Nature Trails and Mixed Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 77

The trail is managed by the US National Park Service and the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy, although a large number of clubs, non-
profit organizations and other partners help maintain and protect it. The
idea for the trail was conceived in 1921 by Benton MacKaye, who
foresaw it as 'a footpath through the wilderness that stretched like an
unbroken chain along the crest of the Appalachians' (Foresta, 1987: 77).
The first section was designed in 1923, and the trail was completed in
1937. In 1968, under the National Trails System Act, it was named a
protected National Scenic Trail (Bristow, 1998; Bryson, 1998; Foresta,
1987; Nisbett & Hinton, 2005).
AT has a significant following of people who have hiked, or plan to hike
all or parts of it. Hikers who complete the entire length in one season are
known as 'thru-hikers', while individuals who complete the trail on a
number of separate trips are referred to as 'section hikers'. Thru-hikers,
according to MacLennan and Moore (2011), can be further divided into
'purists', 'blue blazers' and 'yellow blazers'. Following the official white
blazes, purists are known to stay on the formally designated AT path,
although they might take side trips for shelter or to buy supplies. Blue blaz-
ers deviate on side trails marked with blue blazes, which shortens the jour-
ney substantially. Yellow blazers, a somewhat derogatory term, are hikers
who 'cheat' by following roads and highways, and hitchhiking to speed
the pace. There are also other hikers who use the trail for day trips or other
short-term uses, including weekend backpacking (Nisbett & Hinton,
2005). Between 1936 and 2011, there have been some 13,589 completions
of the entire 3500 km. In 2012, there were 803 thru trips recorded, and
between 2-3 million people use at least part of the trail each year from
all over the world (Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2013).
Mixed Routes
The previous chapter highlighted cultural trails; this chapter has so far
emphasized nature trails. Both chapters, however, have argued that the lines
between ecological and heritage trails are indistinct, with even the most
remote nature-oriented tracks having some human element or intervention.
This section focuses on routes and paths that are an obvious intersection of
nature and culture and present themselves as such.
'Discovery walks' are fairly common in city spaces. They are self-guided
walks with signs, brochures, maps and other aids to help users link parks,
gardens, green spaces and historic sites (Belan, 2000). In the 1980s, a 6.5 km
route was developed to surround the town of Punta Gorda, Belize. It pro-
vided opportunities for tourists to see not only the tropical rainforest and