Feature Articles
Benton MacKaye's 1921 article, An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning, published in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects has been credited as the inspiration that brought us the Appalachian Trail. Read the complete article and see what was MacKaye's vision and compare it to the reality we hike today.
Rich Evans - A broken neck and a pink tutu were the catalyst for Rich Evans' discovery of his passion for hiking and his involvement in the backpacking community.
Grandma Gatewood - A pioneer long-distance hiker, Grandma Gatewood captured the imagination of the hiking community and touched many lives around the country during her travels from coast to coast.
Charter members of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame - On June 17, 2011, The Museum Society hosted it's first Hall of Fame Banquet, and inducted six charter members into the newly formed Hall of Fame. Members include (alphabetically) Myron Avery, Gene Espy, Ed Garvey, Benton MacKaye, Arthur Perkins, & Earl Shaffer. Since then the several more "People of the Trail" have been inducted each year since.
Video of The Early Days of the Appalachian Trail -Explore an early documentary film of the building of the Appalachian Trail with new narration to bring everything into perspective.
Yogi-ing Purists, Trail Magic, and Men in Skirts: An Analysis of Appalachian Trail Culture - By Shellie L. Andrews. A look at the emergence of trail culture and the culture of thru-hiking since the inception of the idea for the Appalachian Trail.
Rich Evans - A broken neck and a pink tutu were the catalyst for Rich Evans' discovery of his passion for hiking and his involvement in the backpacking community.
Grandma Gatewood - A pioneer long-distance hiker, Grandma Gatewood captured the imagination of the hiking community and touched many lives around the country during her travels from coast to coast.
Charter members of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame - On June 17, 2011, The Museum Society hosted it's first Hall of Fame Banquet, and inducted six charter members into the newly formed Hall of Fame. Members include (alphabetically) Myron Avery, Gene Espy, Ed Garvey, Benton MacKaye, Arthur Perkins, & Earl Shaffer. Since then the several more "People of the Trail" have been inducted each year since.
Video of The Early Days of the Appalachian Trail -Explore an early documentary film of the building of the Appalachian Trail with new narration to bring everything into perspective.
Yogi-ing Purists, Trail Magic, and Men in Skirts: An Analysis of Appalachian Trail Culture - By Shellie L. Andrews. A look at the emergence of trail culture and the culture of thru-hiking since the inception of the idea for the Appalachian Trail.
The Thru-Hiking Papers - By Spirit Eagle. Everyone who intends to hike the AT has questions. If you intend to thru hike the Appalachian Trail - or any other long trail - you'll want answers to your questions.These narratives will help answer many of them.
History of the Appalachian Trail Conference at 75 years - Although a history of the organization, included is much information about other aspects as well including the history of the trail, prominent figures in it's history, hikers, etc. 64 pages worth.
History of the Appalachian Trail Conference at 75 years - Although a history of the organization, included is much information about other aspects as well including the history of the trail, prominent figures in it's history, hikers, etc. 64 pages worth.
August 1928 - The Mentor - One of the first magazine articles featuring the Appalachian Trail which points out some of the sights one would expect have access to when the trail was completed.
August 1949 - National Geographic (6 MB)- One of the major magazine articles featuring the Appalachian Trail following Earl Shaffer's completion of his historic thru-hike in 1948. The article features narrative with black and white photos, and also 15 color images. We have split them up here to keep download times to a minimum: Color Images (5 MB)
Folk Trails - By André Pronovost. A short recollection of tails from his thru-hike in 1978, by Canadian author André Pronovost, who published his book entitled "Appalaches" in France and Quebec in 1992, and republished in 2011 about the Appalachian Trail experience.
A 1936 Boy Scout Thru-hike? - Did someone else beat Earl Shaffer to the finish? An account of an earlier thru-hike. From a 1994 Appalachian Trailway News article.
The "Lost" Sections of the Southern Appalachians - According to James W. McNeely, Earl Schaffer may have skipped sections and therefor may not be the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. In this well researched, informative article written in 2011 McNeely takes you through the Southern Appalachians as he researched what he calls the "lost" sections of the original A.T. though the South. This research, which has been a longtime interest to the author, intersected with Earl Shaffers hike in 1948, and a comparative study began. You can visit the research site here.
A summation of the previous two articles is given in an article on the The Smoky Mountain Hiking Club website for those who do not want to read the two articles in their entirety.
Lost and Found – The Center Point Knob Plaque - The plaque marking the original center point of the A.T. was lost mysteriously and then found decades later.
How to Hike the Appalachian Trail - A Definitive Guide by Nick Stoyanov of Backpackerverse. This guide represents a good resource for hikers to enjoy. It gives good advice on the preparation process and offers information on staying safe and being successful in your hike.
A 1936 Boy Scout Thru-hike? - Did someone else beat Earl Shaffer to the finish? An account of an earlier thru-hike. From a 1994 Appalachian Trailway News article.
The "Lost" Sections of the Southern Appalachians - According to James W. McNeely, Earl Schaffer may have skipped sections and therefor may not be the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. In this well researched, informative article written in 2011 McNeely takes you through the Southern Appalachians as he researched what he calls the "lost" sections of the original A.T. though the South. This research, which has been a longtime interest to the author, intersected with Earl Shaffers hike in 1948, and a comparative study began. You can visit the research site here.
A summation of the previous two articles is given in an article on the The Smoky Mountain Hiking Club website for those who do not want to read the two articles in their entirety.
Lost and Found – The Center Point Knob Plaque - The plaque marking the original center point of the A.T. was lost mysteriously and then found decades later.
How to Hike the Appalachian Trail - A Definitive Guide by Nick Stoyanov of Backpackerverse. This guide represents a good resource for hikers to enjoy. It gives good advice on the preparation process and offers information on staying safe and being successful in your hike.