Transnational Trail Collaboration: Shinetsu Trail Club Visit
June 9, 2023
Throughout its history, the Appalachian Trail has been a source of inspiration to people from all over the world. The time and space it provides for contemplation, as well as the perspective it offers on daily life, give rise to big dreams and ideas. Trail time has truly been life-changing for many.
In 2005, an A.T. thru-hiker from Japan named Noriyoshi Kato returned home determined to establish a long-distance trail in his home country. He connected with an emerging, locally driven project to build a trail along the border between the Nagano and Niigata prefectures northwest of Tokyo. Three years later, in 2008, a 50-mile section of the Shinetsu Trail opened for the first time.
Today, the Shinetsu Trail is 70 miles long and traces the ridgeline of the Sekida Mountains for most of the way, then summits the 6,500-foot Mount Naeba. Along the way, it passes through small towns, farmland, and beech forests.
In May 2023, two representatives of the Shinetsu Trail Club, which manages the trail, visited the southern portion of the Appalachian Trail. Hiroshi Kimura and Yukiko Satoh met with ATC staff as well as members of the Konnarock Trail Crew, Georgia A.T. Club, Carolina Mountain Club, and Roanoke A.T. Club. Among the topics they discussed were volunteer recruitment and training, visitor use management, and trail maintenance practices.
Photo Selects from the Shinetsu Trail Club's Visit
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Hiroshi Kimura and Yukiko Satoh explore the Appalachian Trail. Photo by Sarah Adams
Hiroshi Kimura and Yukiko Satoh hike up Round Bald on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Photo by Sarah Adams
The group including Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and Cherokee National Forest representatives discusses trail maintenance, recreation, and natural resources management. Photo by Sarah Adams
Yukiko Satoh points to one of the A.T.'s white blazes that they recognized from their 2018 thru-hike. Photo by Sarah Adams
The hiking group, which included members of ATC staff, Shinetsu Trail Club visitors, and representatives from Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and Cherokee National Forest, gathers on a foggy morning before a group hike on the A.T. Photo by Sarah Adams
The hiking group gets ready to set off at Carvers Gap in the Pisgah National Forest and Cherokee National Forest. Photo by Sarah Adams
Paul Curtin, Trail Supervisor with the Carolina Mountain Club, and Yukiko Satoh. Photo by Sarah Adams
A journalist from Blue Ridge Public Radio interviews Hiroshi Kimura, Yukiko Satoh, and Laura Belleville about the partnership between the ATC and the Shinetsu Trail Club. Photo by Sarah Adams
Yukiko Satoh presents the ATC's Leanna Joyner with a quick-dry towel featuring a whimsical trail maintaining bear, the Shinetsu Trail's new mascot. Photo by Sarah Adams
ATC Konnarock Trail Crew and Georgia A.T. Club members. Photo by Sayuri Adams
ATC Konnarock Trail Crew and Georgia A.T. Club members share introductions. Photo by Sarah Adams
Sarah Adams of the ATC speaks to the group about the background behind the Shinetsu Trail representatives’ visit to the A.T. Photo by Sayuri Adams
Hiroshi Kimura and Yukiko Satoh hike to Preachers Rock on the A.T., in Georgia, not far from this year’s Konnarock Trail Crew project in the state. Photo by Sarah Adams
Hiroshi Kimura and Yukiko Satoh join members of the Konnarock Crew for Trail maintenance work at Big Cedar in Georgia, near the summit of Preachers Rock viewpoint. Photo by Sarah Adams
Want to learn more? The Summer edition of A.T. Journeys magazine will include a feature-length story about the partnership between the ATC and the Shinetsu Trail Club. ATC members receive a print or digital version of A.T. Journeys. Become a member today.
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