For the Trail, it has changed physically, through acquisition, relocation, and natural impacts. The experience of the A.T. has also evolved. Population growth, changing demographics, increased desire to be outdoors along with exponential growth of awareness of the Trail and what it has to offer have led to significant increases in visitor use and impact. Accompanying these changes, the Conservancy continues to transform itself.
Starting as a small, volunteer-led cooperative of maintaining clubs, the ATC is now a significant non-profit organization, recognized as a voice within the broader conservation and outdoor recreation arena. Its skilled staff and volunteers are dedicated to ensuring the Trail and the Trail experience will thrive through the next century. And, well for me, the hair is grayer, and the joints are stiffer, but I still relish the opportunity to hike and work on the Trail. I take pride in my blazes along the three-mile section my husband and I maintain in Virginia.
This issue of A.T. Journeys is about resiliency and, coupled with the incredibly devastating impacts from recent storms along the southern portion of the Trail, it has me thinking a lot about the changes ATC and the Trail have and continue to face. When I started as a Trail volunteer our work was primarily focused on the treadway and infrastructure of the Trail. We cleared existing and built new trail as the Federal Government completed its land acquisition project, and constructed shelters and privies, and located trailhead parking lots. During this time, we started to notice the impacts of invasive plants and insects, and the damage they wrought on ecosystems along the Trail.
Today, keeping the treadway clear of blowdowns and overgrowth continues to be a priority. But the emphasis on reacting to impacts — human, ecological, and climatic — now take up the bulk of our volunteer and staff time. The Conservancy understands that while we must address these immediate impacts in real time, our primary role must go beyond that work to insulate and prepare the Trail to better withstand these impacts in the future.
From learning how many people use the Trail, and where and how they recreate on it, to developing sustainable treadway and overnight sites, to acquiring lands beyond the official corridor to provide a more connected and protective buffer to development pressures, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is making investments for long-term resiliency and sustainability of the A.T. It is not enough to just keep the treadway open if the ecosystems around it are collapsing. Because of climate change, 100-year storms are happening annually, and the Trail will continue to experience destruction and rebuilding cycles if we just replace what is lost without addressing the underlying issues. For instance, the ATC understands that replacing a bridge in a confirmed flood zone is akin to a Sisyphean struggle. It is futile. Instead, we must find proactive and innovative ways to create a continuous and passable trail built to endure the inevitable impacts. Mother Nature will always win out.
While all this may seem dire, I really see our work towards resiliency as the ultimate positive approach. The definition for resiliency includes ideas of capacity, toughness, grit, tenacity, recovery, and the ability to spring back from adversity. And it is our collective resiliency that I am finding most inspiring right now as I watch our A.T. Communities stand strong through the devastation following Hurricane Helene, see our Trail Clubs and volunteers begin work needed on the Trail, find mutual support with our National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service partners, and collaborate with the expert ATC staff on our immediate disaster response while also strategizing how to mitigate future impacts. The resilient nature of the A.T. Cooperative Management System shines so bright, and gets me rolling up my sleeves every morning, despite those stiff joints.
For the past century, the Conservancy and its partners have protected this treasure we call the Appalachian Trail. As we enter our second century, we will apply our expert knowledge, continue to learn and evolve, and steward the Trail so it stays connected for all and resilient as it winds into the next one hundred years.
As always, thank you for all you do to support the Trail and our work. Together, we will keep the Trail alive.
