Appalachian Trail

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Appalachian Trail Took a Big Hit From Helene

'More than a third' of the trail is now inaccessible; adjacent communities have also been devastated

(Newser) - "It will be weeks, months, and even years to see recovery from this event." That was the weekend message from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast—devastation that includes "more than a third" of the Appalachian Trail being knocked out...

Woman Sets New Speed Record on Appalachian Trail

Tara Dower took 13 hours off fastest known time

(Newser) - The average thru-hiker takes around six months to complete the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail. Endurance athlete Tara Dower did it in less than six weeks. The 31-year-old endurance athlete set a new FKT—Fastest Known Time—record just before midnight Saturday when she reached the trail's southern terminus in...

Man Found Dead on Appalachian Trail Identified After 47 Years

Nicholas Grubb's frozen body was found in cave in 1977

(Newser) - Almost 50 years ago, a man died alone in a cave on the Appalachian Trail with $1.78 in his pocket. After hikers found his frozen body in the cave at a point on the trail known as the Pinnacle in January 1977, he was known only as Pinnacle Man...

He's an Appalachian Trail Legend—but a 'Polarizing' One

'Outside Online' profiles Warren Doyle

(Newser) - When it comes to Appalachian Trail legends, Warren Doyle's name has a place at the top of the list. The 73-year-old set a fastest known time of 66 days five decades ago, has hiked all 2,198 miles of the trial 18 times, has coached other AT record setters,...

Much of the Appalachian Trail Isn't Where It Once Was

The 'Washington Post' examines some of the major changes to its path

(Newser) - The hikers who tackle the Appalachian Trail are anything but stationary—and as it turns out, the trail itself is anything but stationary as well. Writing for the Washington Post , Lizzie Johnson and Lauren Tierney take a fascinating dive into the continually transforming trail, which originally numbered 2,050 miles...

Unique College Course Has Students Hike the AT

Virginia's Emory & Henry course is a combination of the academic and the physical

(Newser) - The roughly 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia up to the international border between Maine and Canada, has inspired books , journalism , and of course, visual art . However, it isn't just a pursuit for wanderers on a spiritual walkabout or people tired of the noisy, blaring, tech-saturated world...

2 Hikers Got a NYE Lift From Tenn. National Guard

Tennessee National Guard had to swoop in on a Black Hawk helicopter to rescue stranded pair

(Newser) - Two hikers are OK after a New Year's Eve hike on the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee turned frightening. Per a release , the state's Department of Military reports that it and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency received a call not long after 5am local time on Saturday about a...

Sitting Near Cliff's Edge, He 'Spontaneously Slumped'

Paul Classen of the Netherlands dies after falling 50 feet near Virginia's McAfee Knob

(Newser) - A Dutch hiker attempting to conquer a portion of the Appalachian Trail has died after falling from a cliff in Virginia. Paul "Grandmaster" Classen, 23, who was known to carry a chess set with him, fell 50 feet from a cliff just north of the iconic 3,200-foot-tall McAfee...

'Nimblewill Nomad' Oldest to Hike Appalachian Trail at 83

He did the trail in sections for better weather

(Newser) - An 83-year-old from Alabama started walking when he retired more than a quarter-century ago — and never stopped. M.J. “Sunny” Eberhart strode into the record books Sunday as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Eberhart, known by the trail name Nimblewill Nomad, acknowledged that despite having...

He Tried, Failed to Reclaim His Appalachian Trail Record
His Wild Appalachian Trail
Goal Wasn't Attainable
in case you missed it
Sep 11, 2021 1:10 PM CDT

His Wild Appalachian Trail Goal Wasn't Attainable

Scott Jurek's second fastest-known-time attempt lasted only 8 days

(Newser) - In 2015, ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek set a fastest-known-time record by tearing through the full 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail in 46 days, eight hours. At the time, Newser covered the fine he had to pay due to the fact that he celebrated with champagne . That record stood for just a year,...

He Just Hiked Entire Appalachian Trail. Next, Kindergarten

Harvey Sutton completed the entire 2.1K miles in 209 days with his parents

(Newser) - Harvey Sutton, or "Little Man," as he's known on the Appalachian Trail, won't have long to bask in the glory of hiking its full length. After all, he starts kindergarten Friday. At 5 years old, Harvey is one of the youngest to complete the trail, trekking...

Appalachian Trail Killer Headed to Psych Facility

James Jordan murdered Robert Sanchez on Appalachian Trail in 2019

(Newser) - The man responsible for a rare murder on the Appalachian Trail won't be going to prison, but he won't be going free, either. A Virginia judge found 32-year-old James Jordan not guilty by reason of insanity and sent him to a psychiatric facility, reports the New York Times ...

Did He Doom His Body by Hiking the Appalachian Trail?

Grayson Haver Currin thought he'd be ready for marathons. Definitely not

(Newser) - You have to be a physical warrior to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Grayson Haver Currin certainly emerged one after covering its 2,200 miles in 2019. "I was now a rippling sheet of endlessly lean muscle," he writes of his body immediately after his five-month trek in a...

2 Hikers Aim to Finish Coveted 'Triple Crown'

Stanford pair hope to be youngest to hike 3 mammoth trails in one calendar year

(Newser) - Two Stanford students started hiking on New Year's Day and don't plan to stop for the better part of a year—all part of their goal to become the youngest hikers to claim the "Calendar Year Triple Crown," reports the Los Angeles Times . In other words,...

Mystery of Hiker Who Died in Tent Full of Cash Is Solved
Dark Story of Hiker Who Died
in Tent Full of Cash Emerges
in case you missed it
Jan 17, 2021 6:15 AM CST

Dark Story of Hiker Who Died in Tent Full of Cash Emerges

'Mostly Harmless' turns out to be Vance John Rodriguez

(Newser) - It was a mystery that caught the internet's attention, so much so that a Facebook group engaged a company that conducts forensic genealogy to help solve the case. As Nicholas Thompson writes in a dark coda to the story for Wired , the mystery has now been solved. The big...

A Hiker Died in a Tent Full of Cash, and the Mystery Began

The internet has so far been unable to identify the man who went by 'Mostly Harmless'

(Newser) - Over the summer, a Houston company that conducts DNA analysis and forensic geneaology to solve cold cases got a tip on its tip line: A Facebook group that had been working to track down the identity of a mysterious Appalachian Trail hiker wanted Othram's help. And as Nicholas Thompson...

For Isolated Hiker, Coronavirus Panic 'Never Registered'

Leslie Pariseau describes effort to pull determined father from Appalachian Trail

(Newser) - As COVID-19 found a foothold across the US, plenty of young adults "expressed indignation at failing to convince their parents to stop running to the grocery store for milk, or to abandon vacation plans, a strange inversion of roles that has left many of us boomer-reared sons and daughters...

Trail vs. Pipeline: A Big Case Reaches Supreme Court
Big Case for Famous Trail
Hits the Supreme Court
the rundown
Feb 24, 2020 9:55 AM CST

Big Case for Famous Trail Hits the Supreme Court

Justices to rule on whether an oil pipeline can cross the Appalachian Trail in Virginia

(Newser) - Arguments in a big environmental case were being heard at the Supreme Court on Monday, a dispute that pits builders of an oil pipeline versus supporters of the Appalachian Trail. We won't get a decision for months, but the ruling has the potential to snarl not just the construction...

He Lived the Hiking Dream. The Real Story Was Sadder
He Lived the Hiking Dream.
The Real Story Was Sadder
in case you missed it
Sep 14, 2019 3:30 PM CDT

He Lived the Hiking Dream. The Real Story Was Sadder

'Outside' explores the fascinating life of Appalachian Trail thru-hiker 'Baltimore Jack'

(Newser) - Some people hope to hike the Appalachian Trail once in their lifetime. Adam Tarlin—better known by his trail name of "Baltimore Jack"—did it seven times. His hiking secret? Tarlin essentially lived on the trail year-round, from 1995 until his death in 2016 at age 57, explains...

Appalachian Trail Murder Suspect 'Unfit for Trial'

James Jordan will be sent to federal facility

(Newser) - The man accused of killing a hiker with a machete in a terrifying attack on the Appalachian Trail in May is not mentally competent to stand trial, a federal judge in Virginia decided Wednesday. Federal magistrate judge Pamela Sargent said James Jordan, 30, will be sent to a federal medical...

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