Leave No Trace on the Appalachian Trail

Chattahoochee National Forest, GA - Yesterday Team East enjoyed some time off and connected with hikers along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) near Springer Mountain in Georgia. Standing at 3,820 feet above sea level Springer Mountain is the southern terminus of the footpath that extends 2,181 miles north and ends at Mount Katahdin in Maine. The A.T. traverses some of the most rugged terrain in eastern United States and visits 8 national forests, 6 national parks, and many smaller state parks and forests.

Throughout our 10 mile hike along the A.T. and Benton MacKaye trails we encountered dozens of hikers and campers who were taking advantage of the favorable early season weather.
Pictured above is team East and hopeful through-hiker Mr. Bob "Buckeye Flash" Grau. Bob will be checking in with Team East as a guest blogger and sharing his experiences on the trail and how the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace are helpful in minimizing impacts during his estimated 5 million step adventure.

Best of luck to Bob and all the folks taking a walk in the mountains during this 2011 A.T. season!

All the best,

Jason and Agata