Obstacles In The Appalachian Trail

Life on the road means being completely dependent on nature. Many people travel outdoors because of the compelling beauty of nature. Travelers of the road do it for the thrill, and others for soul-seeking. Nature has a strong effect on humans, whether it’s positive or negative. For example, a travel can either end in acknowledging the beauty of nature or a fatal accident. So many famous writers and philosophers write about the value of nature; Henry David Thoreau, Jack London, Boris Pasternak, and many others. Life on the road has its advantages and disadvantages. This can be seen when Jon Krakauer wrote about Chris McCandless, a very famous traveler and an intelligent man, after his death in the book, Into the Wild. Chris McCandless was a

In Wallace Stegner’s “Wilderness Letter,” he is arguing that the countries wilderness and forests need to be saved. For a person to become whole, Stegner argues that the mere idea of the wild and the forests are to thank. The wilderness needs to be saved for the sake of the idea. He insinuates that anyone in America can just think of Old faithful, Mt. Rainier, or any other spectacular landform, even if they have not visited there, and brought to a calm. These thoughts he argues are what makes us as people whole.

In James Lane Allen’s Through Cumberland Gap on Horseback, the mention is made to the beauty of the land and that the climate was just the same but that traveling to the mountain region was not only difficult as they had to take a train then a wagon ride, followed by a trek on horseback, but a lengthy process. Among the experiences recorded Allen describes the meeting of several locals and this is where his responsibility for Appalachian

The Appalachian Trail was also the product of a daydream atop Stratton Mountain, the brainchild of Benton MacKaye. MacKaye was an off-and-on federal employee, educated as a forester and self-trained as a planner, who proposed it as the connecting thread of "a project in regional planning." His proposal, drawing on years of talk of a "master trail" within New England hiking circles, was written at the urging of concerned friends in the months after his suffragette-leader wife killed herself. It appeared in the October 1921 edition of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects, at the time a major organ the regional-planning movement. MacKaye envisioned a trail along the ridge-crests of the Appalachian

There was no pavement for his dog to follow. The trail is marked only by small patches of white paint on trees, rocks, or occasional posts. No signs were in Braille, so Bill Irwin had to run his hands over their etched letters to read them. Many of the hundreds of footbridges were only twelve inches wide or less and Irwin had to cross them on his hands and knees. The trail often wound its way along steep cliffs and mountainsides. He had to contend with the continual unevenness of the trail’s rocky surface, which tore up his boots and twisted his ankles. And Bill Irwin fell literally thousands of times – fracturing several ribs on one occasion. There were no inspiring vistas that would reward all those uphill climbs. He made the journey in perpetual darkness. And although the Appalachian Trail Conference has published dozens of detailed topographical maps of the trail, they were all useless to this man who couldn’t see. How, then, could he find his

Taking on a journey stretching well over 2,100 miles, covering fourteen states (from Maine to Georgia) by foot is no simple stroll where at the end of the day a comfortable bed and hot meal would await you. Instead, hiking the Appalachian Trail can be an endless battle with all the elements of mother nature: whereas in one state spring would have sprung already with wildflowers dressing the forest floors and insects buzzing through crisp air, on other parts of the trail it [the weather conditions] would be smothering heat, but meanwhile a few states north the rain would fall endlessly with gusts of cold wind, and snow would blanket the pathways of the trail and more than likely blizzards

Paths and nature trails are able to give people a sense of peace, relaxation, a place to exercise, and bring back memories from years ago. Different seasons make you feel a different emotion each time you visit the trail. Due to the change of surroundings, you may feel merry in the winter time, but energetic in the summer time. On the Thomas J. Evans Trail, you get a mixer of a well nourished landscape along with a historical background. City life can be busy and stressful without a break now and then. Visiting a childhood trail can bring forgotten joys that are just waiting to be dug up again. Taking a walk on the trail with the trees high above you and the cement path below gives the impression of openness and freedom. With many animals seen scampering around and the aromas can catch your attention from the various plants that thrive here. Along with the wildlife, numerous people are seen enjoying the scenery along side you. Whether they are riding their bikes or jogging along to the beat of their music, an arrange of activities take part in the

It is hard for most to be optimist about negative (barriers) things. When barriers start to pile themselves up it can be hard to reach over the mountain in order to start pulling the strengths. It appears the individuals within the Appalachian Region have been able to over come the barriers and challenges. This ability has allowed the Appalachians to succeed in creating a culture with people who are loyal to their region and stand firm in their cultural beliefs. Early Settlers came to this region for a fresh start, cheaper land and to get away from Quacker leaders (mentioned above).

There are many aspects of the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian trail is 2,200 beautiful miles long. The trail goes through 14 states and 5 national parks. ¨It runs from Georgia to Maine, making it the longest marked trail in the country, and one of the longest in the world.¨ 4,019 people hiked the trail in 2010. Out of all the years that the trail has been here only 12,000 hikers actually made it through the entire trail. The hardest part of the trail is located in Georgia. More than 4,000 volunteers help every year to keep the trail maintained. The trail began 70 years ago and was a vision of the Benton Mackaye who is known as “the father of the appalachian trail.

In turn, this allows the visitors to experience the natural beauty, charm, and spiritual significance of the “true world” in almost the exact same light as even the earliest of environmental philosophers, such as Henry David Thoreau. Being exposed and actually walking through these lands allows people to go beyond their desktop screensaver aesthetic admiration for the natural world and really connect to and feel in their own individual way the majestic powers of the wild. One example, among many, of these powers would be the opportunity for extreme solitude, time for personal reflection, and an outlet for escape. The benefits of such introspection could entail an increased sense of vitality, self reliance, confidence and moral strength. “New Englander Joseph Knowles proposed setting aside ‘wild lands’ and establishing outdoor communities where Americans could retreat from the ‘commercialism and the mad desire to make money that have blotted out everything else leaving us not living, but merely existing.”’ There are no advertisements trying to persuade one to buy this, or upgrade to this new form of “must have” technology in the wilderness. There is no boss or professor demanding work or assignments, there is just pure bliss. When people get out and really smell the pollutant free fresh

We are going on a road trip everybody! Let’s go to the Chain Rock in Kentucky; it will be so thrilling and it’s only a half mile walk there. Doesn’t that sound exciting? No, it isn’t exciting, the walk is more like a hike and it is challenging. No one that rarely hikes can even make it to the Chain Rock, because there is a massive boulder in the way so the trip is pointless, if you have those circumstances. Never go to Chain Rock, it is not worth the gas, money, or time. The trail of the half of a mile hike consisted of woods, heat, and disappointment.

In 1890, the western frontier was ended with the increasing settlement and it forced people to face the risk of environmental damage. With a deep interest in the progressive environment, I visited the National Park Service website. The National Park Service website provides us with rich information about the park itself. It also educate us with plentiful knowledge about local heritage, history and the contribution of John Muir. In the website we can clearly see the information of THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL. It was built in the 1930 ( honor to John Muir), Muir Trail is a place full of wild life, it could not preserved so well without the disseminate from John Muir. Today’s backpacker, trekker, or hiker can hardly enjoy natural view without the natural protection from the past. John Muir gives people basic concept of natural conservation. He teaches us how to love and enjoy the natural, nature resources are easily damaged by the development of society, the nature resources may disappear in historical site due to over exploit or serious pollution. John Muir helps people to face the

As a child, during many of my families travels, we went through the Appalachian Mountains through West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. These places were breathtaking. The rolling hills and deep green forestry stood with such enchantment. About 25 years later my family went on a vacation through this same area. The visions I saw were not ones of

Bill Bryson learns of the awaiting challenges the trail has before having even set foot on it, but he is determined to make the most of the Appalachian Trail. He excuses what others believe to be a hopeless trek and instead embraces this opportunity to finally enjoy the outdoors. After living abroad for close to a quarter decade, Bryson feels the need to “reacquaint [himself] with the scale and beauty” (2) of nature. By setting out on a positive note, he readies himself for what is ahead, because he knows that whatever he encounters may be far from his expectations. Even so, he prevents the things that stand in his way from impacting his decisions, facing his problems head on.

Strayed didn’t seem like the kind of person to make it to her final destination, and as she doubted herself, so would other people; however, not only did she make it to her final goal in distance, she also achieved tranquility with her past. Similarly, Bryson had the same issue, but due to another factor, age. Bryson was 46 when he started the Appalachian trail, but only made it 860 miles before giving up. Even though he did not make it the full 2,181 miles, Bryson, and Katz made it much further than anyone would have ever expected. They saw all they needed to see, and even though they did not make it the full trail, they experienced all they felt they needed to experience, through the weather, the animals they encountered, and the people they met along the way. Bryson was atone with nature after his 860 miles, he saw, and learned what his home country had to offer in the wild.