Article addressing extending the south end of the AT

[ki0eh]

Great Eastern Trail http://www.greateasterntrail.net has a much higher % of trail in Federally defined Appalachia (as in, basically all of it, except for portions on the edges of the Virginia Shenandoah Valley counties that opted out) than the Appalachian Trail does. Including some beautiful areas of KY, and a lot more of WVa. Its New York State county is still Appalachia (which, if you go there, you will believe).

[ldsailor]

I'm curious about what the ATC thinks of the article.

Hey Lauriep or anyone at the ATC. Are you listening?

[Slugg]

If the GA section of the Pinhoti was like the AL section, I would be on board. Of the 170 miles of the AL section, only 15 are road walk and there are already plans to shorten it. Off the top of my head roughly 1/3-1/4 of the GA section is road, though. That's way too much.

[Coffee]

Interesting to me since the southern Terminus of the Pinhoti is now the closest real hiking I have near my home in Louisiana, at least I think it is. It's only a matter of time before I hike at least the AL Pinhoti.

[KCNC]

Can we put the first night's camping area in Nick Saban's back yard?

He lives on a lake, so plenty of water!

[Dogwood]

I think the trail also misses Kentucky, right? Another Appalachian Mountain state.....

There are no Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. The foothills of the Appalachian Mountainls aren't even in Kentucky. You've been drinking the media Kool Aid.

"The" trail? Kentucky already has a great trail... the Sheltowee Trace which could be called the Kentucky Trail. It's part of the GET. WHY does everything need to be AT related to be considered? OMG, zoom out folks. The world is larger than the AT.

[Carl7]

I, too, think the AT should be extended south -- but only 8.8 miles to the Amicalola Visitor Center. I also think the northern terminus should be somewhere other than inside Baxter State Park so AT hikers need trouble the Baxter caretakers no more. A classy, modest terminus monument could be placed at the ATC-owned tentsite near Abol Bridge.

Baxter State Park is such an emotional and beautiful place. Is there a way for the ATC to provide a ranger for Baxter and other assistance before moving the trail? What is it worth? A lot in my opinion. Wild places such as Baxter need all of the help they can get. If people don't see it, will future generations want to protect it? However, we have to be open to the fact that the northern terminus may have to be moved due to the numbers. Also, based on the AT's increasing popularity, no matter where the trails starts and finishes, the fact that it's the AT will increase foot traffic. To me, more people hiking is good.

[blw2]

why was springer chosen to be "it" originally anyway?

[Christoph]

If anything, I'd say start it (NOBO) at A. Falls Park under the arch so more will be tempted to "log in" which could help with number tracking. Keep the northern end at Baxter or continue it on up the knife edge and stop at the bottom. I'm a traditional type though and although it's probably not going to change, I think they just need one more ranger or 2 at both ends, probably cheaper than moving the trail I'd think. Keep what we have and enforce it, problem is you'll have troublemakers no matter where you go though. My Baxter experience was very good and the 1 ranger I saw on duty was very nice. Same at the southern end, but they had more around the area.

[Dan Roper]

why was springer chosen to be "it" originally anyway?

Springer wasn't the original southern terminus. Originally, the terminus was about 20 miles to the south, atop Mount Oglethorpe. Development in that area led to repositioning the terminus at Springer (the Approach Trail, while no longer part of the official AT, was once part of the official AT).

There's lots of history about the old terminus on White Blaze (see the history tab). And see Earl Shaffer's Walking with Spring for his thru-hike account beginning there in the late '40s.

[kf1wv]

This drive to extend the AT has been going on---and stalled---for years. Occasionally local/regional papers stir the pot. Too many formidable obstacles (pun intended) stand in the way.

[MuddyWaters]

There a way more pressing issues with public lands than extending a fricking trail

Just keeping what have from being destroyed by greed and ignorance is one

Overcrowding of limited resources is another. Destruction of experience from within.


National parks were created when us population was much smaller.

Need to protect more land for future while we have it. What do you think will be left 100 years from now?

[jefals]

Can we put the first night's camping area in Nick Saban's back yard?

He lives on a lake, so plenty of water!

Hey, leave Coach Nick alone. ROLL TIDE!!!!

[JC13]

Hey, leave Coach Nick alone. ROLL TIDE!!!!

Such foul language should not be allowed on such a fine website as this.

[Gambit McCrae]

Great idea. I am all for it as I am about to head out for my morning AT hike where already in mid Feb I will find throngs of thru hikers making the trail a muddy bog. And let's not forget the trash and TP blooms for a touch of color which of course add to the enjoyment of thru hiker season here in GA. I just can't wait for March & April as it gets so much better. Let Alabama hikers deal with this mess.

Not a bad idea seeing as I dislike Alabama, it would become the only state on the AT I dislike lol

[jefals]

Not a bad idea seeing as I dislike Alabama, it would become the only state on the AT I dislike lol

You dislike Bama? I thought that was impossible!
OK..No Bubba Shrimps for you!

[Gambit McCrae]

You dislike Bama? I thought that was impossible!
OK..No Bubba Shrimps for you!

Only thing good to ever come out of Alabama was Forrest Gump, and if you noticed he ran out of there as fast as he could. So did Jenny

[jefals]

Only thing good to ever come out of Alabama was Forrest Gump, and if you noticed he ran out of there as fast as he could. So did Jenny

Uh, you ever heard of somethin called the Crimson Tide?
And Forrest ALWAYS came back to GREENBOW, A-LUH-BAM-UH!
So if you don't like Bama, you might just be a democrat. But even our last democratic leader - if his name had been Al - he would have been Al Obama! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT???

[Gambit McCrae]

Well my name is Al, so I just don't like the way this is going

[jefals]

ok, Al. Sorry. I'm just kidding around ?