The trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye in 1921. MacKaye’s idea detailed a grand footpath following the Appalachian crest from Maine to Georgia, that would connect a series of farms and wilderness work/study camps for city-dwellers. The extension of the trail is variable, according on additions of sections and tracks. The total length is approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 km) long. The trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. For being an important environmental infrastructure (and as well landmark) it is preserved and monitored by several associations under the management by the National Park Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. An unofficial extension known as the International Appalachian Trail continues north into Canada and to the end of the range, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean.
The first section, marked in 1923 by MacKaye, ran from Bear Mountain west through Harriman State Park to Arden, New York. In 1925 MacKaye called fora conference to be held in March 1925 in Washington, D.C. This resulted in the formation of the Appalachian Trail Conference (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy).In the following years several sections have been added by the ATC (then called Appalachian Trail Conservancy). Myron Avery is the first to walk the trail end-to-end, in 1936. Subsequently who attempted to cross the whole path within a season. named himself Thru-hiker. In August 1937, the trail was completed to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, and the ATC shifted its focus toward protecting the trail lands and mapping the trail for hikers. From 1938 to the end of World War II, the trail suffered a series of natural and man-made setbacks. At the end of the war, the damage to the trail was repaired. In the original idea, the proposal:
“inverted the conventional hierarchy of transportation and development infrastructure” (Keller Easterling, 1991).
The ridge was conceived as a natural reservoir of public interest and utility. All along the track different settlements, infrastructures and activities take place, oriented trough the trail itself. The importance of this infrastructural landmark is witnessed by
“many hikers, some of whom, called thru-hikers, that attempt to hike it in its entirety in a single season. Many books, memoirs, web sites and fan organizations are dedicated to this pursuit” (wikipedia.org).
Moreover it has been a resource for researchers in a variety of disciplines.
“Beginning in 2007, various citizen groups, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the American Hiking Society, began a study to monitor environmental changes that have resulted from higher ozone levels, acid rain, smog, and other air quality factors.” (wikipedia.org)
WALKSCAPES FOR SECAUCUS 