wilderness of the A.T. and was an insult to his vision of a space to get away from cars; Avery felt accessibility was the key to the trail’s success. While Avery grew to regret the decision to extend the Blue Ridge Parkway, which caused a massive displacement of 120 miles of trail, he stood by his decision to support the government in creating the original.

Discover a Bit of Bavaria

Eccentricities are part and parcel for a city consciously and collectively rebuilt to emulate the picturesque mountain towns of Germany. Just off the A.T., Helen, Georgia is a worthy stop any time of year, for summer river tubing; the longest-running Oktoberfest in the U.S.; or its Christmas markets during winter holidays. Curiosities about here: shoppes-with-an ”e,” like Betty’s Country Store and Old Sautee Store; Uhuburg castle, a Chicago ship-builder’s fantasy or folly; and the BabyLand General Hospital for Cabbage Patch Kids, where you can experience one being “born.” And if that’s not out there enough for you, its place on the trail puts you close to Unicoi State Park, Ruby Falls, Yonah Mountain and plenty of fine vineyards.

Where to Camp

The Appalachian Trail is busiest in March, so reserve your campground early if you plan to take it on then. However, according to the ATC, April, May, September and October are actually the best times to trek. Amicalola Falls State Park will lead you directly to Springer Mountain, its official start, but you’ll find the conveniences and attractions of a town in Blue Ridge, GA. Try family-owned and -operated Toccoa Valley Campground for access to world-renowned trout-fishing streams, kayaking, and fully plumbed community bathrooms and showers. Morganton Point Campground and Recreation Area offers low fees and lake views in the Chattahoochee National Forest and Blue Ridge/Toccoa River KOA is perfect for brand fans.

That also goes for Harpers Ferry/Civil War Battlefields KOA Holiday, a great option for an overnight at the unofficial halfway point for a photo at the ATC headquarters. Take your picture there to add it to the trail’s history, or create your own history at River Riders Family Adventure Resort, the only waterfront camping in this destination.

This article by Su-Jit Lin was originally published in Girl Camper Magazine.