If you were going from Springer to the Big-K and wanted to blue blaze most of the way, how would you do it. What route would you take. I would think that would be a cool way to do a second thru-hike. Also, would it be longer or shorter than a traditional thru-hike?
Captain K-man
I thought there was an alternate being developed just to the west of the AT? One long section is from the north end of Shenandoah National Park you could pick up the Massenutten (sp) Trail and hook up with the AT In northern PA. Also I thought it would be neet to pick up the Long Path in NY and follow it into upstate NY. Maybe pick up the Northville-Placid. Now if I can figure how to get from Lake Placid to VT and Maine we would have something.
Big B
I’ pretty sure the Benton McKaye Trail will take you along the Appalachians from Springer to somewhere around the Smokies.
anish
Captain K-Man: this is almost exaclty what i did last year, except my journey took me from Springer to Canada. I had already thru-hiked the AT twice, so i figured that making a fun alternate route would be a new adventure, using the AT as a “highway.”
Here’s the route that i planned: (1) AT approach trail o Springer. (2) BMT from Springer to Davenport Gap (East end of Smokies). (3) AT to northern SNP junction with Tuscarora Trail. (4) Tuscarora Trail to Duncannon, PA. (5) AT to Long Trail. (6) Long Trail to Canada. This Route includes thru-hiking all three of the longest side trails off the AT (all three are between 250 & 300 miles)
I ended up modifying this route considerably as I went. For example, I had had enough of the BMT by the Ocoee River (the original 90 miles), so I hitched back to the AT at NOC. I ended up hiking almost all of the major waterfalls in SNP, and skipped the Tuscarora Trail completely due to heat and lack of water (end of July). I also skipped the rocks of PA. I ended up finishing up the Long Trail at the Canadian Border by the end of September. It was very much disconnected at times, I walked many blue-blazes, some interesting rural roads, and yellow blazed whenever I felt like it. (an incredible sense of freedom for a compulsive purist when i thru-hike) There are enough blue blazes and so many options with the Blue Ridge parkway & Skyline Drive, that you can really have a great adventure.
One spot that really stands out is the Peaks of Otter area along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Its a short 4 or 5 mile hitch off the AT and has incredible scenery and a great summit - Sharp Top with 360 views all the way back to Grayson Highlands! (much of Virginia) Also, there’s an incredible restaurant at the Lodge next to the lake below Sharp Top.
I contemplated “aqua blazing” the Shenandoah River from Loray to Harper’s Ferry, but the water level was too low.
The Long Trail was really fun, but challenging at the end. From the Canadian Border, I hitched to Burlington with some other LT hikers and then took a bus to Boston.
Good luck with your adventure.
Happy Trails!
PS. I have the complete set of Tuscarora Maps, if you want them.
freebird
Freebird-
I heard/read that the area you were talking about was at one time the original route of the AT. If I’m not mistaken the route of the Blue Ridge Parkway was the AT at one time.
:cheers
southpaw
Yes Southpaw, the original AT route went through the Peaks of Otter. I saw Earl Shaffer’s slide show (1948) in '01 in Hot Springs which included some excellent slides from the area. I asked the current Peaks of Otter Park Rangers about the original AT route and they believed the AT was relocated to the West of the BRP here because of Park developement and high tourist use of the Peaks area.
Parts of the BRP paved over parts of the original AT route, but only scattered segements. There was an enormous amount of contraversy within the ATC, when the BRP was proposed. Benton Mackaye favored the idea while Myron Avery vehemently opposed it.
There is a beautiful series of waterfalls about two miles north of the Peaks of Otter. I was unable to hitch back to the AT from this spot in the late afternoon, so i bushwacked into the woods a bit and was delighted to find the remnants of an old trail, complete with a campsite and fire ring. I was unable to spot any blazes, but it sure looked like the original AT route.
freebird
The Great Eastern Trail parallels the AT for much of the route. Hammock Hanger will be hiking that this year. I think it includes the Benton MacKay, the Allegheny Trail, the Tuscarora and/or Pennsylvania Mid-State Trail, and the Finger Lakes Trail - which you could connect via roads to the AT in Vermont.
Ginny