The Mountains-to-Sea Trail shows off the most spectacular, historic and quirky elements of the North Carolina landscape. Stretching one thousand miles from Clingmans Dome in the Smokies to Jockey's Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks, the route takes in Fraser fir trees and pelicans, old grist and textile mills, working cotton and tobacco farms, Revolutionary War sites and two British cemeteries complete with Union Jacks. The trail is half on footpaths and half on back roads, offering experiences not only in nature but also in small towns, at historic monuments, in family cemeteries and in local shops. Author Danny Bernstein has taken it all in and shares her knowledge for those who might follow in her footsteps.
Jerry Barker has long championed North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) and led its development for many years. In Discovering North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail, he draws on that experience to take readers on a unique journey along the trail's full route, sharing the rich history and stories that live on each segment. Connecting the trail to the Indigenous history of western North Carolina, the long military presence near the Carolina coast, and more, Barker offers a new way to understand and appreciate not only the natural beauty of North Carolina but also its people and history. Dedicated long-distance hikers and day-trippers alike will value and enjoy this armchair guide. * Includes abundant illustrations with over fifty color photographs and maps for each of the MST's nineteen segments * Narrates significant histories related to each MST segment * Places prominent natural features of the trail in context * Introduces hikers to nearby attractions, cultural heritage sites, and trail towns Jerry Barker, a writer and avid hiker, is a former president of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Clingmans Dome towers over the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains as the highest point in both the national park and the state of Tennessee. The mountain holds an ancient allure--the Cherokee treasured it, as did early settlers, and it captivates throngs of visitors today. Scarred by logging, invasive species and modern pollution, the mountain endures. Through lush narratives and fascinating detail, author Marci Spencer presents the natural and human history of this iconic destination, including Senator Thomas Clingman's 1858 journey to measure the mountain and the 1934 birth of the park.
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is an 1,175-mile destination trail that crosses North Carolina from Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. It traverses 37 counties, 7 national parks and forests, and nearly a dozen state parks and historic sites. This is the first-ever guide to day hikes along the crown jewel of North Carolina foot trails. Whether you're a seasoned hiker or new to the outdoors, this official guide from Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is your go-to companion for exploring all the trail has to offer, showcasing everything from scenic mountain vistas to surprising escapes in the state's Piedmont region and the wonders of coastal plain pocosins. Features include - 40 hikes carefully chosen to appeal to hikers of all experience levels - Helpful hike finder feature to identify the perfect hikes for birding, waterfalls, history, universal accessibility, and more - Turn-by-turn guidance and key points of interest for each hike - Full-color maps and photographs - Helpful information about the trail's history and ongoing development
The first history of the American hiking community and its contributions to the nation's vast network of trails In the mid-nineteenth century urban walking clubs emerged in the United States. A little more than a century later, tens of millions of Americans were hiking on trails blazed in every region of the country. This groundbreaking book is the first full account of the unique history of the American hiking community and its rich, nationwide culture. Delving into unexplored archives, including those of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Sierra Club, Green Mountain Club, and many others, Silas Chamberlin recounts the activities of hikers who over many decades formed clubs, built trails, and advocated for environmental protection. He also discusses the shifting attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s when ideas about traditional volunteerism shifted and new hikers came to see trail blazing and maintenance as government responsibilities. Chamberlin explores the implications for hiking groups, future club leaders, and the millions of others who find happiness, inspiration, and better health on America's trails.
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 Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) traces a 2,650-mile route from the California-Mexico border north to the border of Washington and Canada. While many hikers attempt a “thru-hike” every year, beginning in Campo, California and connecting their footsteps all the way to Manning Park, B.C., even more people enjoy “section hiking” – tackling the trail in bits and pieces. This guidebook serves as a road map to section hiking the Southern California portion of the PCT, beginning at its southern terminus in Campo and ending 942.5 miles north at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. From the magical cactus gardens of the Mojave Desert to the snowy peaks of the High Sierra, this book covers one of the most biologically and geologically diverse portions of the PCT. Author Shawnté Salabert serves as your personal trail guide along the way, offering informative route descriptions, interesting sidebars, and colorful stories that will deepen your experience on this iconic trail, whether you’re headed out for a weekend, a week, or a month. Each volume of this new series focuses on section-by-section pieces of the PCT and includes the following features: • Inspirational full-color guides with over 150 color photographs in each • Trail sections of 4- to 10-night trips • Detailed camp-to-camp route descriptions • Easy-to-understand route maps and elevation profiles • Details on specific campsites and most-reliable water sources • Road access to and from various trail sections • Info on permits, hazards, restrictions, and more • Alternate routes and connecting trails • Clear references to the PCT’s established system of section letters, designating trail segments from Mexico to Canada—so you can easily cross-reference the guides with other PCT resources • Key wilderness sights along the way • Suggested itineraries *Download an errata for Hiking the PCT: Southern California for a profile fix here*
_____________ 'It is almost impossible not to fall under the spell of Eustace Conway ... his accomplishments, his joy and vigor, seem almost miraculous' - New York Times Review of Books 'Gilbert takes a bright-eyed bead on Eustace, hitting him square with a witty modernist appraisal of folkloric American masculinity' - The Times 'Conversational, enthusiastic, funny and sharp, the energy of The Last American Man never ebbs' - New Statesman _____________ A fascinating, intimate portrait of an endlessly complicated man: a visionary, a narcissist, a brilliant but flawed modern hero At the age of seventeen, Eustace Conway ditched the comforts of his suburban existence to escape to the wild. Away from the crushing disapproval of his father, he lived alone in a teepee in the mountains. Everything he needed he built, grew or killed. He made his clothes from deer he killed and skinned before using their sinew as sewing thread. But he didn't stop there. In the years that followed, he stopped at nothing in pursuit of bigger, bolder challenges. He travelled the Mississippi in a handmade wooden canoe; he walked the two-thousand-mile Appalachian Trail; he hiked across the German Alps in trainers; he scaled cliffs in New Zealand. One Christmas, he finished dinner with his family and promptly upped and left - to ride his horse across America. From South Carolina to the Pacific, with his little brother in tow, they dodged cars on the highways, ate road kill and slept on the hard ground. Now, more than twenty years on, Eustace is still in the mountains, residing in a thousand-acre forest where he teaches survival skills and attempts to instil in people a deeper appreciation of nature. But over time he has had to reconcile his ambitious dreams with the sobering realities of modernity. Told with Elizabeth Gilbert's trademark wit and spirit, The Last American Man is an unforgettable adventure story of an irrepressible life lived to the extreme. The Last American Man is a New York Times Notable Book and National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.
