Outdoor Journal

The old (and young) AT: The Appalachian Trail is 40 years old—or 86, depending on how you count such things. Wilderness advocate Benton MacKaye came up with the idea of creating the trail: In 1925 in Washington, D.C., he convened the first AT “conference”—a gathering of hikers, foresters and members of the public. Six years later, these folks formed a private nonprofit, the Appalachian Trail Conference, and started working on the 2,175-mile trail (the group became the AT Conservancy in 2005). It wasn’t until 1968, however, that Congress passed the National Trails System Act, ensuring that the Georgia-to-Maine AT will forever remain a simple footpath within a protected greenway along the Appalachian Mountains.

However you tell a trail’s age, on Friday, Oct. 3, the ATC and its Asheville affiliates are hosting a fundraising event for the ageless path.

Tickets are $25 (RSVP before Oct. 3, and get $5 off). The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at Pack Place in downtown Asheville; sign up at RSVP@appalachiantrail.org.

Lighten up already: Local experts Corey Hadden and Jack Igleman—the co-authors of Trekking the Southern Appalachians—will show you how to make backpacking fun, simple, light, inexpensive and safe on Friday, Oct. 3. The pair will share their know-how from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Second Gear (in the Ace Appliance Building at 444 Haywood Road in West Asheville). The workshop is free, and participants receive a 10-percent discount on shop merchandise. Reserve a spot at Second Gear or call 258-0757.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.