The Appalachian Trail, known affectionately as the “AT”, crosses Connecticut from Hoyt Road at the New York line in Sherman to Sage’s Ravine, north of Bear Mountain in Salisbury. Among the many features that make the 52.9 miles of CT AT unique are its wheelchair accessible section near Falls Village, extended river walk along the Housatonic, and breathtaking views of farmland and forest.

Although many people were introduced to the AT through Bill Bryson’s 1998 book, “A Walk in the Woods,” I was introduced to the AT in 1997, when my son Bryan completed a through-hike of the Trail (2,175 miles, 165,000 white blazes, and roughly 5,000,000 footsteps) . Bryan describes this period of his life as his “Blanche DuBois” phase, because, like the Tennessee Williams heroine, he “depended on the kindness of strangers” - not to mention resupply packages of Pop Tarts and mac and cheese from Mom.

I was delighted to learn, on becoming an AMC member, that the Trails Committee of CT-AMC maintains and manages the AT in Connecticut.  It is an awe-inspiring responsibility - 52.9 miles of AT, 12 miles of side trails, 19 facilities (6 shelters, 9 campsites, and 4 group areas, all with outhouses) and over 6000 acres of federal land. In 2006, 108 CT-AMC volunteers contributed 4653 hours to this work.

Since my passive introduction to the AT as Bryan’s resupply person, I have become an ardent AT hiker myself, combining section hikes, short backpacks, and day hikes to cover about 500 miles of Trail (many CT AMC members have completed through hikes, so I’m a relative rookie). In addition, questions about the AT are among the most interesting that I receive as Chapter Chair - from the inquiry of a blind hiker seeking GPS coordinates, to a bride-to-be asking about rules for trail weddings, to novice hikers asking (after two weeks of torrential downpours) whether the Trail might be muddy.

Last May, I spent my first day as a Trail maintainer - joining 35 other enthusiastic volunteers in the Chapter’s Annual Give-A-Day-to-Trails. (See Dave Boone’s article on page 6). Give-A-Day is a great way to celebrate the AT, to learn about what goes on behind the scenes, and to support our Trails Committee. Please join me on May 12, 2007 for this year’s Give-A-Day-to-Trails day. In addition, I am trying to resurrect an old CT-AMC tradition - AT Day, a fall event featuring hikes of various lengths to cover the entire AT in CT, followed by a social gathering.

• To volunteer for “Give-A-Day,” please contact Dave Boone
• To help plan AT Day, please email me, Beth Critton or call at 860-523-5555
• To learn more about the history of the AT in CT, click here

Sincerely,
Beth