There is a plaque located on Springer Mountain. It has the ‘hiking man’ and the phrase, “A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness.”
1 - Which sculptor created it,
2 - who was the model for the 'hiking man,"
3 - who coined the phrase, and
4 - three plaques were made - where are the other two?
First right answer wins an autographed picture of me touching the first north-bound blaze on the AT.
K4KAM
who cares about getting an autographed picture of you, who the hell do you think you are anyway. I would rather the picture not autographed by you.
Bermuda
Is it politically correct this year to say “holiday LOVE”? I just got yelled at for wishing someone a Merry Christmas.
What a bummer.
jaws
I do apologize, Mr. Bermuda, for making the trivia question so difficult that you have no chance of winning my autographed picture. Better luck next time.
And, you might ask, how did I know your gender? Well, being so handsome, suave, debonair, and modest as I am, no lady could possibly turn down a chance to have an autographed picture of me, whether on Springer Mountain or not.:evil
On with the trivia question.
K4KAM
Jaws,
Say whatever you want, Its no different then people wishing someone a happy hanakkah (sp?) or a Joyful Ramadan. If they want to persecute you for using a term that held so much merit until recently, then let them.
To the question, is it a likeness of Benton McKaye. And as a guess is one of them in the smithsonian or any other museum?
Hammock PhD
isn’t one of the others where the ccc conected the final piece of trail, somewhere in southern maine?
the goat
Hammock PHD: Not Benton McKaye. Not in any museum.
Goat: Not Maine.
There ought to be recognition of McKaye on the Trail (maybe there is?) somewhere, and I’d love to see a Smithsonian exhibit re the AT.
And, maybe a ‘golden blaze’ where the final section of the AT joined!
K4KAM
1…The sculptor was G.H. Noble, an Atlanta physician and sculptor.
2…The model for the hiker on the bronze tablet is Warner Hall, who gave years of service to the Appalachian Trail with the Georgia A.T. Club.
3…the wording on the plaques is generally credited to Noble, but was likely a small group effort. Benton MacKaye raved about the wording. 'Wilderness, wilderness, wilderness."
4…The plaques were originally installed at Neels Gap (placed 1934, disappeared ?), Delaware Water Gap (placed 1939, disappeared 1958) and Springer Mountain (placed 1959, still there).
***K4: I don’t want the autographed picture, BTW. 
I just want us all to feel the Love.
(Also BTW, that whole happy holidays “issue” is one of the stoopidest tempests in a teapot of the century, concocted by fear-mongering imbeciles. Almost nothing could matter less in any of our lives. Remember, the TV news is always 30 minutes long: Ask yourself, HOW do they do that?)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tyger, the original one.
1 - Sculptor - Noble. Right.
2 - Model - Hall. Right.
3 - Wording - The “AT Thru-Hiker’s Companion, 2004,” (ALDHA), credits Hall with the wording.
4 - The three plaques were, in 2004, on the Trail in GA. Springer, Neel’s Gap, and one other place in GA.
Where’s that third location?
By the way, that’s an interesting observation re Delaware Water Gap - where did you see it?
K4KAM
Yeah - I saw the same thing somewhere - the plaque being installed at Delaware Gap and being stolen later. Don’t think it was ever found. And don’t know why they would put it there.
Neals Gap plaque is there today. If it was ever stolen they must have replaced it.
jaws
Grizzly Adams correctly identified Unicoi Gap as the location of the third plaque (ref: “The Thru-Hiker’s Handbook, 2005, p. 94” Wingfoot’s book.
K4KAM
There’s a big rock as you are heading north, across the highway in the parking area. Here’s a picture:
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=119839
Nokia
Hey, don’t any of you believe there’s a plaque at Unicoi Gap. It’s a conspiracy between the ATConservancy(sic) and the Federal Government. If there was a plaque there we would be able to say “Merry Christmas” without getting into trouble.
We also didn’t land on the moon on July 20, 1969. Another government conspiracy using Hollywood special effects.
jaws
Thanks, Nokia. I walked right by it.
Plaque at Neels? Anyone got a picture?
Tyger, the original one.