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Hall of Fame Induction Day Honors Four Trail Legends

9/12/2023

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Picture
(L to R) Hawk Metheny, M.C.; Karen Lutz, accepting for Lester Kenway; Brian King; Barry Webb, accepting for Harry Rentschler & Nimblewill Nomad

​A large crowd honored the 2023 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductees at the A.T. Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held on September 10, 2023. The venue for the event was the Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle, PA. Emcee for the Banquet was Hawk Metheny, Vice President of Regional and Trail Operations for Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
The 2023 Hall of Fame class is M.J. Eberhart of Olean, Missouri; Lester Kenway of Bangor, Maine; Brian B. King of Molers Crossroads, West Virginia; and the late Harry Rentschler of Reading, Pennsylvania.
 

PictureNimblewill Nomad at Hall of Fame Induction
M.J. Eberhart is universally known within the trail community as Nimblewill Nomad. By age 61, Nimblewill had retired from the practice of optometry and moved to north Georgia, just south of Springer Mountain, southern terminus of the A.T. Then one day, he took a walk on the Trail. He kept on walking, from the Florida Keys up the eastern seaboard to the northern tip of the Gaspe peninsula in Canada, 4,400 miles. Over the next 15 years, he hiked 34,000 miles including the Triple Crown of long-distance trails (A.T., Pacific Crest and Continental Divide), and the rest of the 11 national scenic trails. At age 83, the Nomad started the A.T. yet again, for a third time. In November, 2021, he finished the Trail, and became the oldest known person to hike it in one year. It was fitting that Nimblewill was met at the end by his friend, Dale “Greybeard” Sanders, the previous record holder. The two Trail champions toasted each other with glasses of champagne. Is the Nomad done hiking? No one who knows him would bet that he is.

​Every hiker who summits Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T., knows the iconic sign that graces the mountaintop. Lester Kenway is one of the volunteers who put that sign in place. Although he’s climbed Katahdin three times with that sign, it represents just a small part of Lester’s volunteer efforts on behalf of the A.T. Lester’s first trail crew experience was in 1972. Now a member of ATC and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) for more than 45 years, Lester has chaired the sign committee, managed MATC’s Trail crew program, built shelters and trails and served as MATC’s President. Lester says his goal is to “build things once, and build them to last,” primarily using stone. He was a pioneer of using the Griphoist and other methods for moving stone that are now widely used on the A.T. and other trails. The late Bob Proudman called Lester “…the quintessential crew leader, always prepared with decades of trail-building experience”. Lester says building and maintaining trails “creates something good for people and something good for the earth.”

Lester Kenway was unable to attend the Induction. Karen Lutz, member of the Hall of Fame Committee and retired Regional Manager for ATC, accepted for Lester.
​
Harry Rentschler grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania. A physician practicing in Reading, PA, Dr. Rentschler and some friends founded the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club in 1916. A decade later Dr. Rentschler learned of Benton MacKaye’s dream to create a trail stretching through the wilderness from Georgia to Maine. Under his leadership, BMECC stepped up to build 102 miles of the A.T. from the Susquehanna to the Lehigh River. Dr. Rentschler led the work trips during the five years that it took to build the Trail. Rentschler’s property in the Reading suburb of Bernville became the headquarters for BMECC’s construction of their portion of the A.T. and later maintenance projects. Two A.T. shelters were constructed there and then transported to the Trail. Dr. Rentschler died in 1942. He willed his property to BMECC and today the Rentschler Arboretum is the headquarters of that club, by far the oldest one based in the Keystone State maintaining the Trail.

Dr. Rentschler passed away in 1942. Barry Webb of BMECC accepted induction for him.
​

Picture
Brian King (right center), with, l to r, Jim Foster, Hall of Fame Committee Chair; Ron Tipton, former ATC CEO & HoF Comm. member; and Hawk Metheny, M.C. & Vice President, ATC
​Brian B. King of Molers Crossroads, W.Va., began work for ATC in June 1987, after eight years working as a volunteer. For decades, he was responsible for ATC’s publications, sales program and the archives. He is the author of the award-winning Trail history, The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail. Brian is widely considered to be the Trail’s greatest living historian. Brian retired from ATC in 2022. Brian is a graduate of Georgetown University, and previously attended the University of the South and Northwestern University’s National Journalism Institute. Prior to joining ATC, Brian worked for the Charleston (S.C.) Evening Post, the Colorado Springs Sun, the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ford Foundation.
​
PictureJay Sexton, center, with Hawk Metheny, left and Museum Founder & President Larry Luxenberg
Museum Founder & President Larry Luxenberg presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Jay Sexton. Sexton, a CPA and emeritus partner with the accounting firm Winthum Smith+Brown PC, is the longtime Treasurer of the Museum.
​


Each Hall of Fame honoree or representative received a hiking stick custom carved by John “Bodacious” Beaudet. The Induction Weekend also featured informal interviews of 2022 Inductee Tom Speaks; Barry Webb, representing BMECC and Dr. Harry Rentschler; Brian King and Nimblewill Nomad, a reunion of the 1983 class of A.T. thru-hikers, along with guided tours of the Museum and the Ironmasters Mansion.
 
The Induction ceremony and interviews were recorded. The Induction video is available to view HERE. The interviews are available HERE.
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You Are Cordially Invited To The A.T. Hall of Fame Weekend

8/15/2023

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All friends of the Appalachian Trail are invited to attend our A.T. Hall of Fame Weekend.

Here is our schedule of events.

Saturday, Sept. 9
11 am - Andre Weltman of the Friend of Pine Grove Furnace will lead a tour of the Ironmasters Mansion and surrounding attractions. 
1 pm - A.T. Museum Vice President and Curator Gwen Loose will lead a tour of the Museum.

Sunday, Sept. 10
10 am - Ironmasters Mansion. Informal interviews of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class conducted by Museum Founder & President Larry Luxenberg and Hall of Fame Chair Jim Foster. 
1 pm - Army Heritage Education Center, 950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, PA. Induction of the 2023 Class of the A.T. Hall of Fame. A free event but reservations requested at atmbanquet@gmail.com Our 2023 Class is M.J. Eberhart a/k/a Nimblewill Nomad, Lester Kenway, Brian King and Harry Renschler.

We hope you can join us. 
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Help Us Celebrate: 75 Years of Thru-Hiking on the Appalachian Trail!

7/27/2023

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PictureThe A.T.'s first known thru-hiker, Earl V. Shaffer, on Katahdin. Photo Courtesy David Donaldson
We'll also dedicate a New OUTDOOR Museum Exhibit: Earl Shaffer’s 1956 stone Darlington Shelter

​Schedule

10:30 AM: Meet and Greet!
11:00 AM: Earl Shaffer’s Legacy and Impact
12:00 PM: Picnic Lunch, (Burgers and Hotdogs available)
1:00 PM: Dedication of Darlington Shelter Exhibit.

Guest Speakers
  • Brian King, former publisher for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2023 Inductee into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame, and author of The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail.
  • Silas Chamberlin, independent scholar, historian, environmental policy analyst, and author of On the Trail: A History of American Hiking.
  • Karen Balaban, President (2008-2012) of the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club (SATC) and current Project Manager for reconstruction of the Darlington Shelter. She was a strong advocate, organizer and hands-on volunteer coordinator for the 2011-2012 rescue effort.
  • Larry Knutson, President of Penn Trails, was deeply involved in the year-long rescue effort for the Darlington Shelter. He photographed and documented the dimensions and construction of the shelter, and oversaw the disassembly and transport of stones to the A.T. Museum.
  • Andrea Shapiro, author of a new children’s book about Earl Shaffer, 2000 Miles to Happy. Andrea has thru-hiked both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.
  • Luke Kolbie, CEO of the Russell Moccasin Company, established in 1898 and makers of the boots Earl Shaffer wore during his entire 1948 thru-hike of the AT. Russell Moccasin is producing a 75th Anniversary, Earl Shaffer edition of its original Birdshooter boots.

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An Audio Tour Of The "Half Gallon Challenge"

7/25/2023

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Harrisburg public radio station WITF reporter Rachel McDevitt travelled to Pine Grove Furnace State Park to speak with A.T. hikers at the Pine Grove General Store taking the famous "Half Gallon Challenge". We hope they also stopped in to see the Appalachian Trail Museum after they were done. HERE is a link to the feature.

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Come Volunteer With Us!!

7/20/2023

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Picture
Would you like to learn about the Appalachian Trail and meet lots of friendly folks? Come volunteer with us!!

We can use folks to help us man the Museum when it is open. That job is called being a docent. Docents greet visitors at the door, answer questions, sell merchandise, etc. Are you worried you don't know enough to be a docent? We'll pair you with an experienced docent who knows the ropes and will teach you what you need to know.

Would you rather work behind the scenes? That's OK. We can use people to help with landscaping, assisting at events, minor carpentry, painting, making videos, technology, and much, much more. We also have special events throughout the year just for volunteers.

    ​How do you get started?  Contact our Manager using the form below.

Submit
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The A.T. Museum Is Now Managing The Hiker Yearbook

7/2/2023

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The A.T. Museum Is Now Managing The Hiker Yearbook. In 2023, we will manage it jointly with its founder, Matthew "Odie" Norman. 
Picture

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Hall Of Fame Induction Event To Be Held On September 10, 2023

6/12/2023

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The Appalachian Trail Museum announces that the 2023 Class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame will be honored at the A.T. Hall of Fame Induction on September 10, 2023. The Induction will begin at 1 pm and will be held at Army Heritage Education Center, located at 950 Soldiers Dr, Carlisle, PA 17013.
 
The induction ceremony will be a free event, but registration is required due to limited space. To register, send an email to atmbanquet@gmail.com The induction ceremony will be one of a full schedule of events taking place during the Hall of Fame weekend.


PictureHawk Metheny, Vice President of Regional & Trail Operations, ATC
The M.C. for the 2023 Banquet will be Hawk Metheny. Hawk is Vice President of Regional and Trail Operations of Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Hawk has served for 33 years working in various levels of Appalachian Trail management and stewardship. Before joining ATC in 2010, Hawk worked for more than 20 years with the Appalachian Mountain Club in multiple backcountry management positions, served multiple consecutive terms on the ATC Board of Directors, and chaired the ATC Stewardship Council. Before his recent promotion, Hawk served as Senior Regional Director of ATC's Northeast region.

Hawk thru-hiked the A.T. in 1993 (Hawk-Who-Walks GA—>ME) and has hiked many other sections of the A.T. since. He has thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the John Muir Trail twice, and has section hiked the Long Trail in Vermont.

As previously announced, the 2023 Hall of Fame class honorees are M.J. Eberhart a/k/a Nimblewill Nomad of Olean, Missouri; Lester Kenway of Bangor, Maine; Brian King of Molers Crossroads, West Virginia; and the late Harry Rentschler of Reading, Pennsylvania.

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The A.T. Museum Has Silver Status With GuideStar!!

5/24/2023

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We have received Silver status for transparency by the prominent non-profit rating service GuideStar. Click on the logo below to view our GuideStar profile.
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A.T. Museum 2023 Annual Membership Meeting

5/2/2023

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Notice of Museum Annual Membership Meeting

The Appalachian Trail Museum, Inc. will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 7 pm. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. The meeting information appears below. All Museum Members in good standing are invited to attend and will have a vote. The public is also invited to attend.

At the Membership Meeting, the Officers and non-officer Directors will be elected. The Board of Directors has nominated the following persons to these positions:

For a two year term:
President: Larry Luxenberg
Vice President: Gwen Loose
Non-officer Directors: Ron Bungay, Jim Foster, Ryan Seltzer
 
For a one year term:

Treasurer: Jay Sexton
Secretary: Bill O’Brien
Membership Secretary: Robert Croyle
Non-Officer Directors: Noel DeCavalcante, Joe Harold, Kristen Hoke, Dakota Jackson
 
Museum members in good standing may submit alternate nominations for these positions by no later than Wednesday, May 24. Nominations should be submitted by email to info@atmuseum.org.

 
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Meeting ID: 879 3362 4796
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2023 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

4/18/2023

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The thirteenth class of Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame honorees has been announced by the Appalachian Trail Museum’s Hall of Fame selection committee.
The 2023 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame class honorees are M.J. Eberhart of Olean, Missouri; Lester Kenway of Bangor, Maine; Brian King of Molers Crossroads, West Virginia; and the late Harry Rentschler of Reading, Pennsylvania.
​

PictureNimblewill Nomad (courtesy AP)
M.J. Eberhart is universally known within the trail community as Nimblewill Nomad. By age 61, M.J. had lived a full life, born in New York State, growing up in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri and setting up a successful practice as an optometrist in Florida. Then one day, he took a walk. And he kept on walking, from the Florida Keys up the eastern seaboard to the northern tip of the Gaspe peninsula in Canada, 4,400 miles. Over the next 15 years, he hiked 34,000 miles including the Triple Crown of long-distance trails (A.T., Pacific Crest and Continental Divide), and the rest of the 11 national scenic trails. Nearing his 75th birthday, he vowed to hang up his hiking boots.
 
Nimblewill’s friends thought this was unlikely to happen. They were right. In 2021, at age 83, the Nomad started the A.T. yet again, for a third time. In November, 2021, he finished the Trail, and became the oldest known person to hike it in one year. It was fitting that Nimblewill was met at the end by his friend, Dale “Greybeard” Sanders, the previous record holder. The two Trail champions toasted each other with glasses of champagne. Is the Nomad done hiking? No one who knows him would bet that he is.
​

PictureLester Kenway (courtesy ATC)
Every hiker who summits Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T., knows the iconic sign that graces the mountaintop. Lester Kenway is one of the volunteers who put that sign in place.  Although he’s climbed Katahdin three times with that sign, it represents just a small part of Lester’s volunteer efforts on behalf of the A.T.  
 
Lester’s first trail crew experience was in 1972 as a member of the Bates Outing Club.  Now a member of ATC and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) for more than 45 years, Lester has chaired the sign committee, managed MATC’s Trail crew program, built shelters and trails and served as MATC’s President. Lester says his goal is to “build things once, and build them to last,” primarily using stone.  He was a pioneer of using the Griphoist and other methods for moving stone that are now widely used on the A.T. and other trails. The late Bob Proudman called Lester “…the quintessential crew leader, always prepared with decades of trail-building experience”. Lester says building and maintaining trails “creates something good for people and something good for the earth.”
​


PictureBrian King (courtesy ATC)
Brian B. King of Molers Crossroads, W.Va., began work for ATC in June 1987, after eight years working as a volunteer on the Appalachian Trailway News and the board’s public-relations committee. For decades, he was responsible for ATC’s publications, sales program and the archives. He is the author of the award-winning Trail history, The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail. Brian is widely considered to be the Trail’s greatest living historian. Brian retired from ATC in 2022.
 
A native of Washington, D.C., Brian is a graduate of Georgetown University, and previously attended the University of the South and Northwestern University’s National Journalism Institute. Prior to joining ATC, Brian worked for the Charleston (S.C.) Evening Post, the Colorado Springs Sun, the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ford Foundation.
​


PictureHarry Rentschler (courtesy A.T. Museum)
Harry Rentschler grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania with a love of the outdoors. A physician practicing in Reading, PA, Dr. Rentschler and some friends founded the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club in 1916. That name came from a trek that Rentschler led up the mountain to find an eagle’s nest. A decade later Dr. Rentschler learned of Benton MacKaye’s dream to create a trail stretching through the wilderness from Georgia to Maine. Under his leadership, BMECC stepped up to build 102 miles of the A.T. from the Susquehanna to the Lehigh River. Dr. Rentschler led the work trips during the five years that it took to build the Trail, using his 1917 Physician’s Memorandum to record notes about these trips.
 
Rentschler’s property in the Reading suburb of Bernville became the headquarters for BMECC’s construction of their portion of the A.T. and later maintenance projects. Two A.T. shelters, Eagles Nest and Rausch Gap, were constructed there and then transported to the Trail. Dr. Rentschler willed his property to BMECC and today the Rentschler Arboretum is the headquarters of that club, by far the oldest one based in the Keystone State maintaining the Trail.
 
Twelve classes have previously been elected to the A.T. Hall of Fame.  The Charter Class, elected in 2011, comprised Myron Avery, Gene Espy, Ed Garvey, Benton MacKaye, Arthur Perkins and Earl Shaffer.  Members of the 2012 class were Emma Gatewood, David Richie, J. Frank Schairer, Jean Stephenson and William Adams Welch.  The 2013 Class was Ruth Blackburn, David Field, David Sherman, David Startzell and Eddie Stone.  The 2014 Class was A. Rufus Morgan, Chuck Rinaldi, Clarence Stein and Pamela Underhill.  The 2015 Class was Ned Anderson, Margaret Drummond, Stanley Murray and Raymond Torrey. In 2016, Maurice J. Forrester, Jr., Horace Kephart, Larry Luxenberg and Henry Arch Nichols were inducted.  The 2017 Class was Harlean James, Charles Parry, Mildred Norman Ryder and Tillie Wood.  In 2018, William Kemsley, Jr., Elizabeth Levers, George Masa and Bob Peoples were elected.  Members of the 2019 Class were Jean Cashin, Paul Fink, Don King and Bob Proudman. The 2020 Class was Chris Brunton, Thurston Griggs, Warren Doyle and Jim Stoltz. Harvey Broome, Stephen Clark, Thomas Johnson and Marianne Skeen comprised the 2021 class. The 2022 class was Jim & Molly Denton, JoAnn & Paul Dolan, Laurie Potteiger and Tom Speaks.
The 2023 Hall of Fame Class will be honored at the Hall of Fame Induction event on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Additional details will be announced soon.


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