Forty years ago, a co-worker invited me to a place called the Blackburn Trail Center. She explained that it was managed by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and that the weekend would include some work as well as hiking, friendly people, and good food. Little did I know at that moment that this was the first step on a lifetime journey of dedication, commitment, and inspiration.

The Appalachian Trail is replete with stories like mine, of ordinary citizens who find inspiration and purpose in working on behalf of something greater than themselves and their day-to-day lives. Those introductions to the Trail are as varied as the people themselves.

There are the thru-hikers (see page 38), who undertake a physical and mental challenge that most can’t imagine. Some will stick with it only for a few days or weeks, but some will go all the way, completing the Trail just as the leaves begin to turn. While the thousand or so hikers who fall into this category are but a small percentage of the millions who hike the Trail each year, like the storied pilgrims of olde, their adventures capture the interest and the imagination of people well beyond the Trail community.

Inspiration can also be found in working on the Trail. Many thru-hikers find reentry into “normal” life difficult, so they often will come back to the Trail afterwards — not as hikers but as stewards. Ridgerunners (see page 32) represent a large percentage of former long-distance hikers. Who better to help the next person undertaking a hike — whether it be for a day, a weekend, or six plus months — than one who has just completed the trek. Ridgerunners are there to provide information, remind us of the ethics of Leave no Trace, as well as help local clubs know of problem areas on their section of Trail. But mostly, they are there to impart their personal enthusiasm and experiences, which in turn can help to energize and inspire the next generation of responsible recreationists and stewards.

Inspiration towards stewardship is one of the most important aspects of the ATC’s work. The Trail and the experience we have while on it is not guaranteed. The Appalachian Trail is literally the last surviving fully connected protected wilderness corridor on the East Coast. The trees that hikers see, the birds they hear, the spring water that refreshes them, and the clean air they breathe are all due to the A.T. landscape. But that landscape is under a constant barrage of threats, both from humans and from nature herself. The thousand-foot corridor, while critical to establishing the Trail, will not be broad enough to withstand these current challenges.

The ATC is doing what it can to protect the fuller landscape adjacent to and within view of the A.T. Our Wild East Action Fund (see page 22) enables a larger, East Coast conservation movement, with the A.T. as the backbone. In five years, the fund has deployed $2.5 million, helping 47 partners leverage an additional $135 million to complete high-priority projects that have permanently protected over 88,000 acres. For every dollar we dedicate to a land protection project, nearly $50 comes from other sources. The ATC is working to inform and inspire communities, hikers, and supporters to understand how critical it is that this work continues and grows, as time is running out.

Forty years ago, I could not see where this Trail was going to lead me. I’ve made lifetime friends, I met my soulmate, and I now find myself in a professional role that my journey has uniquely prepared me to undertake. But the most inspirational moments have been those on the Trail itself: summiting Katahdin, walking through mists with wild horses in Grayson Highlands, facing the rocks, roots, and rains of the Whites, and looking back with pride at the blazes I painted along the three miles of Trail in the Rollercoaster for which my husband, Chris, and I are personally responsible.

We all know that inspiration means being stimulated to do or be something more than we are at this moment. But the word also means “the drawing in of breath; inhalation.” Inspiration literally is the breath of life. The Appalachian Trail inspires us to be more, but most importantly it gives us a place to breathe. Thank you for supporting this place and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy that protects it.