a Realm
a Realm
ON THE COVER
Coyote tracks in the snow along the Appalachian Trail at the foot of Little Hump Mountain in North Carolina – By Daniel Burleson
ON THE COVER
Coyote tracks in the snow along the Appalachian Trail at the foot of Little Hump Mountain in North Carolina – By Daniel Burleson
Sandra Marra / President & CEO
Nicole Prorock / Chief Financial Officer
Shalin Desai / Vice President of Advancement
Laura Belleville / Vice President of Conservation & Trail Programs
Cherie A. Nikosey / Vice President of Administration
Brian B. King / Publisher & Archivist
Wendy K. Probst / Editor in Chief
Traci Anfuso-Young / Art Director / Designer
Jordan Bowman / Director of Communications
Laurie Potteiger / Information Services Manager
Brittany Jennings / Proofreader
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail — ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.
Colin Beasley / Chair
Robert Hutchinson / Vice Chair
Edward R. Guyot / Secretary
Jim LaTorre / Treasurer
Beth Critton / Stewardship Council Chair
Grant Davies
Norman P. Findley
Thomas L. Gregg
Daniel A. Howe
Ann Heilman Murphy
Colleen Peterson
Nathan G. Rogers
Rubén Rosales
Ambreen Tariq
Hon. Stephanie Martz
Diana Christopulos
Jim Fetig
Lisa Koteen Gerchick
Mark Kent
Lindsay Kryzak
R. Michael Leonard
Robert Rich
Rick Tyler
Hon. C. Stewart Verdery, Jr.
For membership questions or to become a member, call: (304) 885-0460
[email protected]
A.T. Journeys is published four times per year. Advertising revenues directly support the publication and production of the magazine, and help meet Appalachian Trail Conservancy objectives. For more information and advertising rates, visit: appalachiantrail.org/atjadvertising
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail — ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.
Colin Beasley / Chair
Robert Hutchinson / Vice Chair
Edward R. Guyot / Secretary
Jim LaTorre / Treasurer
Beth Critton / Stewardship Council Chair
Grant Davies
Norman P. Findley
Thomas L. Gregg
Daniel A. Howe
Ann Heilman Murphy
Colleen Peterson
Nathan G. Rogers
Rubén Rosales
Ambreen Tariq
Hon. Stephanie Martz
Diana Christopulos
Jim Fetig
Lisa Koteen Gerchick
Mark Kent
Lindsay Kryzak
R. Michael Leonard
Robert Rich
Rick Tyler
Hon. C. Stewart Verdery, Jr.
A.T. Journeys is published on Somerset matte paper manufactured by Sappi North America mills and distributors that follow responsible forestry practices. It is printed with Soy Seal certified ink in the U.S.A. by Sheridan NH in Hanover, New Hampshire.
A.T. Journeys ( ISSN 1556-2751) is published quarterly for $15 a year by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 799 Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, (304) 535-6331. Bulk-rate postage paid at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and other offices. Postmaster: Send change-of-address Form 3575 to A.T. Journeys, P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.
Anne Sentz
FINDING AND SHARING SIGNIFICANT WORDS AND QUOTES IS, FOR ME, a perk of being an editor. I seek out words that strike me as inspirational, thought evoking, and sometimes amusing. I often feel an immediate need to scribble them down on the nearest notepad when I find them. “Optimism as oxygen,” are the words that immediately caught my attention and imagination as I read Benton MacKaye’s 1921 article: An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning. “Are we getting all the oxygen we might for the big tasks before us?” he asks. In this issue, we present themes of vision, resilience, and what it means to protect a “realm.” We are motivated by MacKaye’s optimism, as metaphorical oxygen, and by the real need to consider the importance of the Trail’s air quality, among other things, and the health of what we refer to as the Wild East landscape that surrounds it. Of course, it takes more than just words to make a vision come to life and thrive for almost a century as the A.T. has. MacKaye’s words in 1921 are prophetic: “The oxygen in the mountain air along the Appalachian skyline is a natural resource (and national resource) that radiates to the heavens its enormous health-giving powers with only a fraction of a percent utilized for human rehabilitation. Here is a resource that could save thousands of lives.” When words spark imagination, the path is open to anything.
Anne Sentz
A resident of Martinsburg, West Virginia, Anne Sentz works out of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s headquarters in Harpers Ferry. Her job as landscape partnership manager allows her to combine her passion for the Appalachian Trail with her commitment to landscape-scale conservation, and she feels lucky to have found a career path that allows her to work to protect an American treasure like the A.T. “I fell in love with the Appalachian Trail while hiking, but that love grows exponentially when I consider what the Trail means to not just humans, but native plants and animals, clean water, night skies, and our climate,” she says. “The Trail is not just an isolated footpath in the woods. We have to think across boundaries and borders as we combat climate change.”
Derick Lugo is the author of the travel memoir, The Unlikely Thru-Hiker. He thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2012 with zero hiking or camping experience. “I didn’t even know if I liked hiking,” he says of his unlikely journey. He currently travels the country sharing his story: one of friendships, stepping out of your comfort zone, and accomplishing the unthinkable. “I’m thrilled to be able to share an excerpt of my book — a story of my childhood curiosity (that was left out of the published book). I’m glad to finally bring that story to readers.” Currently, Derick splits his time between his home town of New York City and telling his travel-adventure stories of vision and determination at special events along the eastern U.S.
Kim O’Connell is a writer based in Arlington, Virginia and a regular feature contributor to A.T. Journeys. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Atlas Obscura, National Parks Traveler, and other national and regional publications. She has served as an artist-in-residence at Shenandoah and Acadia national parks and teaches science writing for Johns Hopkins University. “Every time I am privileged enough to hike a portion of the A.T. — usually in my ‘home park’ of Shenandoah — I think about the incredible ambition and commitment that the Trail represents,” she says. “It was inspiring to write about Benton MacKaye’s vision for the Appalachian Traili and how it’s being carried forward by a new generation of committed hikers and advocates.”
As a student from Northampton Community College, Lila Shokr is currently studying communication design, and has also studied at the Paris College of Art in France. She is presently living in Northampton, Pennsylvania, and plans to further her artistic education as she completes her degree and moves into the professional world of illustration and design. “Being able to illustrate for such an important story [Protecting a Realm] was a privilege,” she says. “There is a need for more environmental awareness among us, and yet there is hope in future generations, I wanted to call upon these notions in my illustrations.”
Photo by Eric Wilcox
WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), my top priority was to ensure the foundation and structure of this organization was strong and sound. I am happy to report we have strong bones to support and sustain our core mission.
Our volunteers are skilled and empowered to manage and maintain the Trail itself. We have committed and effective partnerships that enhance our efforts from the treadway to the broader landscape. Through our education and outreach work, we continue to ensure the Trail is relevant to younger and more diverse audiences. And, the leadership of ATC is updating the organization’s strategic plan to help guide staff and volunteers through the next three years of project work.
Having taken these steps forward in 2019, 2020 is the year we not only ensure our foundation remains strong, but also the time for us to contemplate what is the next step in the evolution of the Trail and, by extension, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
HOW TIMELY IS YOUR CALL FOR restoring our vanishing nighttime dark skies (A.T. Journeys Fall). Ironically so, as I lay in bed reading the issue at five in the morning, unable to sleep for the light washing across the bedroom ceiling from a neighbor’s illuminated garage. And thank you for reminding me of the full-sky display of the Milky Way above our apartment in suburban Philadelphia in the 1950s. An experience which I could possibly only now replicate on a serious backpacking trip. Is a moonless night in northern Tennessee still adequate to force turning in at the edge of an unfollowable A.T. and then awaking at 2 a.m. knee deep in an unsuspected stream? I hope so! Kudos too to Ron Griswell and Luz Lituma for making this an amazing issue from cover to cover!
Liberty Lake, Washington
Take the 14 State Challenge
The 14-state challenge allows you to visit some of the A.T.’s most iconic places in bite-sized pieces. It can be done on family vacations, when you’re traveling on business, or whenever wanderlust strikes.
A.T. – New Hampshire – By Anne Sentz
How it works
Visit a location in each of the Appalachian Trail’s 14 states. Make your goal one blaze, one mile, or even 10 miles in each state. It’s up to you! We’ve selected notable destinations (that you can drive right to, or within a 1/4 mile of the road) and hikes that are some of the shortest, best, and most accessible that each state has to offer.
Make the Challenge Special
The A.T. has an unofficial passport with more than 100 stamps you can collect. Find them at locations ranging from restaurants to A.T. visitor centers and in many official / all 48 A.T. Communities along the Trail.
Get the Patch
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s 14 State Challenge patch was designed to inspire you to start your journey and stay dedicated to your goal. Don’t wait to complete the challenge before showing it off.
Share your photos on
social media, and tag them:
#14statechallenge and #at2020
Ready to Start
Learn more at:
appalachiantrail.org/14statechallenge
Get your passport: atpassport.com
Buy your patch:
appalachiantrail.org/14StatePatch
Collect all 14 individual state patches:
appalachiantrail.org/ATstatepatches
Take the 14 State Challenge
The 14-state challenge allows you to visit some of the A.T.’s most iconic places in bite-sized pieces. It can be done on family vacations, when you’re traveling on business, or whenever wanderlust strikes.
A.T. – New Hampshire – By Anne Sentz
How it works
Visit a location in each of the Appalachian Trail’s 14 states. Make your goal one blaze, one mile, or even 10 miles in each state. It’s up to you! We’ve selected notable destinations (that you can drive right to, or within a 1/4 mile of the road) and hikes that are some of the shortest, best, and most accessible that each state has to offer.
Make the Challenge Special
The A.T. has an unofficial passport with more than 100 stamps you can collect. Find them at locations ranging from restaurants to A.T. visitor centers and in many official / all 48 A.T. Communities along the Trail.
Get the Patch
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s 14 State Challenge patch was designed to inspire you to start your journey and stay dedicated to your goal. Don’t wait to complete the challenge before showing it off.
Inspire Others
Share your photos on
social media, and tag them:
#14statechallenge and #at2020
Ready to Start
Learn more at:
appalachiantrail.org/14statechallenge
Get your passport: atpassport.com
Buy your patch:
appalachiantrail.org/14StatePatch
Collect all 14 individual state patches:
appalachiantrail.org/ATstatepatches
trailhead
Find out more at: appalachiantrail.org/advocacy
trailhead
Find out more at: appalachiantrail.org/advocacy
trailhead
For more information visit:
appalachiantrail.org/bylaws
appalachiantrail.org/bylaws2019changes
trailhead
I think I’ve always been drawn to storytelling. I went to an arts highschool for theater and majored in creative writing through college. After college graduation, I made a documentary film called The Green Race Movie, which followed a class five kayak race near Asheville, North Carolina. That was my entryway into independent film production, and I’ve been working at it ever since.
From top: Chris on a shake-down hike in the Smokies while preparing for his thru-hike; Scenes from The Long Start to the Journey
I think I’ve always been drawn to storytelling. I went to an arts highschool for theater and majored in creative writing through college. After college graduation, I made a documentary film called The Green Race Movie, which followed a class five kayak race near Asheville, North Carolina. That was my entryway into independent film production, and I’ve been working at it ever since.
Daniel Burleson
~ Daniel Burleson
warwick / New York TUCKED INTO THE FOOTHILLS OF SOUTHERN NEW YORK — ONLY 50 MILES FROM MANHATTAN’S SKYLINE — THE TOWN OF WARWICK OFFERS STUNNING VISTAS, BEAUTIFUL WATERFALLS, AND ENDLESS OPTIONS FOR FUN AND RELAXATION.
By Jessica Schottanes
From far left: Fitzgerald Falls; Shops in the Village of Warwick; Hudson Valley Jazz Fest on Warwick’s Railroad Green; A day hiker on the A.T. north of Route 17A – Photos by John DeSanto
From far left: Fitzgerald Falls; Shops in the Village of Warwick; Hudson Valley Jazz Fest on Warwick’s Railroad Green; A day hiker on the A.T. north of Route 17A – Photos by John DeSanto
an Original
Vision
In 1921, Benton MacKaye, a pioneer of regional planning, proposed his vision for an extensive trailway system — with an underlying purpose to foster a cooperative spirit between recreational users and anticipated permanent trailside community members and farmers — known as the Appalachian Trail. As MacKaye became more fixated on his concept for a regional community connected by a footpath hidden in the Appalachian Mountains, the external design of the surrounding landscape was transforming as highways and national parks system units emerged. As the demand to complete the Trail’s development for the public’s immediate use and enjoyment increased, MacKaye’s vision returned to its original form as a proposal on paper. Myron Avery then worked to bring the Trail into physical existence in 1937. Over time, the A.T. surfaced into a spiritual and challenging trek in which many are eager to attempt to thru-hike, section-hike, and day-hike. While in many ways the A.T. venture today encourages a community of wanderers traveling across the landscape, one aspect that fits into MacKaye’s original vision is the culture and communities that surround the Trail today.
When the Appalachian Trail Conservancy launched the A.T. Community Program in 2010, a formal network of Trail-side communities and a regional support system was established. Designated communities interact with one another through summits and workshops, and the business climate in these municipalities seem to improve with recognition through social media and signage. Much about these towns and communities that surround the Trail and are part of the A.T. Community Program fits nicely into MacKaye’s grander wilderness civilization blueprint.
In 1921, Benton MacKaye, a pioneer of regional planning, proposed his vision for an extensive trailway system — with an underlying purpose to foster a cooperative spirit between recreational users and anticipated permanent trailside community members and farmers — known as the Appalachian Trail. As MacKaye became more fixated on his concept for a regional community connected by a footpath hidden in the Appalachian Mountains, the external design of the surrounding landscape was transforming as highways and national parks system units emerged. As the demand to complete the Trail’s development for the public’s immediate use and enjoyment increased, MacKaye’s vision returned to its original form as a proposal on paper. Myron Avery then worked to bring the Trail into physical existence in 1937. Over time, the A.T. surfaced into a spiritual and challenging trek in which many are eager to attempt to thru-hike, section-hike, and day-hike. While in many ways the A.T. venture today encourages a community of wanderers traveling across the landscape, one aspect that fits into MacKaye’s original vision is the culture and communities that surround the Trail today.
When the Appalachian Trail Conservancy launched the A.T. Community Program in 2010, a formal network of Trail-side communities and a regional support system was established. Designated communities interact with one another through summits and workshops, and the business climate in these municipalities seem to improve with recognition through social media and signage. Much about these towns and communities that surround the Trail and are part of the A.T. Community Program fits nicely into MacKaye’s grander wilderness civilization blueprint.
“LISTEN, PRETTY BOY, I KNOW YOU. You are the most well-groomed, metrosexual black man in New York City. You, in the woods, without your mirror, your beauty products, and your designer clothes for more than a few days. Please!”
This was one of the reactions I got from friends and family members when I told them that I was going to hike the entire 2,190-miles of the Appalachian Trail. My friend’s case against such an ambitious feat was strong. I had never hiked a day in my life, I had never camped out or pitched a tent, heck, when I finally started my thru-hike at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia, I didn’t even know how to use the gear I was carrying. The water filter, the mini stove, and tent were necessities, but useless in my hands. My rationale was weak against the people who cared for me and knew better than I did that I was not prepared for such a journey into the unknown.
WHEN YOU HEAR THE term “grassland,” images of the vast prairies of the Northern Great Plains, or the iconic African savannas, might come to mind. The word may not immediately inspire thoughts of the eastern United States, and yet native grasslands are an important feature of the Wild East landscape.
Grasslands are complex, early successional ecosystems found on every continent but Antarctica. Their commonality is the dominance of grasses, but regional and local differences in climate, weather, soil, and disturbance lead to their great diversity in size and composition. Herbaceous forbs, woody shrubs, some trees, and an array of wildlife are common features. In the eastern U.S., where rainfall is consistent, native grasslands are dominated by warm-season bunch grasses such as big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass and switchgrass, and they tend to have a high presence of flowering forbs like milkweed, goldenrod, wild bergamot, and black-eyed Susan. Oftentimes we refer to these areas as meadows.
Trail Giving
NOVEMBER
2019 / donors
IN HONOR OF
Gayle Albright by Lillian Buchanan
Clifford Andew “DocBear” by Donald & Roslyn Cassell, Stuart Cordish, Douglas & Carolyn Everstine, Fred & Joan Hall, Donald & Loretta Hislop, Joan & Arthur Hobbs, Patricia Ranney, Douglas Simon, Mark Smith, G. William & Shirley Vining
US Army Lieutenant Colonel Brian Babcock-Lumish, aka “The Sweedish Chef” by Saundra E. Lumish
Ryan Bell by Wayne Bell
Stephen Bendele by Chad Doebler
Amy Boyce & Greg Harmon by Meghan Kita, Sara Schoen
Nicholas Bross by Margaret Frohlich
Patricia Gaile Buice by Brent Buice
Christel “Buttchinz” Charlesworth by Maya Kapoor
Steve Claxon “Mustard Seed” by Carrie Powell
Chris Daldorf by Granddaddy & Jane
Don Duke by Reid Duke
Scott “Greenfeet Outdoors” Fales by Kimberly Johnson
Geraldine Frechette by Georgette Lyons
June & Lucy Floyd by Alice & Brian King
Judy & Steve Gentz by Sharon Freeman
Helen Glynn by Robert Glynn
Benton & Colton Green by Glenora Berres
Greg Hamon by Brue & Donna Bernard, Casey Callister, Erica Mohr
Glenn Hiltpold by Neil Massa
Jill Holzer & Chris Carter by Thomas Miller
Herndon “Sam” Inge by Caroline McDonald
Jim Jenko by Marguerite Higgins
Shannon Jenson by Leah Casuto
Keepin On and In Tow by John Ellis
Peter & Laurie MacKenzie by Gary Braxten
Mark Mahoney by Barbara Baethke
Danielle Mathews & Erik Metzger by Mary Mathews
John Matticks by Craig Matticks
Patrick (Muldoon) McKenna & Johanna (Ruffles) Lake by David & Janet Datsko
Alan Nye by Janet Nye
Kathy Odvody by Lynn Heinrichs
Alexander Rhodes by Carl Rhodes
James Richard by Adam Richard
MacKenzie Roberts by Ahmad Shamim
Gunnar Schube by Paula Mueller
Cole Sebastian by Jim & Susie Sebastian
Six & Dangerpants by Patrick, Danielle, Luke & “Tee Bird” Coate
Dr Charles “Gazman” Smith by Kieran “Columbo” & Marianne Repko
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Glasgow, VA by Jonathan VanOslen
Dave Tarasevich by Shepherds Spring, Inc
Betsy Thompson by Sarah Best
Greta Visvydas by Maya Kapoor
Judge Wilson by Ann Ronald
NOVEMBER
2019 / donors
IN HONOR OF
Gayle Albright by Lillian Buchanan
Clifford Andew “DocBear” by Donald & Roslyn Cassell, Stuart Cordish, Douglas & Carolyn Everstine, Fred & Joan Hall, Donald & Loretta Hislop, Joan & Arthur Hobbs, Patricia Ranney, Douglas Simon, Mark Smith, G. William & Shirley Vining
US Army Lieutenant Colonel Brian Babcock-Lumish, aka “The Sweedish Chef” by Saundra E. Lumish
Ryan Bell by Wayne Bell
Stephen Bendele by Chad Doebler
Amy Boyce & Greg Harmon by Meghan Kita, Sara Schoen
Nicholas Bross by Margaret Frohlich
Patricia Gaile Buice by Brent Buice
Christel “Buttchinz” Charlesworth by Maya Kapoor
Steve Claxon “Mustard Seed” by Carrie Powell
Chris Daldorf by Granddaddy & Jane
Don Duke by Reid Duke
Scott “Greenfeet Outdoors” Fales by Kimberly Johnson
Geraldine Frechette by Georgette Lyons
June & Lucy Floyd by Alice & Brian King
Judy & Steve Gentz by Sharon Freeman
Helen Glynn by Robert Glynn
Benton & Colton Green by Glenora Berres
Greg Hamon by Brue & Donna Bernard, Casey Callister, Erica Mohr
Glenn Hiltpold by Neil Massa
Jill Holzer & Chris Carter by Thomas Miller
Rob (Mo) Hutchinson by Mary Hutchinson
Herndon “Sam” Inge by Caroline McDonald
Jim Jenko by Marguerite Higgins
Shannon Jenson by Leah Casuto
Keepin On and In Tow by John Ellis
Peter & Laurie MacKenzie by Gary Braxten
Mark Mahoney by Barbara Baethke
Danielle Mathews & Erik Metzger by Mary Mathews
John Matticks by Craig Matticks
Patrick (Muldoon) McKenna & Johanna (Ruffles) Lake by David & Janet Datsko
Alan Nye by Janet Nye
Kathy Odvody by Lynn Heinrichs
Alexander Rhodes by Carl Rhodes
James Richard by Adam Richard
MacKenzie Roberts by Ahmad Shamim
Gunnar Schube by Paula Mueller
Cole Sebastian by Jim & Susie Sebastian
Six & Dangerpants by Patrick, Danielle, Luke & “Tee Bird” Coate
Dr Charles “Gazman” Smith by Kieran “Columbo” & Marianne Repko
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Glasgow, VA by Jonathan VanOslen
Dave Tarasevich by Shepherds Spring, Inc
Betsy Thompson by Sarah Best
Greta Visvydas by Maya Kapoor
Judge Wilson by Ann Ronald
A.T. – North Carolina – By Daniel Burleson
AS THE FIRST APPALACHIAN TRAIL PROJECT manager for the National Park Service, from 1976 to 1987, Dave Richie led a pivotal era of partnership building and land acquisition — he was also my father. His leadership and vision inspired a collaborative approach, which energized participation from the grassroots to the highest levels of federal and state government. He engaged the right people in the right place at the right time to protect a very threatened Trail.
My father had a knack for hiring extraordinary people. He was strategic, creative, and willing to look beyond the written resume for untapped talent. Then, he’d set the course, turn over the reins, and let that person shine. He championed volunteers and Trail clubs. When he arrived on the scene in 1974 as National Park Service deputy director of the northeast region, the A.T. was one responsibility of many. The Trail resembled nothing of the protected public corridor of today, with hundreds of miles on roads and private lands. The 1968 National Trails System Act established the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, but funds were sparse.
