Browse Exhibits (48 total)
Modern society is no stranger to mental illnesses and the stigmas that surround such health issues. Yet, when an individual receives an official diagnosis the elicited responses vary in differing ways; one person may seek out therapy and support groups while the other individual receives prescribed medications and medical supervision. However, primary and secondary sources over the last 70 years unveil nature’s role as a coping tool for those with mental illnesses. The most prominent origin, particularly in the United States, continues to be the Appalachian Trail. The exhibit examines hikers from the mid-20th century into the 21st century who dealt with mental health issues before walking The Appalachian Trail and their documented experiences during and following the hike.
The American Chestnut tree once grew in abundance throughout the Appalachian Mountain region, from the southern United States to Maine.
This exhibit focuses on the current issues facing the National Parks Service and Baxter State Park, which hosts the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. While the National Parks service tends to advocate for the increasing awareness and use of its various parks and the multitude of benefits its users will experience, Baxter State Park in Maine has a different set of beliefs. Baxter State Park is a unique entity founded by former Maine Governor Percival Baxter with the mission to preserve the purity of the region's wilderness with the minimal intrusion of mankind. The park's mission does not include advocacy for maximizing usage of recreational areas, but rather sets strict limits on numbers of guests allowed at a time. The prioritization of wilderness over people sets Baxter State Park apart from the National Parks Service and has led to issues when hikers along the Appalachian Trail who are unaware of or simply disregard the unusual restrictions and regulations of the park on their way to the northern terminus at Baxter Peak. The few miles of the Appalachian Trail that exist in the park are maintained by both the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and Baxter State Park employees. This exhibit will seek to examine the source of the fundamental ideological differences as an explanation for the more recent conflicts between Baxter State Park and Appalachian Trail hikers and the National Parks Service.
For the most part, hiking on the Appalachian Trail is a safe activity. In fact, for the 2016 Hiking year there is only one recorded case of an actual bear attack. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website, approximately three million people visited the trail this year (2016). Taking the numbers in hand, the chances of a bear attack are roughly one in three million.
However, along with bears there are several other dangers that come into play. Some of which many overlook when planning to visit the Appalachian Trail. Many dangers, very easy to avoid but also just as easy to overlook and become a serrious problem. Before embarking on a hike, whether it be for a day, a week, or the full through-hike. One should learn about what potential dangers there are and keep an open eye to their surroundings.
With the Appalachian Trail slowly becoming more and more popular one of the newest trends is getting a tattoo. Tattoos have an interesting history in general and have even developed their own unique history with the Appalachian Trail. From tattoo artists, stick and pokes, and various inspirations this exhibit will explore the tattooing of a trail.
Every year, thousands upon thousands of hikers pass through on the Appalachian Trail, whether thru-hikers or section hikers, all have the same goal, to reach the end of the trail. However, whether one is a thru-hiker or section hiker, attempting to complete the Appalachian Trail with no assistance is difficult. Fortunately, however, for hikers along the Appalachian Trail, people in surrounding communities strive to act as Trail Angels, performing Trail Magic for the hikers through and organization and or family; looking to help hikers reach their goal of completing the trail. Through this exhibit, the meaning behind, reasons for, and impact of Trail Magic along the Appalachian Trail will be revealed.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.), stretching 2,189 miles across 14 states, is cared for by a coalition of federal and state agencies, as well as by 31 volunteer Trail clubs. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the main conserving organization of the A.T., oversees these various clubs and contributes to their funding. However, the given amount varies, depending on aspects of each Trail club's level of activity. As a result, the Trail clubs are engaged in an undeclared competition, for substantial funding from the ATC.
More than 250 shelters line the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The oldest of these shelters date from the 1930s, while the most recent have been built in the past decade. They vary in construction and design from simple Adirondack style lean-tos made of logs cut and peeled in the nearby forest, to more elaborate structures with more than one story, or a front porch, or other novel features. Like the Trail itself, these shelters are maintained by the network of volunteer clubs responsible for the upkeep of the Trail. They are intended for use by long distance hikers, but are open to all hikers seeking shelter along the Trail. Almost all are located close to a consistent water source and almost all have their own privy.
The AT, originally purposed by Benton MacKaye, a forester who wrote his original plan called "An Appalachian Trail, A Project in Regional Planning.” MacKaye's idea detailed a grand trail that would connect a series of farms and wilderness work/study camps for city-dwellers. Since the idea of the AT was first conceived, it had the intention of being used as an escape away from the stress of the workplace and industrialization. This wilderness escape slowly became an escape for not only working class people, but United States Veterans looking for a way to recover from their often traumatic wartime experiences. It is here at the intersection of finding peace and mental wellness that we discover why Veterans started using the AT as a means to walk off their war scars.
From 1930-1952, the Appalachian Trail followed a very different route between Roanoke and Damascus, Virginia than today's version of the trail. Instead of passing southwest from Roanoke toward Blacksburg, the trail turned due south into Floyd County, and from there passed down into Patrick Country, crossed briefly into North Carolina at Fisher's Peak, then hooked back northwest through downtown Galax, Virginia, before crossing the New River at Dixon's Ferry. On the west bank of the river, the trail then turned north until it reached Byllesby Dam, at which point it climbed up onto the Iron Mountain ridge, which it followed all the way to Damascus. In 1952, the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) pulled the trail more than 50 miles west to its current location, abandoning the original route in Southwestern Virginia, a route that encompassed 300 miles, or 15 percent of the entire trail at the time.
All along the Appalachian Trail lies numerous historical sites, ranging from the insignificant that passes for daily life of American history, to those deemed to be of significant importance. Markers have been put in place to give hikers notice that a piece of American history exists along the path they are traveling. The history could be an abandoned farmhouse, forgotten stone walls of a mill, or a marker signifying a memorial or event of historical significance. Whatever these sites may be, the Appalachian Trail is a highway that cuts into the interior of American forests and gives hikers a glimpse into our past, an opportunity for those with the drive to learn more, and to discover something new.
In 1974, a Memorial was installed on Brush Mountain VA to honor a highly decorated World War II veteran, Audie Murphy. Initially, the Appalachian Trail did not travel near this site. It wasn't until 1991 that the Appalachian Trail was redirected and resulted in its passing by the Memorial site.
The Appalachian Trail was the brainchild of Benton MacKaye who made the proposal in October 1921. Myron Avery led the work in making the trail a reality and in 1937 the footpath was completed. The trail stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Today the trail is approximately over 2,200 miles long with 550 miles of the trail located in Virginia. In a small corner of western Virginia lies Brush Mountain in Craig Creek, VA, where an incident occurred that would make it a place of significant importance to those affected by events that took place on May 28, 1971.
Warrior Expeditions is an organization that outfits and supports veterans who wish to thruhike various trails accross the United States as a form of therapy. The organization currently supports hikes on the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Florida Trail, and the Pacific Northwest Trail. On top of the Warrior Hikes, Warrior Expeditions also offers a Warrior Bike on the Trans America Trail and a Warrior Paddle on the Mississippi River.
