Re: [at-l] Re: AT

["W F Thorneloe, MD" <thornel@ibm.net>]

What you said _was_: "One of the biggest dissapointments to me about the AT 
is just how easy the half that I have done has been. Aside from a very 
small portion of the trail, the path itself is, in my opinion, overkept and 
over easy. It appears more like a rugged jogging path now than a wilderness 
trail."

Due to the fact that it is within 3 hours of 150M people, and very 
frequently used, it requires substantial maintenance to avoid turning into 
a gully where a ridge had been. (Take a good look at the trail near 
Newfound Gap, NC.) Obtaining property for the trail created the need to 
creatively locate the trail, even if a bog was involved. I can't imagine 
why anyone would complain about a feature to speed you out of New Jersey 
and back toward some pretense of wilderness! Thank goodness for the bad 
weather routes to help avoid more injuries and rescues.

I am very glad for the maintainers and dreamers who created and "over-keep" 
the AT. It is in the original vision for those seeking a week or 2 of 
respite from the city without a great deal of expense or hardship. Those of 
us dreaming of a 6 month hiking binge are definitely _not_ what the trail 
was designed for. The AT is a relaxation and recreation resource, not 
simply a place to display testosterone.

OrangeBug
Atlanta, GA


At 06:04 AM 6/12/1999 -0400, PaddyBeer@aol.com wrote:
>...I was referring to the way that the trail
>has been routed and how it has been taken care of by the people and groups
>that care for it.  I was not speaking of the wilderness experience or lack
>thereof.  Instead, I was addressing the tremendous number of switchbacks, the
>apparently ceaseless effort to put a bridge over every stream, and other
>efforts that seem to try to take much out of the trail as a wilderness trail.
>  What I mean hear are the "official alternative routes" around areas that
>have a series of rocks that must be ascended or descended (NC - TN area), the
>bad weather safety trails and even the way the boggy areas become a boardwalk
>(NJ).  ...

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