A crowd of approximately 85 honored the 2020 and 2021 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductees at the A.T. Hall of Fame Outdoor Induction Ceremony, held on November 20, 2021. The venue for the event was the Furnace Stack Pavilion at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, near Gardners, PA. Emcee for the Banquet was Sandra “Sandi” Marra, President & CEO of the Board of Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The outdoor event was in place of the 2020 and 2021 Banquets, which had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
The 2020 Hall of Fame class is Chris Brunton of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Warren Doyle of Mountain City, Tennessee; the late Thurston Griggs of Baltimore, Maryland; and the late Jim Stoltz of Helena, Montana.
The 2020 Hall of Fame class is Chris Brunton of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Warren Doyle of Mountain City, Tennessee; the late Thurston Griggs of Baltimore, Maryland; and the late Jim Stoltz of Helena, Montana.
Brunton, known to most as "Trail Boss", has served for decades as district manager for an A.T. section in West Virginia and Virginia for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, including three miles that he personally maintains. Doyle ranks high on the list of those who have inspired others to attempt an A.T. hike, partially due to his amazing personal hiking exploits. In addition, he played a leading role in founding the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, the leading organization devoted to encouraging long distance hiking and promoting the interests of hikers. Griggs worked relentlessly to preserve and protect the Appalachian Trail-- mostly in Pennsylvania and Maryland. One of his great achievements was working on a project to expedite the purchase of the Bagtown Road property in Maryland, which has since been named the Thurston Griggs Trail, a side trail to the A.T. Stoltz, universally known as Walkin’ Jim, was a musician, author, photographer, artist, and environmental activist. Between hiking trips, he would produce and perform original shows of his travels with photography and music, always incorporating his keen sense of environmental awareness and justice for all things wild.
The 2021 Hall of Fame class is the late Harvey Broome of Knoxville, Tennessee; Stephen Clark of Waterville, Maine; the late Thomas Johnson of Front Royal, Virginia; and Marianne Skeen of Atlanta, Georgia.
The 2021 Hall of Fame class is the late Harvey Broome of Knoxville, Tennessee; Stephen Clark of Waterville, Maine; the late Thomas Johnson of Front Royal, Virginia; and Marianne Skeen of Atlanta, Georgia.
Broome’s primary life’s work was as a leading advocate for preserving wild spaces in the eastern U.S. from the early 1920s until his death in 1968. Broome became an early leader of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club and helped to lay out the route of the Appalachian Trail in the newly established Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Clark has been an integral part of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club for almost 60 years. To many, His name is synonymous with the 100 Mile Wilderness portion of the A.T. in Maine. In fact, he reportedly coined the term in the 1980s to describe this most isolated section of the Trail. One of the Trail’s premier historians, Johnson’s definitive history of the A.T., “From Dream To Reality”. has just been published by ATC. He was a longtime member, trail maintainer and leader of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, including service as President. Skeen is a role model for outdoor stewardship and education. As a member of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club for over several decades, she has been recognized for her commitment to youth outreach and trail maintenance. She’s been described as the epitome of dedication and hard work.
Additional information about each inductee can be found at the Museum’s website, https://www.atmuseum.org/hall-of-fame.html Each Hall of Fame honoree or representative received a hiking stick custom carved by John “Bodacious” Beaudet. The Museum hopes to return to its traditional indoor Hall of Fame Banquet in 2022.
Additional information about each inductee can be found at the Museum’s website, https://www.atmuseum.org/hall-of-fame.html Each Hall of Fame honoree or representative received a hiking stick custom carved by John “Bodacious” Beaudet. The Museum hopes to return to its traditional indoor Hall of Fame Banquet in 2022.
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