Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Today is the last day to double your impact for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s 100th birthday! We’re so close to reaching our $100,000 match goal—can you help us top off the cake? 🎂 Every dollar you give today is matched 1:1 to protect the Trail for future generations.  This is your moment to be part of A.T. history. Give now before the match expires!  🔗 https://lnkd.in/ev6bnatV #KeepTheTrailAlive #ATC100 

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy celebrated its 100th birthday earlier this month, and we've been loving all of the birthday wishes from our friends, partners in conservation, and people who love the A.T. We're thrilled to share this birthday wish from former ATC Board Member, Rob Hutchinson. Huge thanks to Rob for supporting Ridgerunners. What an incredible birthday gift! 🎁 Rdgerunners work hard each hiking season to keep the Trail alive by educating hikers and promoting Leave No Trace principles. Learn more about the Ridgerunner program and four things current Ridgerunners wish hikers knew about hiking in Georgia: https://lnkd.in/e95sUrEE #ATC100 #KeepTheTrailAlive

Nominations for positions on the ATC’s Board of Directors are now being accepted! If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the ATC Board, please submit your nomination by May 27. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eCkiKQD7

The brand new McAfee Knob Trailhead Pedestrian Bridge is OPEN! 🎉 For decades, hikers heading to McAfee Knob (the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail) started their journey with a risky dash across Route 311. Now, thanks to a collaborative partnership between the ATC, local, state, and federal agencies, and the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, visitors who park at the trailhead lot can safely cross the highway via the new freshly-blazed route. This long-awaited project addresses one the most dangerous road crossings along the entire length of the AT. To have this incredible improvement completed in our centennial year? That’s just icing on the birthday cake. 🎂 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ecSHhihV

Today's #TBT celebrates the day when the Appalachian Trail was first fully connected from Georgia to Maine! On August 14, 1937, a six-man Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) called the “Bridgton crew" completed construction on the final link of the A.T. on a ridge connecting Spaulding and Surgarloaf mountains in Maine. Following the completion of this section, the Trail became a continuous path across over 2,000 miles. Learn more about the Bridgton crew and the Trail's final section here: https://lnkd.in/etCez8GA

Do you know what the first Appalachian Trail markers looked like? 🤔 Over the years, different symbols have been used to guide hikers, designate official boundaries, and represent the ATC. Learn more about the distinctions between the A.T.’s signs and symbols in our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/eM5xfN_D 📸 Photo taken in 2000 shows one of the A.T.'s original trail markers on Hazeltop Mountain.

For 100 years, the Appalachian Trail has thrived because of the passionate community dedicated to protecting it. Now, it's our turn to ensure the next 100 years are just as strong. Your chance to have your gift matched dollar for dollar—up to $100,000—ends soon!  🎂 Check out our progress on our 100th birthday cake and help us keep the Trail alive.  Make your matched gift before time runs out: https://lnkd.in/ev6bnatV #KeepTheTrailAlive #ATC100 

The ATC is proud to partner with the AllTrails Public Lands program and grateful for their support of the A.T. Resiliency Fund, helping to keep the trail alive for the next 100 years and beyond. John Ribes with AllTrails shares his wish for the next 100 years of the Appalachian Trail in honor of the ATC's centennial. What's your wish for the next 100 years of the A.T.? Leave a comment for a chance to be featured in a future post. ⬇️ #ATC100

"Thousands have lived without love, not one without water." — W. H. Auden The Appalachian region provides world-class opportunities for outdoor recreation, but if you go beneath the surface, there's so much more. 🌊 The A.T. landscape also provides essential clean drinking water to more than 119 million people, supports abundant plant and animal diversity, and sustains healthy forests which draw in carbon. This #WorldWaterDay, we're celebrating the A.T. landscape both for the transformational experiences people have on the Trail and for the ways this landscape positively impacts people who may never step foot on the treadway. The Trail provides. 💧 Learn more about the ATC's work to protect the surrounding A.T. landscape for clean water, clean air, recreation and more: https://lnkd.in/eamffxPm 📸 Photos by Kevin Reilly, Luis Perrone, and Michael McDonough.

“Come on, we have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.” – Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory While the Appalachian Trail is primarily associated with hiking, there are plenty of other activities you can do on the A.T.! 🛠️ ✨ 🎣 From volunteering to stargazing to fishing and more, we hope these ideas of other ways to experience the A.T. and its amazing landscape inspire you to view the Trail from a new perspective. Learn more about different ways to experience the A.T. here: https://lnkd.in/eBWxgnRu 📸: 1) Photo by Horizonline Pictures photo shows two volunteers carrying a log along the Trail. 2) Photo by Bobby O'Donnell of a starry night sky in Franconia, New Hampshire. 3) Photo by Christian Jobst of a man wearing a blue sweater and holding up a small fish he'd caught, with a large body of water and distant forest in the background.