Well, in honor of a day I ignored but should not have, some photos of trails I have hiked.
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| Appalachian Trail (Don't go. Overcrowded, camping areas filthy.) |
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| Yes, that's a trail. I swear it. Black Mountain Crest Trail. |
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| Appalachian Trail at Carver's Gap, Tennessee. |
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| Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV. |
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| Panthertown, North Carolina. |
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| A coyote was just in front of me along the Boogerman Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. |
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| Stone Mountain, NC. |
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| Engineering help on Stone Mountain Trail. |
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| Volcano, WV. |
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| One of the rim trails in the Linville Gorge Wilderness. |
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| Blue Lakes Trail, Colorado. |
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| Trail in the Weminuche Wilderness, San Juan Mountains, Colorado. |
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| Glacial moraine on the Chasm Lake Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. |
Some great photos of trails! Too bad the AT is so overused now. A few years ago we were driving on one of the fire roads near Springer and stopped at a spot were the AT crossed. Just looking at that ribbon of black earth disappearing into the woods made me want so bad to start walking and keep on going.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's partly the experience and habit of being a hiker, but it also felt primeval, like an instinctive urge to follow a trail, any trail. Probably a feeling our ancestors hundreds of thousands of years ago would have recognized instantly.
I think that there are still sections of the AT where you can find a little solitude. But mainly its VERY crowded. Quite literally lines of people hiking by, one group after another. The last time I did a multi-day hike on the AT I couldn't stand being near any shelters because of the stench of human feces. That and the babbling humans.
ReplyDeleteThat last time on the AT probably will BE my last time on the AT. I was so upset by the crowds that I pretty much swore it off as a hiking destination.
But it is a beautiful trail. And I'm glad we have it and that it's a part of the National Park System. I just won't make it part of my destination anymore.