[at-l] Appalachian Trail history question

[rockdancer97 at comcast.net (Arthur Gaudet)]

Thanks Weary for the comment & correction. That material from Taylor would be
very interesting to read, so sad about the fire.

When I was researching the Bronx Boys Scout Hike of 1936 I came across Taylor as
a significant part of the effort to find the route. I got his title wrong,
thanks for the correction. Guy Waterman agrees with you on the title.

(Waterman's "Forest & Crag" states that Taylor "with the help of 2 other wardens
pushed the trail through thick conifer forests to the rocky ridge of
Saddleback". Waterman refers to his personal correspondence with Helon Taylor
for this info.)

One document I read at the time was remarking upon Taylor doing the
route-finding from Stratton heading S to the road crossing near Piazza Rock
shelter (Rt. 4). It's apparent that this section wasn't developed in time for
the boys' hike and I placed the start of their trip at Maine Rt. 4 (Rangeley) at
this location since, in Spring 1936, they could hike continuously from this spot
all the way to Georgia, a distance of 1866 miles.

Interesting stuff... RD 

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob C [mailto:ellen@clinic.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 11:48 AM
To: Arthur Gaudet; at-l@backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [at-l] Appalachian Trail history question

"...(btw,
the man who scouted trail S from the Bigelows was Helon Taylor, at the time a
young Maine guide. Later he became the superintendent of Baxter State Park)."

He may have also worked parttime as a guide, but I believe Helon was employed as
a forest fire warden in Stratton when he scouted -- and built, I think -- the
trail over Bigelow. I believe also that he retired to Stratton after leaving
Baxter in the 1960s. He had planned to erite a book during his retirement years,
but sadly his notes and papers were burned in a Baxter cabin fire.

The trail over Bigelow was expanded in the early 1970s to encompass more of the
ridgeline and to get it away from a conflict with a proposed development in the
valley. Luckily the development never happened. Most of the land that now
encompasses the 35,000 acre Bigelow Preserve was acquired by swapping newly
rediscovered scattered "public lots" for land on the mountain.

Weary