1937: THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

Evidently, the early 1900s was the age of lofty, idealistic, ridiculously expensive, Herculean projects. And to the amazement of today’s millennials, the crazy workaholic visionaries who imagined these amusing schemes were able to pull them off—if not in their lifetimes, then in the lifetimes of their followers, in whom they had planted their extravagant dreams.

Along with the Wright brothers (controlled, sustained flight) and Joseph Pratt (Blue Ridge Parkway), Benton MacKaye of CT would fit snugly into this narrow realm of discerning romantics. Born into the home of a struggling actor, Benton would be raised in a hodgepodge of urban environments that would leave him bored and stressed. At the age of eight, Benton found his first flicker of inspiration in a short visit to the countryside—finding the beauty and freedom of nature a respite for his young soul. His regular return to the country, and its alluring peace, would direct the course of his life.

Benton would eventually teach forestry at Harvard, explore the relationship between land conservation and recreation, oppose urban sprawl and discover his life’s purpose in the grand, romantic idea of the Appalachian Trail (AT). Originally proposed in a 1921 academic paper, MacKaye’s vision was to form a system of preexisting trails, farms and campsites into one, long contiguous trail from ME to GA, accomplished by volunteers and nature-loving donors—by any standards, a monstrously exorbitant and impertinent idea.

A product of the 1920s hardworking, optimistic mindset, the AT concept was quickly adopted by hiking clubs, Boy Scout chapters, camping enthusiasts and even Roosevelt’s CCC. As early as 1923, the first 45-mile section of the trail was open, and within sixteen years of the original proposal, the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail was officially completed—an astounding accomplishment by any comparison. The AT would traverse GA, NC, TN, VA, WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT, NH and ME, with the NC section running for about 200 miles.* Benton would form the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to oversee trail development, and the trail would eventually be managed by the combined efforts of the ATC, National Park Service and US Forest Service. Today, the AT has seen over fifteen thousand thru-hikers and is considered the longest hiking-only trail in the world.

*NC’s own Mountain-to-Sea Trail (from Clingmans Dome to Jockey Ridge State Park) is over half complete and plans to span the entire state, over nine hundred miles.