THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1934, Page 21 (Supplement)

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

2000 MILES ALONG HIGHLANDS. The great Appalachian Trail is finished at last. For over .ten years enthusiastic parties of American ramblers have chopped, sawn, and cleared, and now there is a continuous woodland path for more than 2000 miles along the crest of the Atlantic Highlands. From- Mount Katahdin in the forests of Maine to Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia it connects wild areas of country, but millions live in the States through which the woodland path winds its way. This splendid plan was originated in 1921 by Mr. Benton Mac Kaye, his object being to make available to the people at least part of the Eastern primeval region that should be their heritage. In 1925 he got the local rambling clubs to form an Appalachian Trail Conference, and groups from one end of the path to the other cleared the way and built- shelters for' the ramblers.

Already thousands of people have walked along sections of the route. “To learn’ to read first hand,” Mr. Mac Kaye says, “on the horizon and along the stream, the big outlines of the primeval drama; to take specifically the Appalachian country as the common school and playground; to, weave together the threads containing the total story of this country, even as already we have woven’the separate sections of our total footpath; this appears to be the logical second stage of our enterprise.” For this Nature trail is to be a sort of outdoor museum where Man will come to Nature and not. Nature to Man. Trees, flowers, rocks,’ and ferns will be labelled and described as they stand, and the animals' to be seen along the way will be illustrated. « • « 4* COOL. Night Porter: “Quick, sir ! The hotel’s on fire I” Guest (sleepily): “Well, don’t worry me now. I’ll read about it in tomorrow’s paper. (Sent by Veta Chapple).