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Gleanings from the Appalachian Trailway News

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    • Gleanings from Vol. 1, No. 2, July 1939 of the Appalachian Trailway News



      Much of the second Appalachian Trailway News is dedicated to news from the various maintaining organizations.The reports tell a story of growing pains for the AT.Relocations in Georgia and Virginia are being planned to deal with encroachment and construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway.Trail conditions in Georgia and insufficient markings were said to be a matter of ‘serious concern.’



      Here is an interesting bit of trivia for you, the Appalachian Trail in New York and New Jersey was originally blazed Yellow! , in keeping with their standards (white was reserved for short or connecting trails). At the request of the ATC the NYNJ Trail Conference voted to ‘subordinate such problems and to remark the Appalachian Trail in white.’



      There was a request for donations for a proposed memorial for Raymond H. Torrey.Torrey was an outdoors writer for the New York Evening Post and an early advocate for the Appalachian Trail.Funds were requested to purchase land on Anthony’s Nose band erect a memorial there.The memorial was ultimately placed on Long Mountain in Harriman Park on the Long Path.



      This edition contained a “Master Shelter List” of all the shelters in existence or proposed along the AT.It is too long to retype, but if anyone is interested I could scan it and post it, or would be happy to look anything up.

      Scott
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier

      The post was edited 1 time, last by IMScotty ().

    • IMScotty wrote:

      Gleanings from Vol. 1, No. 2, July 1939 of the Appalachian Trailway News



      Much of the second Appalachian Trailway News is dedicated to news from the various maintaining organizations.


      There was a request for donations for a proposed memorial for Raymond H. Torrey.Torrey was an outdoors writer for the New York Evening Post and an early advocate for the Appalachian Trail.Funds were requested to purchase land on Anthony’s Nose band erect a memorial there.The memorial was ultimately placed on Long Mountain in Harriman Park on the Long Path.


      Scott
      On the Monday of MLK 2017 Kathy and I hiked just a little farther north than the Memorial
      In this case The Long Brown Path refers to NY's Long Path, I think.
    • Nice Photo LIHikers,

      "The Long Brown Path" was the name of Torrey's weekly outdoors column in the Evening Post. The name comes from a line in Walt Whitman's poem 'Song of the Open Road.'

      The first stanza is...

      Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
      Healthy, free, the world before me,
      The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Scotty, do you have a collection of these very early ATC magazines or did you find them on-line someplace?
      I have a complete collection.

      I have been a member of the ATC since 1981. Sometime pre-internet there was an add in the AT News from a guy who had back issues since sometime in the 1940's, so I bought those off of him. After that I was able to order the first few years of the magazine as back issues from the ATC.

      At this point I decided I would read through them all one more time, and then decide what to do with the collection after that. My kids are not interested :(
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier

      The post was edited 1 time, last by IMScotty ().

    • IMScotty wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Scotty, do you have a collection of these very early ATC magazines or did you find them on-line someplace?
      I have a complete collection.
      I have been a member of the ATC since 1981. Sometime pre-internet there was an add in the AT News from a guy who had back issues since sometime in the 1940's, so I bought those off of him. After that I was able to order the first few years of the magazine as back issues from the ATC.

      At this point I decided I would read through them all one more time, and then decide what to do with the collection after that. My kids are not interested :(
      Impressive! :thumbup:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • IMScotty wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Scotty, do you have a collection of these very early ATC magazines or did you find them on-line someplace?
      I have a complete collection.
      I have been a member of the ATC since 1981. Sometime pre-internet there was an add in the AT News from a guy who had back issues since sometime in the 1940's, so I bought those off of him. After that I was able to order the first few years of the magazine as back issues from the ATC.

      At this point I decided I would read through them all one more time, and then decide what to do with the collection after that. My kids are not interested :(
      Very cool!
      You're too young to get rid of them just yet though, don't ya think?

      Kathy and I have the 2 book set that tells the story of all the early AT hikers.
      The last time I looked at them even the paper jackets were still intact.
    • ATN Vol. 1, No. 3, January 1940


      Excerpts from trail condition Reports:

      “The hurricane damage (1938 New England Hurricane) is still an important matter. Chairman Avery mentioned that while the trail in Maine was once more opened, it would be years before the country ceases to show the aftermath of that destructive storm; that trees across the trail may be removed but the forests on either side are still devastated.”

      “The matter of the color of paint used in marking the Appalachian Trail appeared in several reports. ATC Board Member Murray H. Stevens stated that the yellow paint formerly used by the NY-NJ Trail Conference to mart the Appalachian Trail had been replaced by white paint in the southern half of the section, to conform to the standard marking, and the northern half would be changed in the spring.”

      “Ned K. Anderson reported that he had not been able to induce Chairman Edgar L. Heermance of the Connecticut Park and Forest Association to authorize changing the blue paint now used to the white paint used elsewhere to mark the Appalachian Trail. Avery pointed out that while it was desirable, from the standpoint of the through hiker and because The Appalachian Trail transcends state boundaries and is national in scope, to have uniform marking, if the sustaining club did not wish to conform to the standard color and preferred to follow some local procedure in paint, one would not take exception to their preference; so if Connecticut insisted on using blue paint, blue let it be!”
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • LIhikers wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      Gleanings from Vol. 1, No. 2, July 1939 of the Appalachian Trailway News



      Much of the second Appalachian Trailway News is dedicated to news from the various maintaining organizations.


      There was a request for donations for a proposed memorial for Raymond H. Torrey.Torrey was an outdoors writer for the New York Evening Post and an early advocate for the Appalachian Trail.Funds were requested to purchase land on Anthony’s Nose band erect a memorial there.The memorial was ultimately placed on Long Mountain in Harriman Park on the Long Path.


      Scott
      On the Monday of MLK 2017 Kathy and I hiked just a little farther north than the MemorialIn this case The Long Brown Path refers to NY's Long Path, I think.
      That was another work project. April 16, the pitch to the top of this, we changed. We put up signs at the top, but they got vandalized this summer. NOBO, at the bottom of this hill, we put in a step-stone bridge. It was cold last April!
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • LIhikers wrote:

      That's interesting.
      In 1940 they were already talking about though hiking.
      I wonder ifthat meant something different than it does today.
      Read the book by Dan White. He goes through the history of hiking/camping/glamping and talks about some of the first "thru-hikers" (in general, not specifically the AT). Some of these hikes were publicity stunts that were later debunked.

      Edit...I can't remember if "thru hiking" was the actual terminology... maybe the concept was more 'long distance hiking from point to point".

      I need to buy the book just for reference!
      Lost in the right direction.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      That's interesting.
      In 1940 they were already talking about though hiking.
      I wonder ifthat meant something different than it does today.
      I was wondering about that too. The term 'through hiker' has already come up a couple times in the early editions. That said, the ATC still seemed surprised when Earl Shaffer did it. I will read on.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • ATN Vol. 1, No. 3, January 1940


      A few other tidbits from this edition…

      Registration Cylinders:

      Have been purchased and are to be placed at the northern and southern terminus and midpoint. Also registration cylinders will be placed on Baldplate in Maine, Schaghticoke Mtn. on the New York-Connecticut line, and Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smokies.

      Developments in Light-Weight Camping Equipment:

      An interesting article discusses ‘experiments’ performed by the Potomac AT Club and others to design a light-weight, waterproof, bug-free tent. The result… a neoprene two-person tent known as the ‘P.A.T.C.’ made by the Hodgman Rubber Company of Framingham, MA. Available for $27.50.

      Experiments were also discussed with sleeping bags. It appears that down has become the preferred choice in insulation over wool-bat. Recommended was the “Polar Cub Bag” by R.C.M. Burton and Son of Washington, DC. The bag cost $19.00 and weighed 3 ½ pounds. There was no talk about the bag’s temperature rating.

      The article concluded…
      “Thus with his tent and bag reduced to 7 pounds (this weight is further reduced when two use the tent), the Appalachian Trail traveler may consider his housing equipment problems well on toward a satisfactory solution.”
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • ATN January 1940, Vol. 1, No. 3

      Donn Fendler – Lost on Katahdin:

      This edition of the ATN contains an extensive dissection on the route that Donn Fendler must have taken after he was lost on Mount Katahdin the previous year (1939). For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Donn Fendler was a 12 year-old boy who got separated and lost from his party on the summit of Katahdin and spent the next nine days lost in the Maine woods. The story of his survival was retold in the book “Lost on a Mountain in Maine.”

      The article relies on Myron Avery’s intimate knowledge of the trails and terrain around Katahdin to determine what Donn’s likely route must have been. This article may be of interest to anyone who seeks the historic details of this story.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      ATN January 1940, Vol. 1, No. 3

      Donn Fendler – Lost on Katahdin:

      This edition of the ATN contains an extensive dissection on the route that Donn Fendler must have taken after he was lost on Mount Katahdin the previous year (1939). For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Donn Fendler was a 12 year-old boy who got separated and lost from his party on the summit of Katahdin and spent the next nine days lost in the Maine woods. The story of his survival was retold in the book “Lost on a Mountain in Maine.”

      The article relies on Myron Avery’s intimate knowledge of the trails and terrain around Katahdin to determine what Donn’s likely route must have been. This article may be of interest to anyone who seeks the historic details of this story.
      Purchased the book yesterday, a little more than $5 on Kindle. I'd love to read the article.
      Lost in the right direction.