McAfee Hikes

The Appalachian Trail, aka the AT, is a 2200 mile trek that travels through 14 states from Maine to Georgia. Around 3 million people visit the trail each year, around 4000 of those attempt to hike all 2200 miles each year. Most hikers start in Springer Mountain in Georgia going northbound but around 8% (including myself) are going southbound beginning on Katahdin in Maine. Only about 25% make it through the whole trail. Most get off trail, ending their hike due to sickness, injury, or family.  

The AT was first envisioned by Benton MacKaye in 1921, but the trail wouldn’t be complete end to end until 1937. (Fun Fact: It’s estimated that 99% of the trail route has changed since its completion) The first ever recorded thru-hike was in 1948 by Earl Shafer, something deemed impossible at the time. Since then, around 20,000 successful thru-hikes have been recorded.

The entire length of the AT is managed by the Appalachian Trail Conservatory. The ATC is part of a unique cooperative-management system, working with numbers of local, state and federal partners to ensure greater protections for the Trail. They partner with the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, dozens of state agencies and 31 local Trail-maintaining clubs. The ATC’s goal is to protect the landscape surrounding the AT forever for all to enjoy.