The Trail not only inspires endlessly, it also unites us in ways unimagined. Aptly titled “United by the Appalachian Trail,” the photographic exhibition that made its way to the Capitol Rotunda in 2018 imparted a sense of the Trail as not only a place to find beauty and inspiration, but where we all come together, united by this remarkable project we call the Appalachian Trail.

“On a cold and snowy February day in 2016 atop Hawk Mountain, Georgia, ten members of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club (GATC) and a group of 32 soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 5th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Frank D. Merrill collaborated to build a new privy and additional campsites. They carried over 100 pieces of lumber and ten sheets of plywood for the installation of a new moldering privy and much-needed new sustainable campsites. When I arrived around 9 a.m., the GATC volunteers and Army Rangers were gathering and divvying up supplies and loading lumber upon their shoulders, carrying large supply boxes, ladders, and tools to make the trek into the designated privy location below Hawk Mountain. As an assignment to get some photographs for this collaborative effort, I thought it would be a challenge to do this on a dreary wintry day with low light and dense fog. I took advantage of the gloomy day to look for the artistic element into photographing this effort. While trying to stay warm, I kept moving around to different vantage points along the path as the Army Rangers disappeared into the forest making trek after trek hauling heavy lumber and building supplies. This image demonstrated to me the dedication of the GATC volunteers and Army Rangers to accomplish the task at hand on a particularly wintry day. Having my photography — and this piece in particular — featured in the United by the A.T. exhibit was a wonderful surprise. And to have it exhibited on a national level by a great organization such as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy was truly an unbelievable experience.”

Rebecca Bruce Vaughters is A Zone Archeologist
for the U.S. Forest Service in the Blue Ridge Ranger district.