Appalachian National Scenic Trail

© Mike Swanson, ATC

The Appalachian Trail was conceived in 1921 by Massachusetts regional planner Benton MacKaye. His idea was for a series of work farms linked by the trail; it was to be a way for people to escape the pressures of the city and renew themselves. He envisioned people hiking to the farms to do physical work, reconnecting them for awhile to a simpler life.

Myron Avery, Appalachian Trail Conference (later to become Appalachian Trail Conservancy) chairman from 1931 to 1952, ignored the work farm idea and focused on the goal of building the hiking trail. A tireless trail campaigner, Avery garnered support in states along the trail corridor, and personally scouted and measured much of the trail route, becoming the first person to walk the entire trail. A continuous trail was open by 1937, but hurricanes, highway construction and WWII undid a good deal of the work. After the war, trail-building efforts resumed. The trail reopened in 1951, and the ATC was able to shift focus toward trail protection and mapping.

Benton MacKaye never meant for the Appalachian Trail to be hiked in its entirety in one continuous hike, but of course as soon as there is a biggest, highest, or longest anything, people will take on the challenge. Since 1936, more than 10,000 "2,000-milers" have been recorded.

Most people who visit the Appalachian Trail only hike short sections, trips of a day to a couple weeks, never intending to hike the whole trail. But there are some who are driven to hike it from one end to the other. All who hike the entire trail are officially designated "2,000-milers," whether they've done it in a series of hikes over a number of years or in one fell swoop. However, whose who complete the trail in a single attempt are more specifically referred to as thru-hikers. photo © ATC

first 2,000-miler: Myron Avery, 1936
first thru-hiker: Earl Shaffer, 1948
first female thru-hiker: Mildred Norman (Peace Pilgrim), 1952
first solo female thru-hiker: Emma (Grandma) Gatewood, 1957, at age 69
oldest thru-hiker: Lee Barry, 2004, at age 81
oldest female thru-hiker: Nancy Gowler, 2007, at age 71

Chattahoochee National Forest, GA
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Shenandoah National Park, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV
Pine Grove Furnace State Park, PA
Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park, NY
Green Mountain National Forest, VT
White Mountain National Forest, NH
Baxter State Park, ME

Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
National Park Service