AT Journeys - Winter 2020
Protecting
a Realm
A.T. Vision and Resiliency
Protecting
a Realm
A.T. Vision and Resiliency
WINTER 2020
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A.T. near Roan Mountain late January from Round Bald looking back into Carvers Gap – By Dale Mayberry
contents / winter 2020
All the latest dirt along the Trail
Peak conditions at the foot of Grandfather Mountain
A feast for the senses and outdoor adventures in Warwick, New York
Vision, determination, and fate make dreams come true
Essential native warm-season grasslands
Reads that capture the vision and foundations of the Trail
Embracing a bold vision

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

Ensuring A Resilient Wild East Landscape
Broadening the Vision of the A.T.
A conversation with independent film producer Chris Gallaway
Maintain the natural balance by keeping your impact low

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

All the latest dirt along the Trail
Peak conditions at the foot of Grandfather Mountain
A feast for the senses and outdoor adventures in Warwick, New York
Vision, determination, and fate make dreams come true
Essential native warm-season grasslands
Reads that capture the vision and foundations of the Trail
Embracing a bold vision
Ensuring A Resilient Wild East Landscape
Broadening the Vision of the A.T.
A conversation with independent film producer Chris Gallaway
Maintain the natural balance by keeping your impact low
AT Journeys - Winter 2020
ATC Executive Leadership

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

A.T. Journeys

Wendy K. Probst / Editor in Chief
Traci Anfuso-Young / Art Director / Designer

Contributors

Jordan Bowman / Director of Communications
Laurie Potteiger / Information Services Manager
Brittany Jennings / Proofreader

MISSION
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.
Board of Directors

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

PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

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.

© 2020 Appalachian Trail Conservancy. All rights reserved.
Membership

For membership questions or to become a member, call: (304) 885-0460

[email protected]

Advertising

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

MISSION
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.
Board of Directors

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

PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

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.

© 2020 Appalachian Trail Conservancy. All rights reserved.
The staff of A.T. Journeys welcomes editorial inquiries, suggestions, and comments. Email: [email protected] Observations, conclusions, opinions, and product endorsements expressed in A.T. Journeys are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of members of the board or staff of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

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.

Download the PDF Version of the Magazine
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Contributors
Contributors

The Trail is not just an isolated footpath in the woods. We have to think across boundaries and borders as we combat climate change

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.

Wendy K. Probst / Editor in Chief
Anne Sentz

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
Derick Lugo
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
Kim O’Connell
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.”
Lila Shokr
Lila Shokr
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.”
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President’s Letter
President’s Letter
Beyond the Treadway
Mid day mountain landscape

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.

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Letters
Letters
A.T. Journeys Fall 2019 Issue

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!

Richard Strehlau
Liberty Lake, Washington
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Broadening the Vision of the A.T.
Summiting a mountain is a culmination. You’ve hiked and climbed, up and up, until there is nowhere else to go but down. It is a satisfying conclusion — a coming to fruition. But summiting a mountain can also feel like a beginning: With a panoramic view of everything around you, you’ve expanded the boundaries of what you thought was possible. You’ve created the promise of a new goal, perhaps a chance to climb even higher next time. You’ve offered yourself a new perspective. So it was with Benton MacKaye.
In July 1900, MacKaye had hiked the top of Stratton Mountain in Vermont, which afforded him a sweeping 360-degree view of the surrounding Green Mountains. From that vantage point (on a tree limb), he could see into four states at once, but in fact, his mind carried him much farther. It was here that he envisioned a long-distance trail on the spine of the Appalachians, a green ribbon from Maine to Georgia. But for MacKaye, his vision was even broader than that. His idea was not just for a narrow path but a long, wide swath of wilderness that encompassed cultural resources from communities that would become beneficiaries of the Trail — and eventually — beyond that vision – stewards.
Broadening the Vision of the A.T.
Summiting a mountain is a culmination. You’ve hiked and climbed, up and up, until there is nowhere else to go but down. It is a satisfying conclusion — a coming to fruition. But summiting a mountain can also feel like a beginning: With a panoramic view of everything around you, you’ve expanded the boundaries of what you thought was possible. You’ve created the promise of a new goal, perhaps a chance to climb even higher next time. You’ve offered yourself a new perspective. So it was with Benton MacKaye.
In July 1900, MacKaye had hiked the top of Stratton Mountain in Vermont, which afforded him a sweeping 360-degree view of the surrounding Green Mountains. From that vantage point (on a tree limb), he could see into four states at once, but in fact, his mind carried him much farther. It was here that he envisioned a long-distance trail on the spine of the Appalachians, a green ribbon from Maine to Georgia. But for MacKaye, his vision was even broader than that. His idea was not just for a narrow path but a long, wide swath of wilderness that encompassed cultural resources from communities that would become beneficiaries of the Trail — and eventually — beyond that vision – stewards.
AT Journeys: Trailhead - Susan Engles and Serelee Hefler

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.

Appalachian Trial Passport
Appalachian Trial 14 State Challenge Badge
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

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.

Appalachian Trial Passport
Appalachian Trial 14 State Challenge Badge

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

Congressional Update
Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s (ATC) vision for a resilient future includes the understanding that the A.T. Landscape is a major wildlife migration corridor. The A.T. is one of the most biologically diverse units of the National Park System. Spanning 11 degrees of latitude and over 6,500 feet of elevation, it serves as an “emerald necklace” tying together species, habitats, and critical natural resources. The ATC works with a wide variety of partners to accelerate landscape conservation and restoration in order to protect rare species, exemplary natural communities, and important ecosystem services. These efforts help to protect a resilient corridor that serves as a critical migratory route in the eastern U.S. Legislation such as House A.T. Caucus Co-Chair Don Beyer’s H.R. 2795, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019, would help preserve the A.T. Landscape and its role as critical wildlife migration corridor.

trailhead

Congressional Update
Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s (ATC) vision for a resilient future includes the understanding that the A.T. Landscape is a major wildlife migration corridor. The A.T. is one of the most biologically diverse units of the National Park System. Spanning 11 degrees of latitude and over 6,500 feet of elevation, it serves as an “emerald necklace” tying together species, habitats, and critical natural resources. The ATC works with a wide variety of partners to accelerate landscape conservation and restoration in order to protect rare species, exemplary natural communities, and important ecosystem services. These efforts help to protect a resilient corridor that serves as a critical migratory route in the eastern U.S. Legislation such as House A.T. Caucus Co-Chair Don Beyer’s H.R. 2795, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019, would help preserve the A.T. Landscape and its role as critical wildlife migration corridor.

trailhead

ATC Board of Directors By-law Changes
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) Board of Directors intends on reviewing its by-laws periodically to insure they adequately outline its obligations and governance processes. Over the last year, the board conducted a detailed review and has made changes that broadly fall into three categories: governance, policy, and language clarification. Both the by-laws in their current form, as well as an explanation of those changes can be found at: appalachiantrail.org/bylaws and: appalachiantrail.org/bylaws2019changes. The explanation of changes will be posted for a month and the by-laws will remain on the website going forward.
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trailhead

Essential A.T. Campsite Maintenance
Use of the A.T. for camping has been steadily increasing in recent years. In some areas, this has resulted in more campers than campsites.
By Morgan Sommerville
Map of A.T. Campsites
Essential A.T. Campsite Maintenance
Use of the A.T. for camping has been steadily increasing in recent years. In some areas, this has resulted in more campers than campsites.
By Morgan Sommerville
Recreation ecologists Drs. Jeff Marion and Jeremy Wimpey, in preparation of their study: “Sustainable Camping–Best Management Practices,” have documented the increase in campsite numbers and size along the A.T. in Georgia and North Carolina, due mainly to increasing numbers of northbound (NOBO) thru-hikers.
Keep Impact Low
A.T. maintainers want A.T. campers to help eliminate camping impact by using existing campsites (and thus reducing maintenance). The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and our A.T. management partners are working hard to educate A.T. campers about how to identify a good campsite, but two of the most important factors to assure use of an established or designated campsite are that it be well designed, and most importantly, well maintained for tenting by A.T. volunteer maintainers.
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Protecting a Realm
Protecting a Realm
I’M SCROLLING THROUGH PHOTOS OF MY TIME ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL in 2017 when I come across the picture I’m looking for: me, standing in a fire tower on Stratton Mountain. It’s a selfie, and I’m striking this awkward pose, but I have a huge smile on my face. I remember taking the picture to document my excitement over seeing the Green Mountains in all their — well — green glory, but I also recall I was very happy to be standing on something that wasn’t oozing mud. More than anything, though, that moment on Stratton Mountain made me acutely aware of (and thankful for) Benton MacKaye, the visionary behind the A.T. Many people say Stratton Mountain was the place where MacKaye first imagined a long-distance trail that would link the Appalachian Mountains. I certainly believe it — when I was there, I felt a sense of magic on that special peak.
Protecting a Realm
Protecting a Realm
Protecting a Realm
I’M SCROLLING THROUGH PHOTOS OF MY TIME ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL in 2017 when I come across the picture I’m looking for: me, standing in a fire tower on Stratton Mountain. It’s a selfie, and I’m striking this awkward pose, but I have a huge smile on my face. I remember taking the picture to document my excitement over seeing the Green Mountains in all their — well — green glory, but I also recall I was very happy to be standing on something that wasn’t oozing mud. More than anything, though, that moment on Stratton Mountain made me acutely aware of (and thankful for) Benton MacKaye, the visionary behind the A.T. Many people say Stratton Mountain was the place where MacKaye first imagined a long-distance trail that would link the Appalachian Mountains. I certainly believe it — when I was there, I felt a sense of magic on that special peak.
Chris on a shake-down hike in the Smokies while preparing for his thru-hike
Stills from the short film The Long Start to the Journey
Truth Through Adventure
Chris Gallaway is an A.T. thru-hiker and independent film producer whose soulful connection to the Trail led him to creating 19 visually enticing and thought invoking short films for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) in the past five years. His most recent film: Go Dark – A Wild East Story, takes us along with a literally star-struck group of hikers for an overnight trek to appreciate the pristine night skies that can be found in areas along the protected Wild East corridor of the Trail. We took a deeper dive into the nuances behind his A.T films and his production company Horizonline Pictures.
What path led you to becoming a short film producer?
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.
Chris on a shake-down hike in the Smokies while preparing for his thru-hike
hikers in the snow
couple smiling and tent in the woods
Horizonline Pictures

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

Truth Through Adventure
Chris Gallaway is an A.T. thru-hiker and independent film producer whose soulful connection to the Trail led him to creating 19 visually enticing and thought invoking short films for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) in the past five years. His most recent film: Go Dark – A Wild East Story, takes us along with a literally star-struck group of hikers for an overnight trek to appreciate the pristine night skies that can be found in areas along the protected Wild East corridor of the Trail. We took a deeper dive into the nuances behind his A.T films and his production company Horizonline Pictures.
What path led you to becoming a short film producer?
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.
Appalachian Trial Advertisement
EVERY YEAR, ITS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN three million people hike on the Appalachian Trail. The good and the bad news is that number will likely grow. It’s good news in that more people are going outside and enjoying the wealth of benefits from their public lands. It’s bad when those visits negatively impact the lands that people love so much, and that make this country great. Everything we do outside has an associated impact to the local ecology. The problem is when that impact exceeds a sustainable level for the ecosystem.
EVERY YEAR, ITS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN three million people hike on the Appalachian Trail. The good and the bad news is that number will likely grow. It’s good news in that more people are going outside and enjoying the wealth of benefits from their public lands. It’s bad when those visits negatively impact the lands that people love so much, and that make this country great. Everything we do outside has an associated impact to the local ecology. The problem is when that impact exceeds a sustainable level for the ecosystem.
Appalachian focus
Appalachian focus
Peak Conditions
photographer Daniel Burleson
photographer
Daniel Burleson
MACRAE MEADOWS SITS AT THE FOOT OF Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and is the home to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. With astounding views of Grandfather Mountain this special location has been home to the games since established in 1956 and is held annually every summer. The meadow has become a favorite among games attendees for its striking resemblance to the Highlands of Scotland. From the top of Grandfather Mountain, you can see many prominent peaks along the A.T. including Roan High Knob, Round Bald, Little Hump, and Big Hump. The mountain is one of the most prominent and easily recognizable views from the Blue Ridge Parkway and dominates the horizon on the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain. The morning I took this photo, I was returning from shooting a winter sunrise image from Beacon Heights, a short hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I hadn’t planned to take any more photos that morning after finishing up my sunrise shoot but as I drove past the frozen MacRae Meadows I was instantly drawn to this scene. I really liked the contrast of how the warmer light was highlighting the frosty foreground with the dark mountain just peaking out of the clouds. I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors in the snow and ice, making me feel like a kid again. The winter weather always brings a new look to often photographed locations and I’m glad I was able to capture MacRae Meadows in these conditions.
~ Daniel Burleson
Peak conditions at MacRae Meadows
A.T. CommunitiesTM
A.T. CommunitiesTM
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

group of people watching a concert
The rural Town of Warwick, established in 1789, was named in honor of the historic “Warwick” farm that extensively covered the early landscape. The very large town emerged as an agricultural destination with an abundance of open space. Following the development of the Warwick Valley Railroad, the King’s Highway, and the Appalachian Trail, the well-known town with three villages of Warwick, Greenwood Lake, and Florida became an ecotourist attraction for passing travelers. The Hamlets of Sterling Forest, Amity, Pine Island, Bellvale, and Edenville also dot the landscape. In 2012, Warwick became an official A.T. Community.
two women walking past shops in Warwick
woman hiking a Warwick trail
Appalachian Trail Community logo
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
group of people watching a concert
two women walking past shops in Warwick
woman hiking a Warwick trail

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
The rural Town of Warwick, established in 1789, was named in honor of the historic “Warwick” farm that extensively covered the early landscape. The very large town emerged as an agricultural destination with an abundance of open space. Following the development of the Warwick Valley Railroad, the King’s Highway, and the Appalachian Trail, the well-known town with three villages of Warwick, Greenwood Lake, and Florida became an ecotourist attraction for passing travelers. The Hamlets of Sterling Forest, Amity, Pine Island, Bellvale, and Edenville also dot the landscape. In 2012, Warwick became an official A.T. Community.
Achieving
an Original
Vision
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.

mountains and meadows
Achieving an Original Vision
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.

trail stories
trail stories
The Unlikely Thru-Hiker book
Follow Thru
By Derick Lugo

“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.

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Indigenous
Native Warm-Season Grasslands
By Marian Orlousky

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.

Recommended
Recommended
Fundamental Foundations
At its core, the Appalachian Trail is the result of a melting pot of vision, action, leadership, philosophy, environmental passion, and an appreciation for wilderness. Get ready to pan out and dig deep with some essential and fascinating reads that capture the voices, experiences, and the foundations of the Trail.
book spines
Benton MacKaye: Conservationist, Planner and Creator of the Appalachian Trail
By Larry Anderson (Johns Hopkins University Press)
Visionary and planner of the Appalachian Trail and a cofounder of the Wilderness Society, Benton MacKaye (1879-1975) was a pioneer in linking the concepts of preservation, recreation, and regional planning. Anderson’s pathbreaking biography draws on hundreds of sources to craft a portrait never before fully drawn of this significant and unique figure in American environmental, intellectual, and cultural history.
Tangled Roots: The Appalachian Trail and American Environmental Politics
By Sarah Mittlefehldt (University of Washington Press)
Now a university professor (and folksinger with her husband), Mittlefehldt combined her honeymoon thru-hike with extensive research in federal and Appalachian Trail Conservancy archives and interviews with key actors to produce an acclaimed look at how federal and grassroots efforts behind the A.T. blurred the lines of public/private, local/regional, and amateur/expert to generate unprecedented success in land protection.

Trail Giving

Trail Giving
AUGUST –
NOVEMBER

2019 / donors

IN HONOR OF

AB Data by Direct Mail Fundraisers Assoc.
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
AUGUST –
NOVEMBER

2019 / donors
trees and snow

IN HONOR OF

AB Data by Direct Mail Fundraisers Assoc.
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
Parting Thought
Parting Thought
North Carolina – By Daniel Burleson

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.

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AT Journeys - Winter 2020
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