[at-l] Respect For AT Wildness Values

[lmend@ccny.cuny.edu (whitestag)]

When Earl Shaffer completed his 3rd thru-hike in 1998, he made a few
comments about the changing nature of the trail. I remember reading his
comments in my local newspaper that the AT used to pass through many
more towns, and that he had appreciated the opportunity to chat with
locals. Also, he stated that the "wilderness only" approach to routing
the trail seemed to be getting away from Benton MacKaye's original
vision of the trail linking a series of work camps -- places where city
dwellers could easily get to and from which they could easily experience
the wilderness.

My point in citing Earl's comments is not to advocate for approach or
another to wilderness values on the AT -- it is to show that the
"wilderness only" approach isn't necessarily what some of the most
venerable members (living or dead) of the AT community had in mind when
they thought about the trail. I think we do well to keep that in mind.

-- Whitestag



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