Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
protected landscapes, mainly in public ownership. In 1968 it was designated
as a National Scenic Trail and is often referred to as the longest national park
in the USA.
Trail philosophy
From its inception, the trail has been promoted as a slow travel experience, to
facilitate enjoyment of nature and superb landscapes at a walking pace, or, as
Bryson (1998) notes, it is approaching the world in a new way; that is, on foot
and without comforts for many days. The Comprehensive Plan (Appalachian
Trail Conservancy et al, 1981, p2), in defining the trail and its purpose, makes
clear the ethos, which survives to this day:
The Appalachian Trail is a way, continuous from Katahdin in
Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, for travel on foot,
through the wild scenic, wooded, pastoral and culturally signifi-
cant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. It is a means of
sojourning among these lands, such that visitors may experience
them by their own unaided efforts. In practice, the Trail is usu-
ally a simple footpath, purposeful in direction and concept,
favouring the heights of land, and located for minimum reliance
on construction for protecting the resource. The body of the
Trail is protected by the lands it traverses, and its soul is
the living stewardship of the volunteers and workers of the
Appalachian Trail community.
The management philosophy set out in the plan refers to the volunteers being
the soul of the trail and the management being decentralized, involving local
partnerships and stewardship by landowners and local towns. Policy develop-
ment, land procurement and resistance to unwarranted development also
includes government at various levels, but mainly the National Parks Service
and the Forest Service. The dual goals of maintaining a simple footpath with
a primitive quality are imbued throughout the documentation.
The walking experience
There is no verifiable overall number of users. However, an extensive survey
was undertaken from May to October 1999 involving 1879 useable responses
and with a response rate of 66 per cent (Manning et al, 2000). This identified
four core user segments, mainly by duration of walking:
•
The 'Thru walker', or long-distance walker, seeking to walk the entire
length. This segment accounts for 17.8 per cent of all users. The long-
distance walker spends an average 167 days on the trail and seeks a rela-
tively solitary experience; scenery and photography are more important to
them than to other users. The 'Thru walker' will use the primitive shelters
or camp as they progress, usually from north to south.
•
The 'Section hiker' has a similar motivation to the 'Thru walker', but is
only able to complete one section of the trail at a time, perhaps walking
