The Appalachian Trail

The Hike

The Appalachian Trail is a continuous marked footpath that spans almost the entire north-south length of the eastern United States. The Trail runs from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, a distance of about 2160 miles.

Many trace the origins of the Trail to a 1921 article by Benton MacKaye entitled "An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning."

About a quarter of the Trail lies within Virginia, including about 100 miles through the popular Shenandoah National Park (see the blue shaded area on the map to the left). This is where the Hike for Hope will take place.

The park gets its name from the Shenandoah river, which runs through it. The park itself is 300 square miles which includes the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which resembles the great hardwood forest which once covered the northeastern United States.

Detail of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, showing the Shenandoah National Park section fo the trail in red.

The Itinerary

We'll be starting at the south end of the park on June 2, 2002, and will travel north. The hike will take 9 days, covering a total of 107 miles, and the plan is as follows:

• Day 1 — US250 at Rockfish Gap to Calf Mountain Shelter: 7 miles

• Day 2 — Calf Mountain Shelter to Blackrock Hut: 13 miles

• Day 3 — Blackrock Hut to Pinefield Hut: 13.2 miles

• Day 4 — Pinefield Hut to Hightop hut: 8.2 miles

• Day 5 — Hightop Hut to US33 at Swift Run Gap to Bearfence Hut: 12.4 miles

• Day 6 — Bearfence Hut to Rock Spring Hut: 11.5 miles

• Day 7 — Rock Spring Hut to US211 at Thornton Gap to Pass Mountain Hut: 15.3 miles

• Day 8 — Pass Mountain Hut to Gravel Springs Hut: 13.1 miles

• Day 9 — Gravel Springs Hut to US522 at Chester Gap: 13.3 miles