On this date in hiking history: The final link in the Appalachian Trail is completed

On this date in 1937, a Civilian Conservation Corps crew finished construction on a two-mile section of the Appalachian Trail between Spaulding and Sugarloaf Mountains in Maine, thus connecting the final link along the entire trail. At that time, the footpath traveled roughly 2025 miles, from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. However, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website notes that the route is constantly changing, and estimates that 99% of it has been rebuilt or relocated since its initial completion, including the reroute to its current southern terminus at Springer Mountain. As you can see in this photo, women were active in building the trail, especially before the CCC became involved in 1933:

Here’s the Bates Outing Club conducting maintenance work on the Appalachian Trail, circa 1939. According to the video description, “The black liquid they're smearing on their faces and arms at the 42-second mark is probably pine-tar fly dope (nasty stuff!).”





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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

On this date in hiking history: Earl Shaffer becomes the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail

The following is an excerpt from Ramble On: A History of Hiking. [Note: Amazon is currently offering the book at a 29% discount]

After World War II, many soldiers came home after serving overseas and began heading to the mountains for reasons that were vastly different from previous generations. Many veterans sought the wilderness as a way of escaping or coping with the horrors of war they had experienced. One such individual was Earl Shaffer, the man who would become the first person to thru-hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. In 1941, Shaffer volunteered

with the U.S. Army and served as a forward-area radar technician in the South Pacific. In addition to the horrors he witnessed himself, the Pennsylvania native also suffered the loss of a close childhood friend, who was killed during the invasion of Iwo Jima. A couple of years after the war had ended, Shaffer read an article about a handful of adventurers who had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in a series of “section hikes,” and decided that he would try to do it himself in one continuous “thru-hike.” The following year, in 1948, he accomplished this goal by hiking the entire route in 124 days. In his trail journal, which eventually became a book, Shaffer wrote that the war had left him “confused and depressed.” He thought that a long-distance hiking trip might provide a remedy, stating that he wanted to “walk the army out of my system, both mentally and physically.” In 1965, Shaffer reprised this historic feat by walking the “long brown path” in just 99 days. On the 50th anniversary of his first thru-hike, Shaffer hit the trail once again. This time, at the age of 79, he completed the 2158-mile trek in 173 days.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

Happy Grandma Gatewood Day!

Today is Emma "Grandma" Gatewood Day! In 2012, the Ohio General Assembly officially declared April 27th as Emma "Grandma" Gatewood Day to honor the Ohio native.

So, who exactly is Grandma Gatewood? In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67! In September of that year, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin. Upon completion, she reportedly sang the first verse of "America the Beautiful," and then exclaimed, "I did it. I said I'd do it and I've done it."

Then, in 1957, she hiked the trail again, becoming the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail twice. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1964 - at the age of 76! After the third excursion Emma became the first person to hike the 2,179-mile trail on three different occasions.

This video below provides a few insights into Gatewood's life, tribulations & achievements:



You can read more about the pioneers of hiking in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

How did hikers measure trail distances before GPS?

Prior to the invention of GPS, one of the principle tools used by hikers and trail builders to measure distances between two points was a measuring wheel. Also known as a surveyor's wheel, clickwheel, hodometer, waywiser, trundle wheel, and perambulator, the measuring wheel was introduced by surveyors in England in the 17th century. By the early 1900s, the hiking community was using the instrument as well.

Since its original invention, the device has undergone many improvements. By the early 1900s it had basically evolved into a bicycle wheel attached to a pole. As it does today, the instrument measures the distance between two points by rolling the device along the ground. As the wheel completes a full rotation, a mechanical counter records the number of revolutions. The total distance is then calculated by multiplying the number of clicks by the circumference of the wheel.

Myron Avery, regarded as the person most responsible for the construction of the Appalachian Trail, famously pushed a measuring wheel along the route in the 1930s, and in the process became the first person to hike its entire length (in sections). Here he is along a stretch of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania:

According to an article on the Appalachian Mountain Club website, “For the first edition [of the White Mountain Guide, published in 1907], AMC cartographer Louis Cutter fastened a cyclometer, a device that measures distance based on the rotation of a wheel, to the front half of a bicycle and walked it into the mountains.” Although I couldn’t find any other mentions of its usage prior to this date, there’s a very good chance that measuring wheels were used in the White Mountains (and other locales) prior to this timeframe.

You can read more about the pioneers of trail building in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

Who was Grandma Gatewood?

In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67!  In September of that year, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

Then, in 1960, she hiked it again, becoming the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail twice. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1963 - at the age of 75! After that third adventure Emma became the first person to hike the 2,179-mile trail on three different occasions.

So who exactly was Grandma Gatewood? This short video, a trailer from a documentary film project called "Trail Magic", gives a few insights into Emma Gatewood's life, tribulations & achievements:





Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Thru-hiking: What does it really take?

Everyone has seen videos and photos of hikers trekking on one the three great long-distance trails: the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail or Continental Divide Trail. Most of those images highlight the incredible beauty of the trails. But what is it really like to thru-hike a long-distance trail? What does it really take?

Here's a video from Brett, Nate, and Tyler as they discuss their thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Most importantly, these guys are mere mortals, not uber adventurers like Andrew Skurka, or even Bear Grylls. Prior to their hike, none had a great deal of experience with backpacking. So, from this perspective, they provide their thoughts on what it's really like to thru-hike a long distance trail. This video was produced for The Clymb a few weeks back:




Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com

The Grandma Gatewood Project

In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67!

Then, in 1960, she hiked it again. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1963 - at the age of 75! After that third adventure Emma became the first person to hike the trail three times.

Some claim Gatewood was a pioneer of ultralight backpacking. She never carried more than 20 pounds of gear or food. She wore Keds sneakers, and carried an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder. According to Appalachianhistory.net, she simply didn't believe in expensive state of the art paraphernalia. “Most people today are pantywaist,” she once stated. Wow, what would she think of today's generation?!?!

To celebrate this hiking pioneer, Eden Valley Enterprises is working on a project to produce a documentary about her life. The documentary will be produced by Peter Huston of FilmAffects. WGTE (PBS Toledo, Ohio) has agreed to be their broadcast sponsor and production partner for the film. However, the project will cost money to get off the ground. Eden Valley Enterprises is spearheading a Kickstarter campaign to raise $3,500 in seed money before approaching larger corporations and foundations for help with the lion's share of the production costs.

For more information on the project, and to donate, you can visit the Kickstarter campaign website. You can also find additional information on the Eden Valley Enterprises website as well.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com