Alabama State Flag

Alabama Hiking Trails Society (AHTS)

At the invitation of the Alabama Hiking Trails Society (AHTS), representatives of the International Appalachian Trail(IAT) delivered a presentation on the history and development of the IAT at the annual meeting of AHTS. The meeting was held in Columbiana, Alabama on March 9 and 10. Don Hudson, Maine IAT Chapter President and Dick Anderson, Maine Chapter Treasurer, represented the IAT and gave the presentation on Saturday morning.

Dick Anderson and Don Hudson at Flagg Mountain Summit

Don Hudson, Maine IAT Chapter, President with famous long-distance

hiker, and IAT thru-hiker~"Mother Nature’s Son", John Calhoun at the

summit of Flagg Mountain–the south end of the Appalachian Mountains

in North America. John was our host at the meeting.

The AHTS~trail register at Flag Mountain; note ECT hiker Sterling

Coleman signed just before Don and Dick.

The presentation was well received and there was great interest in the continuing development of the IAT. The AHTS trails include many miles of trail through the southern Appalachian Mountains in Alabama, south of the end of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia. Dick and Don asked~members of AHTS to consider becoming a Chapter of the IAT.

John Calhoun "Mother Nature’s Son" a thru hiker of the~IAT—Crow~Head to Katahdin 2007—and a member of AHTS, guided Don and Dick on a trip to the summit of Flagg Mountain, the~southernmost one thousand foot mountain in the Appalachian Mountain chain in North America. Don was thrilled to get to~Flagg Mountain, having been~hearing about that mountain for many years.

Both Dick and Don had a wonderful time and thanked the folks at AHTS~for their great "southern hospitality"

For more information about AHTS please visit their web site at www.hikealabama.org~~~

The pictures, accompanying this story, were taken by Don and John.

Distant View of Flagg Mountain (Photo taken by Mike Kennedy, President of AHTS)

Andrew Graves Speaks to Maine Chapter Representatives

The Management Officer of the American Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland has decided to plant some roots in Maine, and the Maine Chapter organized a special dinner recently to welcome Andrew and Kristin Graves to Portland. The dinner served a second important purpose, as several board members in attendance will attend the first international meeting of all of the chapters of the International Appalachian Trail scheduled for June 15th in Reykjavik. The Maine delegation will be lead by IAT founder Dick Anderson, and will also include geologists Walter Anderson and Robert Marvinney, as well as Will Richard, Earl Raymond and Maine Chapter President Don Hudson. In addition to the board members, Cheryl Marvinney, Lindsay Dorney, Phine Ewing and Maureen Ellerton will complete the Maine delegation. Though Earl and Maureen were unable to attend the dinner, Thomas Urquhart and Amy MacDonald, Herb Hartman and Lucy Martin, Anne Anderson, Geraldine Wolf, Bob Lemieux, and Seth Levy completed the party.

Andrew and Kristin Graves

An important and symbolic event will be held at the American Embassy on June 15th for the representatives of all of the chapters as well as the Ambassadors of a number of embassies and consulates that represent IAT member countries in Iceland. Although originally planned for just over 20 people, the reception will likely include over 50 people once all of the chapters make their final plans for travel. Andy Graves spoke to the group about how he landed the job of running the embassy in Reykjavik, and he painted a wonderful picture about what to anticipate and expect from a visit to Iceland in June. He looks forward to welcoming the group to the American Embassy on June 15th.

Dick Anderson with Andrew Graves

The gathering and dinner at the Sebago Brewing Company pub was a great success, and served to introduce one of Maine’s newest couples to an important slice of the greater Portland and Maine communities. The Maine delegation traveling to Iceland looks forward to seeing Andy and Kristin in their work environment in mid-June.

Take a good look at the photograph above. Do you recognize the location? Can you make out the fire ring in the left foreground? It may be slightly difficult to identify, but this is the Wassataquoik lean-to under a blanket of 34” of powdery snow at Katahdin Brook on the IAT just west of Katahdin Lake. The lean-to is located on land owned by Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. (EPI) and I had the opportunity to visit the site on February 29th during routine biological monitoring work.

As a biologist at Sewall, the winter months are a great time of year for me to document the presence of a variety of wildlife on EPI lands without ever seeing the animal. When I stopped at the lean-to that day, I was conducting a snow-track survey for Canada lynx, listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In order to efficiently cover many miles in a single day, we use snowmobiles to traverse the property. On the day I took this photo, I documented tracks made by lynx, moose, coyote, mice, ermine, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, fisher, river otter, and ruffed grouse. So the next time you’re recreating in the snow, or even walking to your car on the way to work, think twice about that track you see in the snow, however small or large it may be. Then ask yourself what made the track, when was it made, and why was it made, and think about the adaptations and preparations that allow wildlife to spend their winters in such harsh climates.

If you’re curious about how to identify animals based on their tracks, check out your local land trust, refuge, or conservation organization, which often offer programs to the public for little or no cost to participants.

Sarah Spencer

The Management Officer of the American Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland has decided to plant some roots in Maine, and the Maine Chapter organized a special dinner recently to welcome Andrew and Kristin Graves to Portland. The dinner served a second important purpose, as several board members in attendance will attend the first international meeting of all of the chapters of the International Appalachian Trail scheduled for June 15th in Reykjavik. The Maine delegation will be lead by IAT founder Dick Anderson, and will also include geologists Walter Anderson and Robert Marvinney, as well as Will Richard, Earl Raymond and Maine Chapter President Don Hudson. In addition to the board members, Cheryl Marvinney, Lindsay Dorney, Phine Ewing and Maureen Ellerton will complete the Maine delegation. Though Earl and Maureen were unable to attend the dinner, Thomas Urquhart and Amy MacDonald, Herb Hartman and Lucy Martin, Ann Anderson, Geraldine Wolf, Bob Lemieux, and Seth Levy completed the party.

An important and symbolic event will be held at the American Embassy on June 15th for the representatives of all of the chapters as well as the Ambassadors of a number of embassies and consulates that represent IAT member countries in Iceland. Although originally planned for just over 20 people, the reception will likely include over 50 people once all of the chapters make their final plans for travel. Andy Graves spoke to the group about how he landed the job of running the embassy in Reykjavik, and he painted a wonderful picture about what to anticipate and expect from a visit to Iceland in June. He looks forward to welcoming the group to the American Embassy on June 15th.

The gathering and dinner at the Sebago Brewing Company pub was a great success, and served to introduce one of Maine’s newest couples to an important slice of the greater Portland and Maine communities. The Maine delegation traveling to Iceland looks forward to seeing Andy and Kristin in their work environment in mid-June.

Check out the interview with Maine Chapter President Don Hudson at Hiraeth Press’s website – http://is.gd/Odi3Hf. Go ahead. Support Hiraeth and the IAT and invest in some poetry this year — lots and lots of it. Good for Hiraeth; good for the IAT; and good for your soul!

IAT Maine Chapter Board members; Walter Anderson, Thomas Urquhart and Dick Anderson share a laugh, and a beer, with IAT Maine benefactor Eddie Woodin.

The event was the SUPER BOWL party hosted by Eddie Woodin and Nancy Robinson at Eddie’s home in Scarborough, Maine. There was some good talk about the upcoming International meeting in Iceland and the Annual Meeting of the Maine Chapter, in June.

Unfortunately the Patriots lost the game, But IAT supporters had a wonderful time and took the opportunity to thank Eddie for his long-time and continuing support of the IAT.

Photos by Walter

Saturday, April 16th, Eastern Continental Trail thru-hiker Ed Talone reached the southernmost mountain of the Appalachian Mountains in North America, Flag Mountain in Alabama. Departing mid-February, from Dr Tortugas National Park, some 60 miles off the coast of Florida, Ed took approximately 70 days to walk the 1400 mile length of Florida. After walking the Florida National Scenic Trail, Ed walked approximately 160 miles of roads through Alabama, to reach the beginning of the 335 mile Pinhoti Trail on Flag Mountain. Flagg Mountain is also the very southern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain in North America.

When he arrived at Flag Mountain, he was greeted by members of the Alabama Hiking Tail Society, who provided good fellowship, cold beverages, a well-maintained campsite and a warm fire to help Ed recuperate. In the images included, you can see Ed Arriving at the observation tower atop Flag Mountain, enjoying a frosty beverage, and a group picture of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society, who maintain the campsite and tread surface of the Pinhoti Trail.

fter ascending to Flag Mountains’ modest 1,148 feet (349.91 m) peak, Ed will walk through the southwest corner of Georgia on the Pinhoti Trail, do 20 miles on the Benton MacKaye Trail and join up with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail at Springer Mountain. Ed will hike north on the 2180-mile Appalachian Trail, through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecuticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

In Maine, Ed will summit Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park. After walking north through Baxter State Park, Ed will join the route of the International Appalachian Trail Through Maine, to New Brunswick, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

On February 24th Hiraeth Press will be releasing its first title of 012, Border Crossings: Walking the Haiku Path on the International Appalachian Trail by Ian Marshall. This book follows Ian Marshall on this journey over the International Appalachian Trail, from Mt. Katahdin in Maine up through New Brunswick and out to the tip of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula.

In addition, the Hiraeth Press has named the The International Appalachian Trail the 2012 Eco-charity of the Hiraeth Press of Danvers, Massachusetts! Don Hudson and Dick Anderson will attend the release in Hartford.

Countless books have been done to chronicle humanity’s communion with nature, from the classics written by naturalists such as Henry David Thoreau or John Muir, to the more contemporary offerings such as Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson; however Border Crossings stands out as unique among its fellows. Composed of Haiku and contemplative prose Border Crossings is book of braided styles: poetry, prose and travel writing. This style, as the author explains, is akin to that of haibun—a style of writing made popular by such Japanese poets as Matsuo Bash that merges poetic and meditative prose, literary criticism and cultural meditation.

Ian Marshall is a professor of English and Environmental Studies at Penn State Altoona and a former president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment. Border Crossings is Mr. Marshall’s fourth book. He is the author of Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail published in 1998, Peak Experiences: Walking Meditations on Literature, Nature, and Need published in 2003, and Walden by Haiku published in 2009.

For more information on Border Crossings visit: www.hiraethpress.com

You can read the announcement on the Hiraeth Press website: http://hiraethpress.com/announcing-our-2012-eco-charity

Don Hudson, Dave Startzell, Dick Anderson

On Saturday, January 21st, IAT Founder Dick Anderson and Maine Chapter President Don Hudson traveled to the Bavarian Inn on the banks of the Potomac River in Shepherdstown, West Virginia to join over 100 family, colleagues and friends to celebrate the 34-year leadership of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy by David Startzell.

Dave announced his retirement in November 2010 and he’ll wrap up his work for the ATC on January 31, 2012. It is fair to say that no one in the world has done more to promote the benefits to people and communities of long distance trails. The International Appalachian Trail was one of many footpaths in the world that were inspired by the Appalachian Trail. David Startzell began his career in planning 40 years ago and moved to the ATC 34 years ago. That move has proved to be one of the most important dates to remember in the annals of land conservation in North America. The idea of connecting mountain tops and communities along the spine of the Appalachians was first presented by Benton MacKaye in 1921 and it became a reality on the ground by the end of the 1930s as a result of the leadership of Maine-born Myron Avery. The route from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine came into the portfolio of the National Park Service a few short years into Dave’s leadership at the ATC. There is no doubt that the consolidation of land ownership along the Appalachian Trail could not have been achieved without Dave’s efforts. He galvanized ATC board members and staff, as well as state, federal and non-profit partners throughout 14 states, and showed them the way to completing the monumental task of conserving the AT corridor forever. MacKaye envisioned the AT; Avery built it; and Dave Startzell protected it forever. Throughout his storied career at the ATC, Dave has taught generations of hikers and ‘maintainers’ about the values of stewardship.

Dick Anderson

When it was Dick Anderson’s turn to celebrate Dave’s tenure at the ATC, he chose his words carefully (watch video). Dick made a special note of the difficult and complicated nature of conserving the AT corridor, and said, "We owe Dave a wicked debt of gratitude for his 34 years of leadership!"

While at the party, Dick and Don were able to meet the new Executive Director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Mark Wenger (read story), who will bring great experience in non-profit leadership to the ATC on February 1, 2012. Dick briefed Mark on the current status of the IAT in North America and Europe and invited him to attend the first meeting of all the IAT chapters, which will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland, June 15-17, 2012 (read story).

Mark Wenger

Dick Anderson, Mark Wenger and Don Hudson

As the speeches wound down, nearly 3 dozen ATC staff and former staff came to the front of the room to show off their tribute to their leader. Baring arms, necks, (upper) breasts, and ankles, all showed off tatoos of Dave Startzell’s distinguished and memorable profile (temporary, we presume!). We’re pretty sure that no former non-profit leader has inspired such a unique measure of devotion and affection, and… it got a great laugh from all in attendance!

And so concluded a warm and wonderful celebration of a giant in conservation and long-distance hiking, Dave Startzell.

By Don Hudson

Dick Anderson, Eddie Woodin, Don Hudson, and Walter Anderson

On Sunday, December 18th, long-time friend and champion of the International Appalachian Trail Eddie Woodin made a $1,000 contribution to the Maine Chapter for the Annual Fund. Eddie’s gift was accepted by Maine Chapter President Don Hudson, along with Treasurer Dick Anderson and Chief Geologist Walter Anderson, in Yarmouth during halftime of the Patriots football game. Eddie has supported the Maine Chapter for over a dozen years and his gifts have allowed us to make great headway in a variety of activities, especially trail building and maintenance. Eddie is an avid birder and lover of the outdoors, and he appreciates the efforts of the Maine Chapter to promote appreciation of the common natural heritage of Maine and Canada’s Maritime Provinces. The Maine Chapter is just one of many organizations and causes supported by Eddie, among which youth sports and the Audubon Society stand out. With Eddie’s generous gift in hand, the Maine Chapter capped another successful annual fund, raising over $4,000 for chapter activities.