The Appalachian National Scenic Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Author: Charles H. W. Foster

Publisher:

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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In 1968, management of the Appalachian Trail shifted from control by an informal alliance of private-citizen volunteers to a designated responsibilty of the National Park Service. To protect it from adverse development, Congress had made the trail part of the national park system and endorsed an unique private/public cooperative management system involving scores of private organizations and public jurisdictions. The volunteers still have the lead role in defining the work, but public agencies have the accountability. This June 1987 history is the inside story of how the pieces of that puzzle were put together, by the chairman of a group of volunteers and state-appointed officials that crafted this model of private/public stewardship of public recreational lands.


A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods

Author: Bill Bryson

Publisher: Anchor Canada

Published: 2012-05-15

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0385674546

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God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.


The Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail

Author: Philip D'Anieri

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2021-06-08

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 0358169569

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The Appalachian Trail is America’s most beloved trek, with millions of hikers setting foot on it every year. Yet few are aware of the fascinating backstory of the dreamers and builders who helped bring it to life over the past century. The conception and building of the Appalachian Trail is a story of unforgettable characters who explored it, defined it, and captured national attention by hiking it. From Grandma Gatewood—a mother of eleven who thru-hiked in canvas sneakers and a drawstring duffle—to Bill Bryson, author of the best-selling A Walk in the Woods, the AT has seized the American imagination like no other hiking path. The 2,000-mile-long hike from Georgia to Maine is not just a trail through the woods, but a set of ideas about nature etched in the forest floor. This character-driven biography of the trail is a must-read not just for ambitious hikers, but for anyone who wonders about our relationship with the great outdoors and dreams of getting away from urban life for a pilgrimage in the wild.


Deciding on Trails

Deciding on Trails

Author: Amy Camp

Publisher:

Published: 2020-12-29

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13:

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DECIDING ON TRAILS is for every local champion, thought leader, and dreamer who knows that trails can make a difference in their community if only their town would recognize the value of trails. Written by one of the first Trail Town practitioners, it covers the history of Trail Towns, recommended best practices, and how the concept has been adapted in dozens of places around the U.S. and Canada. This book is not a "how to" for structuring a Trail Town program. Rather, it is a call to action for trail communities and those dedicated individuals who want to cultivate a trail culture, embrace Trail Town best practices, and to once and for all "decide on trails." If you want more for your community and know that trails are part of the solution, this is the book for you. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DECIDING ON TRAILS "Deciding on Trails is a 'must read' for communities that hope to integrate trails into their placemaking efforts. Amy's passion, knowledge, and empathy are evident in her work and make her the perfect person to tell this Trail Towns story." --Laura Torchio, Director of Education, Project for Public Spaces "This ground-breaking book addresses head on something that has long been missing from conversations about trails: that they are more than the sum of their economic impact. Amy perfectly captures the many reasons communities ought to connect to their trails. Easy to digest, fun to read, and full of inspiration, this book is destined to become a staple in my trail reference library. " --Mike Passo, Executive Director of American Trails "Deciding on Trails is a book for people who want more for their places. This carefully researched, heartfelt book will easily convince community champions to embrace their trails. And these pages are not only full on inspiration, but this book provides these champions with the tools they need to make the most of their community's trails." --Kent Spellman, Consultant at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy


Grandma Gatewood's Walk

Grandma Gatewood's Walk

Author: Ben Montgomery

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 2014-04-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1613747217

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Winner of the 2014 National Outdoor Book Awards for History/Biography Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine's Mount Katahdin. There she sang the first verse of "America, the Beautiful" and proclaimed, "I said I'll do it, and I've done it." Grandma Gatewood, as the reporters called her, became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person—man or woman—to walk it twice and three times. Gatewood became a hiking celebrity and appeared on TV and in the pages of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction. Author Ben Montgomery was given unprecedented access to Gatewood's own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence, and interviewed surviving family members and those she met along her hike, all to answer the question so many asked: Why did she do it? The story of Grandma Gatewood will inspire readers of all ages by illustrating the full power of human spirit and determination. Even those who know of Gatewood don't know the full story—a story of triumph from pain, rebellion from brutality, hope from suffering.


The North Country Trail

The North Country Trail

Author: Ron Strickland

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2013-04-30

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0472051849

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Forty premier hikes through the scenic beauty of America’s rugged northern heartlands


The National Trails System

The National Trails System

Author: Steve Elkinton

Publisher: Vertel Publishing

Published: 2020-05-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781641120197

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The National Trails System, An Illustrated History richly describes how the National Trails System was established by federal law in 1968. It builds on the conservation history of the mid-20th Century to show how the trails system grew from the same political trends that envisioned the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the Environmental Protection Act. Once passed, the Trails Act--and the trails it established--evolved as political and public trends shifted. This history portrays these changes to show that what started as an experiment has resulted in a nationwide network of trails for all tastes and abilities involving thousands of volunteers and providing recreational and heritage opportunities for millions. Readers interested in recreation, discovery, history, politics, and conservation will find these themes unfolding around the story of America's national trails. At first, there were only two trails--the well-known Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails. Today, there are thirty national scenic and historic trails creating a network larger than the Interstate Highway System. This is the first comprehensive history of the National Trails System. It is based largely on primary sources and is offered in chronological chapters, with photographs and maps. The 50th anniversary of the National Trails System is an ideal time to document its evolution and progress.


From Dream to Reality

From Dream to Reality

Author: Thomas Johnson

Publisher:

Published: 2021-03

Total Pages: 584

ISBN-13: 9781944958152

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The history of putting the A.T. on the ground and protecting it.