Appalachian Trail Essay
explanatory Essay
981 words
Many Americans love to hike. There are many hiking trails located in the United States. One of the most well known trails is the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail, with its distinct history, requires much conservation for the safety of its many hikers.
The Appalachian Trail has much unique history. Benton MacKaye is known as the founder of the trail (“Appalachian”). Friends encouraged MacKaye to write an article putting the idea in place (Fisher 5). MacKaye had many supporters that organized the Appalachian Trail Conference, where they laid out more specific plans for the trail (Appalachian). Benton MacKaye is not the only person who is credited for the Appalachian Trail. Raymond Torrey rallied the hiking community and negotiated the trail to consist of public and private land (Kates). The building of the trail was done by mostly volunteers who worked on it from 1921 to 1937 (Kates). The first section of the trail opened in October 1923 in New York (“Appalachian”). It is hard to imagine the expansion of the Appalachian Trail was no more than an idea.
To get an idea of what the Appalachian Trail looks like it is important to understand its description. The trail spans from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Northern Maine
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the appalachian trail requires conservation for the safety of its many hikers.
- Explains that benton mackaye is known as the founder of the appalachian trail. raymond torrey rallied the hiking community and negotiated the trail to consist of public and private land.
- Explains that the appalachian trail spans from springer mountain in georgia to mount katahdin in northern maine.
- Explains that conservation is important because without it visitors may not be able to access the trail.
- Opines that planning is key to make sure a trip on the trail is safe and successful. one should carry up to date trail maps and know how to use them.
- Explains the importance of knowing when a particular trail or section is closed due to alerts in effect.
- Explains that the appalachian trail conservancy's mission is to preserve and manage the trail ensuring its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.
- Explains that the appalachian trail is one of the most popular hiking trails in the u.s.
One should be able to know when a specific trail or section is closed due to alerts in effect (“Safety”). Also, accidents can be reported on the trail (Appalachian). Although it is important to know how to stay safe and help someone on the trail there are some things on the trail than can help keep one safe. The main trail markings include paint blazers, double blazes, and metal markers (Birchard 145-150). Leave no trace signs are located through the trail (Birchard 156). A hiker should respect wild animals and plants from a safe distance (Appalachian). It is very important that one knows how to stay safe on the trail to be able to have a successful
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- comparative
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- The Appalachian Trailcomparative essayToday the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,158-mile (3,480.6 km) footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Baxter State park, the central Maine wilderness, to Springer Mountain in a designated wilderness area in north Georgia. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Primary use is by weekend or short-term hikers. "Thru-hikers" generally start from the South in early spring and hike the entire length in 5 to 6 months. The Trail is managed by volunteers in 32 local clubs under Appalachian Trail Conference auspices through a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. The Trail...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the appalachian trail was the brainchild of benton mackaye, an off-and-on federal employee, educated as a forester and self-trained planner.
- Explains that the appalachian national scenic trail is a 2,158-mile (3,480.6 km) footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys.
- Explains that new england's trail is rocky and steep, and sometimes muddy and root-obstructed. the mid-atlantic states have the lowest mountains, while the south has the highest mountains.
- Explains that the appalachian trail travels 148.7 miles through vermont in two main sections. the first section runs through the green mountain national forest and coincides with the lower long trail.
- Describes the second section of the appalachian trail through vermont, which is 44.6 miles long and moderately difficult. the trail crosses varied terrain at lower to mid-range elevations with fair elevation gain and loss.
- Explains that the first section of the trail enters new hampshire is from the connecticut river (n.h./vt. state line) to glencliff.
- Explains that the appalachian trail's next section travels from glencliff (nh 25) to the maine/n.h. state line, stretching on for 117.1 miles.
- Advises hikers to be prepared for severe weather conditions, such as snowfall, high winds, and driving rain. the footpath is challenging and steep, but offers fairly good footing.
- Explains that the final section of the appalachian trail is from the new hampshire/ maine border to mount katahdin, a total of 281.4 miles, with difficulties ranging from easy to excruciating.
- Recommends avoiding the a.t. in maine from the bigelow range south to the maine border, as well as any section with peaks or substantial streams.
- Describes the numerous lakes, streams, and bogs in maine that offer hikers the chance to see moose and hear loons.
- Explains that the best time to hike this section is from july to august. september is peak foliage but late september can be wintry, especially at higher elevations.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the promise of land was not the only thing that created oregon fever amongst americans in the midwest.
- Explains that thousands of americans started selling off their land in the midwest and using the money to buy things such as ox and wagons to travel west.
- Explains that the journey to oregon was so long that americans had to only stop for a few hours in order to eat and sleep. women did most of the work while traveling the trail.
- Explains that the weather on the oregon trail caused more problems than good. the dirt path was soaked with water, and the ox had to help push the wagons up steep hills.
- Explains that americans had to be careful with crossing rivers since their wagons and animals were so heavy, and not to let animals drown.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the long trail is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the u.s. it was conceived on the peak of stratton mountain in southern vermont by james p. taylor.
- Explains that the green mountain club had cleared over 200 miles of trail and provided 44 overnight sleeping accommodations. the gmc celebrated its 21st birthday and the completion of the long trail.
- Explains that in 1931 the gmc trustees approved the hiring of a paid long trail patrol under the leadership of roy o. buchanan.
- Describes how the gmc responded to new pressures caused by traffic by removing dumps from campsites, initiating "carry in- carry out" policies, education on responsible trail use, and stationing caretakers at the most high-use areas and summits.
- States that the vermont legislature recognized the gmc as the "founder, sponsor, defender and protector" of the long trail and delegated it official responsibility for the creation of programs aimed at the preservation, maintenance, and proper use of hiking trails.
- Explains that the gmc initiated the long trail protection campaign in 1986 to increase awareness and respect for the trail.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the oregon trail helped westward expansion in the 1800s.
- Describes the oregon trail as a 2000 mile long wagon route and emigrant trail made by fur trappers and traders from 1811 to 1840.
- Explains that the trail was used by 400,000 settlers, ranchers, farmers, miners and businessmen in the 1830s to the late 1860s. gold and silver discoveries in colorado, oregon, idaho, nevada, and montana caused an increase on people using it.
- Explains that many people were discouraged to travel the trail by the cost, effort, and danger. travel decreased after 1860 because of the civil war.
- Explains that the trail became too long and rough for the conestoga's, which led to the use of prairie schooners.
- Explains that 70 % of the prairie schooners were pulled by oxen, mule, and horses. extra animals were recommended to take along on the trail as animals could stray, be injured, or die.
- Describes the items that were brought along to clear the trail from fallen trees, overgrowth, and tar to repair an animal's hoof.
- Explains that food brought along during the trail was kept in water tight containers or barrels. the travelers also hunted antelope, buffalo, hens, trout, and elk.
828 wordsRead More - The Barkley Marathonsanalytical essayTo add to the difficulty of the trails is the extreme elevation changes. The re are ironically enough thirteen climbs which result in more than 10,000 feet of climb per loop. This is obviously accompanied by an equal amount of descent. One runner described it as climbing 100 floors of stairs in your first mile, going back down on second mile and continuing this for twenty miles. The course amasses an average grade of over 20% and between 50 and near 100 percent grade on the abandoned trails and bushwhacking sections. The grade is the reason that the trails have been abandoned or not built in the first pace. Each climb bears a unique name which in many cases gives a good idea of their nature.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the barkley marathons are run in the frozen head state park and natural area near oak ridge in tennessee.
- Explains that the course is run on a variety of surfaces, none of which come close to ideal.
- Explains the difficulty of the trails due to the extreme elevation changes. the course amasses an average grade of over 20% on the abandoned trails and bushwhacking sections.
- Explains that frozen provides runners with bothersome foliage and briars, especially on the climbs of rat jaw and big hell. the course has only two unmanned aid stations.
- Explains that participants are given a map marked with the location of between six and nine books which they must find.
- Explains that barkley was run without aid stations, map, light, or provisions. the infamous james earl ray ran the woods of frozen head for 54 and one half hours while escaping from nearby brushy mountain state penitentiary.
- Describes how gary cantrell and carl "madd dog" henn designed an incredibly challenging course around the park.
- Explains that in 1988, the barkley claimed another year of no finishers. in 1990, a field that included runners from germany and switzerland provided five runners in the 55 fun run.
- Explains that the 1991 barkley was one run in heavy rain and flooding conditions. ten runners from russia and poland joined the americans for what would be another record finish.
- Explains that for the 1994 race the time limit was extended to 60 hours, the longest of any 100 mile race. only one runner would finish the fun run which was started by 34.
- Explains that april 1,1995 brought about another barkley. the fun run was extended to 60 miles with a 40 hour time limit. six runners eventually finished the fun run, three of which were eligible to continue on to the 100.
- Describes how mark williams, a 6'-1", 160 pound, self-employed computer programmer from england, finished the barkley 100 in 2 days, 11 hours, and 29 minutes. he had hallucinations due to fatigue while on the course.
- Explains that the 1996 barkley provided 24 runners with off and on segments of hard driving rain to compliment the impossible course.
- Analyzes how gary cantrell aspired to make the toughest race in the barkley marathons. he was described by geraldine wales as the only runner that smoked.
- Analyzes how the man's entry procedures are unique. the entry form states 25 entrants will be selected "by whim," but the choice is ultimately his.
- Explains that the race has no concrete day on which it is run, and the time is not announced so as to deter bandits. gary picks titles like "never let them see you cry" and "there may be thorns."
- Explains that the barkley has a reputation for its inconceivable difficulty. the race rules do not allow pacers and there is practically no aid on the course.
- Analyzes how the unpredictable weather of the area adds to the race's difficulty. it has been ru n in temperatures from 0 to 70 degrees fahrenheit.
- Analyzes the lack of respect the barkley gets from ultra runners who stick to paved surfaces. road runners often label the race as a survival test and don't compare it with anything else.
- Opines that the barkley is one of the most interesting races in running today and deserves such recognition.
- Cites information from ultra running magazine and personal responses. special thanks to matt mahoney, ray krolewicz, doug barrows, nick williams, geraldine wales, suzi thibeault, don davis.
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In this essay, the author
- Describes the south kaibab trail as the final stop on their bike ride back towards the bicycle rentals.
- Explains that the north kaibab trail was built to complete the first trans-canyon trail in the grand canyon.
- Explains that the bright angel trail goes for 6.5 miles, dropping over 5000 feet. ralph cameron was willing to sell his right to the trail for $150,000.
- Explains that the bright angel trail is 8 miles long to the colorado river. the s. kaibab trail has no water access.
- Describes the location of ooh aah point, which is named after the early explorer and entrepreneur, bucky o'neill.
- Explains that the lower you descend, the older the rocks get. from cedar ridge, we pass rocks like supai formations, redwall limestone, o’neill butte, and eventually mauv limestones.
- Describes the bright angel trail as an 8-mile hike on the south rim, descending over 4300 feet to the river rest house by the colorado river.
- Explains that the bright angel trail was originally built by the havasupai native americans to reach a location called the indian garden.
- Explains how ralph cameron, who later became the senator of arizona, and his partners pete barry and niles, started improving the trial.
- Explains that berry registered the bright angel toll road with yavapai county in february 1891, though it was often known as cameron’s trail because berry transferred control of the trail to ralph cameron in exchange for ownership of grand view trail.
- Explains that cameron saw the potential money he could be making from tourists, and made a deal with the santa fe railroads that trains should stop directly in front of bright angles trail, near cameron’s hotel.
- Explains that after realizing that legal problems would take a while to get resolved, he started investing more into the trail. he named it the bright angels trail and charged $1 for every person that wanted to visit it.
- Describes how cameron was fully in charge of the trail and leased a piece to the kolb brothers, ellsworth and emery, who took pictures of tourists during their mule rides and sold them there photos.
- Explains that the nps and santa fe railroads tried many times to buy or cease control of his trail, but were unsuccessful. he viewed it as emblematic of the little man fighting large corporations and federal interference in local matters.
- Explains that while the nps and santa fe railroads couldn't come to an agreement with cameron about coconino country, they decided to build hermit trails.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that many hikers make the rigorous journey of hiking the pacific crest trail. the trail travels a total distance of 2,650 miles through california, oregon, and washington until reaching the canadian border.
- Recommends carrying a map, compass, and first aid kit when hiking the pct.
- Explains the importance of hydration, nutrition, and emergency shelter during the pct hike. the goal is to protect the wildlife from human food.
- Recommends carrying plenty of water on the pct and a reflective emergency blanket for first aid.
- Explains that hiking the pacific crest trail takes about five or six months to complete. snow can cover sections of the trail in the spring and summer.
- Opines that it is important to systematically prepare for the hike on the pacific crest trail.
751 wordsRead More - Oregon Trailexplanatory essayOverland pioneer route to the northwestern United States. About 3200 km, about 2000 mi long, the trail extended from Independence, Missouri, to the Columbia River in Oregon. Part of the route followed the Platte River for 870 km (540 mi) through what is now Nebraska to Fort Laramie in present-day Wyoming. The trail continued along the North Platte and Sweetwater rivers to South Pass in the Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains. From there the main trail went south to Fort Bridger, Wyoming, before turning into the Bear River valley and north to Fort Hall in present-day Idaho. In Idaho the Oregon Trail followed the Snake River to the Salmon Falls and then went north past Fort Boise (now Boise). The route entered what is now Oregon, passed through the Grande Ronde River valley, crossed the Blue Mountains and followed the Umatilla River to the Columbia River. Shorter and more direct routes were developed along some parts of the trail, but they were often more difficult.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the oregon trail's route from independence, missouri, to the columbia river in oregon. shorter and more direct routes were developed along some parts of the trail, but they were often more difficult.
- Explains that the oregon trail was used by native americans and trappers. the first emigrant wagon train, headed by the american pioneer physician elijah white, reached oregon city in 1842.
368 wordsRead More - The Trails Of The Oregon Trailexplanatory essayHow did people get from state to state in the past? Did they walk through the woods to get where they needed to go? Of course not, they walked rode on a horse or walked on a trail. One of the most famous groups of trails is the Trails of the West. There were lots of different trails within the system of big trails. There is also a lot of reasons why people would use the trails, for example to have safer and easier travel.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that people used to walk through the woods to get where they needed to go. the trails of the west is a famous group of trails.
- Explains why people left their homes to go to a different state. people moved to the west because of the rich farm land and cheap land.
- Explains that the oregon trail was created by fur trappers and traders in 1811-1840. the trail was 2,200 miles long and connected to the missouri river.
- Describes the santa fe trail, which was 1,200 miles long and was used for a military highway and commercial before the railroad was created.
- Explains that the oregon and santa fe trails made cities stronger and better, but they also hurt some cities.
- Explains that the oregon and santa fe trails are only two of the trails that people traveled on to get to the west.
605 wordsRead More - The History And History Of The Allegheny Valley Trailexplanatory essayA lot of young people today see Franklin as a small town without any special value, but the bike trail shows otherwise. Although our region’s glory days are in the past, the community today is strong. A hundred years ago, the people of Franklin built the Belmar Bridge, the three tunnels, and all of the railroads. Today the people of Franklin built the 28 miles of paved bike trails that compose the Allegheny Valley Trail and the Sandy Creek Trail. The fact that we have these wonderful bike trails and many historical landmarks to enjoy on a bike ride any time we want is a testament to the continued strength of our community and the hard work of the Allegheny Valley Trails Association.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how the allegheny valley trails connects all eras of our region's history, from the native american period to the years of economic decline.
- Explains that the long history of the land that became the local bike trails begins with the arrival of native americans in the region between 12,000 and 18,000 years ago.
- Explains that the french followed the paths created by the native americans when they created a road between fort venango and fort leboeuf in the later years of the war.
- Explains that the railroad history of venango county is complicated due to multiple railroad companies operating in the area. the oil boom led to the early years of area railroads being well documented.
- Explains that until 1862, the closest railroad stations to the booming wells in the titusville area were in corry, union mills, and garland, all of which were between twenty-five miles away.
- Explains that other railroads were constructed in the middle to late 1860s, including the atlantic and great western railroad, farmers’ railroad and warren and franklin railroad.
- Describes the allegheny valley railroad as a local branch of the pennsylvania railroad, which connected to kittanning and ultimately pittsburgh.
- Explains that the allegheny valley railroad would maintain the same basic route for over forty years until plans were designed for three tunnels in february 1913.
- Explains that charles miller, founder of the galena-signal oil company, spearheaded the construction of this line, which provided easy access to the coal fields in mercer county and put franklin on the major rail line between new york city and chicago.
- Describes the construction of the belmar bridge over the allegheny river (frederick). charles miller and his partners signed a contract with the king bridge company of cleveland.
- Explains that the jamestown, franklin, and clearfield line was the last major new rail construction in pennsylvania. the oil region declined in national importance as new and better sources of oil were found elsewhere.
- Describes how the bike trail started with the founding of the allegheny valley trails association in 1990.
- Explains how david howes put so much work into getting the organization started. the rails to trails act provided funding for the conversion of railroad tracks into public trails.
- Explains that the avta gained ownership of the abandoned rail corridor from franklin to kennerdell from the scrubgrass generating company.
- Describes how the avta received its first major grant from penndot in the 1990s and purchased the conrail from a&k railroad materials. the oil heritage region also contributed to the funding.
- Explains how jim holden became president of the avta, bill weller became vice president, and david howes stayed on the board and became the main grant writer.
- Explains that an atv rider injured himself on a part of the clarion secondary and tried to sue the landowner and the avta. the case went to the pennsylvania supreme court.
- Explains how the rails-to-trails movement exploded after the national trails system act of 1983 and rails to trails act a decade later. the avta was one of the later groups to be formed.
- Opines that franklin's bike trail is a testament to the continued strength of our community and the hard work of the allegheny valley trails association.
2317 wordsRead More