Protecting the Trail in the US Supreme Court

The never-ending threats to the Trail continue (which is what "never-ending" means, I guess).

Anyway, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline builders want to run the pipeline through the George Washington National Forest and across the Appalachian Trail at the same time. It can't legally do that. Because the Trail is in the National Park System.

This article by Sharon Buccino and Gillian Giannetti, titled "A Walk in the Woods: Pipelines and the Appalachian Trail" appears on the National Resources Defense Council blog, and does a good job of explaining the legal issues and the state of the suit before the honorable court. Case is currently scheduled to be heard on 24 February.

Reflections from 2019 Thru-Hikers

Cari Pattison, a 2019 Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, has compiled a set of brief remarks from a lot of people she hiked with last year that are worth reading.

They'll either bring back memories of past hikes, or help you with the mental preparation for a future long distance hike.

It's all on "The Trek" website under the title "How the Hike Changes You: Reflections from 2019 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers" and the date of 21 January 2020.

Devils Backbone Brewery and RVs

The Devils Backbone Brewing Company - which hosts lots of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers each year for a cooling adult beverage if not also with a tent site for the night - has gotten local approval for "a special use permit application to allow 47 wet RV sites — meaning they have a water and sewer hookup — and 10 future cabins to be extended-stay campgrounds. Travelers would be able to stay for up to 180 days."

[Back in the day, "wet" in a paragraph about a brewery meant something else, but we'll just leave it there as an unintended pun.]

"The campsite is located at 30 Three Ridges Lane in Roseland," Virginia. Rachael Smith wrote the article in the "News and Advance" published by the Nelson County Times, 22 January 2020.

Thru-hiker Lucy Parks on Hiking While LGBTQ

Thru-hiker (finished on 12 September 2019) Lucy Parks writes in "Outside" on 22 January 2020 about being an LGBTQ Appalachian Trail hiker. Lucy's conclusion: "being LGBTQ made my time on the trail harder."

Read about this hiker's experiences, and maybe think about how you will react and what you will say -- and not say! -- when you become aware that someone on the Trail with you isn't like you.  Or, if you yourself are LGBTQ, take heart and maybe think of Lucy as a role model.

Here's the article

Harpers Ferry Bridge Outage

"When a partly destroyed walkway over the Potomac River in Harpers Ferry might be rebuilt is uncertain, a National Park Service official said" according to the story by Tim Cook in the 22 January 2020 issue of "Spirit of Jefferson" published in Charles Town, WV. (Most of the article is behind a pay wall.)

Link to article