Some folks like short hikes. Other people prefer a longer stroll outdoors. Visitors to the Appalachian Trail can take a quick trip in an afternoon. Or they can walk for months — nearly 2,200 miles (3,540 km) from end to end. The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) connects 14 states throughout the eastern United States. It may be the most famous trail on Earth. And this historic hike is now 100 years old.
A forester named Benton MacKaye came up with the idea for the A.T. in 1921. At that time, American cities were growing — quickly. More people began working in factories. MacKaye thought these workers should have a place to explore nature. He dreamed of a footpath that would connect “the tallest mountain in the north” to the “tallest mountain in the south.” That was Mount Washington in New Hampshire and Mount Mitchell in North Carolina.
MacKaye planned this trail through the Appalachian Mountains. He hoped hikers could walk for weeks along the crests of the mountain range. But first, workers had to build the trail. In 1922, construction of the A.T. began by Bear Mountain in New York. Officials opened the first section of the trail on October 7, 1923.
At first, the A.T. spanned only 15 miles (24 km). Over the years, volunteers built more of the trail. By 1937, the A.T. connected Georgia in the south to Maine in the north. In 1948, Earl Shaffer became the first person to hike the length of the trail — a “thru-hike.” A new U.S. law changed the A.T. too. The National Trails System Act of 1968 made the A.T. a National Scenic Trail.
Larry Luxenberg hiked the A.T. in 1980. “I was fed up with my life,” he remembered. “I was in a rut and decided to take this grand adventure.” Luxenberg said he didn’t know much about hiking. But with “heart and ” he finished the A.T. in five months. Luxenberg later founded the Appalachian Trail Museum. It sits halfway through the A.T. in Pennsylvania.
“The Appalachian Trail opens the door to outdoor adventure,” said Luxenberg. And he told News-O-Matic that the hike “can be a life-changing experience.” It was for him. And it was for Max Swinhoe too. Swinhoe was born with a limb difference. She cannot use her left arm to pull herself up. Yet she completed the entire hike over five months in 2017.
“It was the best, hardest, most amazing life-changing experience,” said Swinhoe. “I laughed, cried, hurt, dug deep, and loved the mission of walking with everything on my back.” Swinhoe called the A.T. “long, , and exhausting.” But she said it taught her a lesson. “If you want to achieve something in life, you will,” she said. “You can dig really deep and find the energy.”
“It also teaches you to take a step at a time,” Swinhoe explained. She told News-O-Matic that the A.T. was easier to finish by breaking it up into parts. “Don’t look at the whole scary thing,” she suggested. “Progress is progress, no matter how small.”
After 100 years, the A.T. has made a mark on America. And each year, more than 4 million people step foot on the A.T. It’s more than just a hike. Larry Luxenberg said the trail helped bring the country together. People began building the A.T. 60 years after the U.S. Civil War. During that conflict, people from the south fought against people from the north.
“Benton MacKaye thought the trail would help to tie the north and south together,” said Luxenberg. “He believed this would be a peaceful project.” After all, hikers on the A.T. get to explore many areas of the country. Luxenberg called that “a gentle way to you to different cultures.”
Updated October 5, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
