Paige Dwyer- Essay of Choice (3)

Yesterday in class we talked about the idea of "leave no trace" on the Appalachian Trail. I didn't fully understand this concept or the importance of it until we talked about it. We listened to a story about a hiker named CC who contimplated leaving his two walking sticks with his name carved on them at the top of Mount Katahdin. He wanted to leave them as a sign of his accomplishment for hiking the entire AT. The problem with this is that the mountain is above tree level so the sticks obviously didnt belong up there. The Trail is meant to remain as natural as possible with no signs of human intervention. By leaving his sticks at the top, he is imposing his journey on others. This also goes hand in hand with leaving trash or fire pits along the Trail. This is why there are trail management personel and agents who strive to maintain the Trail and its structures and respond to development that might harm the natural setting and values. They try to minimizer the adverse effects of develpment such as utilities' lines, highways, broadcast towers etc. Many are simply volunteers, giving up their own time to help maintain a safe, clean trail.