Trails Connect

Primarily, trails connect people to nature. But, trails also connect people to people and, at times, to our inner selves.

They connect people to the concept and practice of stewardship and to the resources that require management and protection. They also connect trailside communities, and communities even farther flung, to the benefits of nature. They connect disparate landscapes into singular, green corridors. And, they create connections between our internal and external realities, bringing us out of our minds to the world outside and right back to our hearts.

Building, maintaining, and protecting trails is, at its core, meant to nurture connection.

Photo by Horizonline Pictures

But, in this connection there is also diversity. The diversity of experiences to be found on and off the trail. The diversity of ways people find connection to the trail and its resources, through recreation, stewardship, advocacy, and other forms of enjoyment and support. There is also diversity in the array of benefits trails can provide. And, of course, there is diversity of perspectives and identities found among the broader trail community.

The ways in which trails nurture connections can be complex and difficult to capture in its nearly infinite permutations. The best we can do is tell the stories of people who have found connection to the Appalachian Trail and its various values. These people are diverse in their perspectives and in their connections. Hikers, birdwatchers, naturalists, Trail maintainers, boundary monitors, storytellers, Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff and volunteers, A.T.-maintaining club members, advocates, Trailside community residents. The list goes on. These stories are what we consider to be part of the millions of Trail narratives that exist across our broad community. We hope you find connection to some of these stories, and ultimately build your own connection to the Trail.

Shalin Desai
Vice President of Advancement