Includes bibliographical references (p. [379]-382).

The Appalachian Trail is the longest continuously marked footpath in the world. Its 2,140 miles run through 14 states - from Georgia to Maine - and through vastly different natural and social environments, from the solitary splendor of mountain crags to the genial forests and valleys frequented by dayhikers and scout packs. Each year between three and four million visitors enjoy the diverse scenery and communities along the trail, united by a shared enthusiasm for the outdoors. A lively and eye-opening introduction to a national treasure, The Appalachian Trail Reader collects trail diaries, poems, and essays that reflect the meaning of this great wilderness trail across both time and geography. Here are the works of both well-known writers and anonymous raconteurs, including Henry David Thoreau, James Dickey, Aldo Leopold, James MacGregor Burns, Richard Wilbur, and many others. The trail's founding fathers Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery speak here, too, about their visions and plans. Excerpts from Appalachian Trail hikers' journals, from the 1930s to the 1990s, provide a firsthand, intimate portrait of walking the trail. Scientists' close observations of the natural world mingle with poets' evocations of the sweetness or the rigors of the wilderness experience. Early Appalachian explorers report for the thrill of seeing uncharted territory and wildlife for the first time. Here, too, are historians who remind us of how American recreational hiking developed against a background of evolving ideas of the wilderness itself. Taken as a whole, this patchwork quilt of voices, both eloquent and raw, offers a surprisingly varied pattern of appreciation for the wilds of the Appalachians and for its famous footpath, the Appalachian Trail. With the addition of maps of the trail and photographs displaying its scenic beauty, The Appalachian Trail Reader presents a rich introduction to the trail for those planning a walking trip, and vivid scrapbook for those who have already hiked its mountains or valleys.