The development of the Appalachian Trail

K.W. Stanley / "History in the Valley"
Published: April 28, 2008

The Appalachian Trail (AT), a 2,175-mile footpath, passes through 14 states between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine and passes Rockfish Gap above Waynesboro. The first mile of the trail was opened in October 1923 on the border between New York and New Jersey. The AT crosses the Skyline Drive 30 times between Waynesboro and Front Royal. Since its completion in August 1937, 3,900 “thru-hikers” have completed the 2,175-mile distance.
Benton McKaye, a forester, proposed developing a 2,000-mile trail along the Appalachians in 1921. The New York Post published an article, “A Great Trail from Maine to Georgia,” about his proposal. Dr. Halstead Shipman Hedges, of Charlottesville, scouted Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Mountains for an AT route in November 1922.
By October 1923, a mile of the trail opened between New York and New Jersey. In March 1925, a conference was held in Washington, D.C., to promote development of the AT. The Potomac Appalachian Trial Club (PATC) organized in November 1927 with a goal of developing 240 miles of the AT.
Myron H. Avery, an attorney and first president of the PATC, promoted the goal of building a simple trail and recruiting volunteers to built the AT. George Masa, a Chinese immigrant and photographer from Asheville, cleared and marked trails and made terrain maps to develop the AT through North Carolina in 1931.
The AT was completed to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine by August 1937. Congress enacted the National Trails System Act in 1968, which made the AT the first national scenic trail. By 1971, the AT had been permanently marked by the National Park Service and volunteers. In 2008, the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama connected to the AT in Georgia.
The National Park Service purchased most of the land occupied by the AT between Georgia and Maine by 2000. Seven acres above Waynesboro between Oak Bower Motel (Colony Inn) and Scott’s Castle was purchased for $2,150 from Leighton and Virginia Bowers by the Department of the Interior for the AT in October 1980.
Three million people hike parts of the AT each year. Fourteen hundred people attempt to hike 2,175 miles between Spring Mountain, Ga., and Baxter Park in Katahdin, Maine, each year. Most start in April with a goal of finishing the “thru-hike” in September. About 25 percent succeed. Ten percent quit the first week.
Earl Shaffer was the first thru-hiker of record to complete the entire AT in 1948. Lee Barry, the oldest thru-hiker, completed the AT in 2004 at age 81. Emma Gatewood, the first woman thru-hiker, completed the AT in 1955 at age 67. Bill Irwin, the first blind thru-hiker, completed the AT with his dog, Orient, in 1990.
The PATC has responsibility for trails which extend 1,000 miles between Rockfish Gap and Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania, including 60 cabins and shelters. Several cabins and shelters are maintained near the Shenandoah National Park. Thirty-six trail clubs maintain the AT. These volunteers devote 20,000 hours each year to trail maintenance in clearing fallen trees and preventing erosion.
Many AT hikers have visited Waynesboro over the years, camped overnight near the YMCA and Loth Springs, and picked up supplies mailed to them from the Wayne Avenue post office.
Local citizens often transport AT hikers between Rockfish Gap and downtown Waynesboro.
K.W. Stanley is a Waynesboro resident, historian and TNV correspondent. Contact him at .