How the Appalachian Trail began

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  • Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
  • It's an epic undertaking - so how did they pull it off?
    Twitter: / philedwardsinc
    Instagram: / philedwardsinc
    Patreon: / philedwardsinc
    Here's a map of the trail today: nps.maps.arcgi...
    And here's Mackaye's original essay:
    appalachiantra...
    Benton Mackaye is known as the "inventor" of the Appalachian Trail - and that's completely true. But it's also important to understand the historical forces that made his big idea become a reality.
    Urbanization, competition with the West, and existing networks all helped the AT be more than the figment of Mackaye's imagination. Today, we still enjoy the results of all those trends coming together, along with one man's impassioned plea for a new way of living.

Комментарии • 175

  • @mattparker3267
    @mattparker3267 Год назад +6

    Hi. I am a 2-time AT Thru-hiker. Thanks for telling this story. I am still amazed that what started as such a crazy wild idea exists today in reality and has grown into an incredible community of volunteers and hikers.

  • @scrambled_greg
    @scrambled_greg 2 года назад +87

    Dear all the Phils, these videos are great. Thank you for making them!

  • @Amalekkkkk
    @Amalekkkkk 2 года назад +89

    The International Appalachian Trail is a 1,900-mile (3,100 km) extension running northeast from Maine USA into New Brunswick Canada and Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula Canada, where it ends at Forillon National Park.
    Spent some time in Quebec Gaspe peninsula and New Brunswick Canada this past summer in my RV
    And learnt about Appalachian trail and it’s history
    This is a great video good work Phil ✌️

    • @OG-PapaDude
      @OG-PapaDude 2 года назад

      Not accurate. I've hiked about 1500 miles of the trail and know a guy that's hiked most of the "International" AT. Just the Springer to Katahdin portion is more than 1900 miles.

    • @bob_._.
      @bob_._. 2 года назад

      And work is being done to extend it to other remnants of the Central Pangean Mountains in Europe and Africa

  • @pthelo
    @pthelo 2 года назад +6

    The meta conversation and reveal of THE ONE TRUE PHIL just blew my mind. Outstanding!

  • @dannysroadshow
    @dannysroadshow Месяц назад

    That circle glasses Phil "cut" line was the masterstroke of the episode. I greatly enjoy your content! This is your gift.

  • @jakeac2
    @jakeac2 2 года назад +28

    As a Vermonter gotta have some state pride and mention that it was specifically the Long Trail in Vermont that gave Brenton Mackaye the idea for the Appalachian Trail. Funnily enough he got the idea on the same mountain in Vermont where the creator of the Long Trail got his idea, Stratton Mountain!

  • @JohnJohnson-rk4rn
    @JohnJohnson-rk4rn 2 года назад +3

    this is an extremely under viewed and underappreciated channel

  • @coffeeCollie343
    @coffeeCollie343 2 года назад +14

    The production quality of these videos is fantastic. Your humor and knowledge is amazing.

  • @colemanbar1
    @colemanbar1 3 года назад +5

    4:21 really channeling your inner Gary Oldman with Circle Glasses Phil!!!

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад +4

      next I'm gonna have to get that haircut he has in the 5th element

  • @shupingliu4336
    @shupingliu4336 2 года назад +28

    Hey! I finished my southbound thru-hike of the AT this summer. On the trail there's plenty of piece-meal facts and history signs about Benton Mackaye, but I never got around to actually reading his letter. It's very interesting how some of the "shelter camps" and "community groups" actually turned up. For example, there's a completely free cabin and campground run by the ATC called Upper Goose Pond in MA. It has been described as a "70's hippie commune," but I would say in the best way possible. There is also a very popular hostel in VA called Wood's Hole that is privately run but feels like a communal farm Mackaye would probably had in mind.
    Also, if there's any NOBO's reading this the trail was intended to be hiked southbound :P. The ATC thinks everyone goes NOBO just because Shaffer did.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад +2

      that’s very cool and congrats on your journey.

    • @stephenpowstinger733
      @stephenpowstinger733 2 года назад

      That’s a good idea because you finish in the fall where it’s already freezing in Maine.

    • @JeffreyOchoa8
      @JeffreyOchoa8 2 года назад

      Flip flop is the best way because you get the best weather in both the North and South! (AT Flip-Flop from NYC '15)

  • @The_Sofa_King
    @The_Sofa_King 3 года назад +118

    Hey man, this video was so cool! I live in Appalachia and I didn’t even know some things and how beautiful the trail was!

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад +15

      there’s this whole world of hikers who have posted highlights of their trips on youtube - some of the footage is just jaw droppingly cool

    • @KaraKirtley
      @KaraKirtley 6 месяцев назад

      @@PhilEdwardsInchi! I’m one of them ha ha! Your video is so cool :)

  • @chucksiler4480
    @chucksiler4480 2 года назад +3

    Hiked a few sections of the AT in my life and in scouts I had the privilege of hearing Bill Irwin speak about through hiking the trail as a blind man with his dog. Thank you for an interesting video about how the trail's beginning.

  • @MarkHatlestad
    @MarkHatlestad 2 года назад +8

    Gonna keep commenting on all your videos. This level of quality deserves so much more attention. Thank you for your hard work!

  • @seolson1
    @seolson1 3 года назад +46

    Phil, please don't go all Grizzly Man!!
    As a native Appalachian, I appreciate your pronunciation :) Keep the videos coming!

  • @davidlylejones
    @davidlylejones 3 года назад +46

    Loved the banter with the different Phil’s. I’m headed from the city out to Luray for Memorial Day. Any recommendations places to start a hike?

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад +14

      I found Stoney Man and Dark Hollow Falls fulfilled my dreams of a short easy hike with a conclusion that still made me feel like a world class pioneer.

    • @davidlylejones
      @davidlylejones 3 года назад +3

      @@PhilEdwardsInc Thanks!! I’ll check it out.

  • @OG-PapaDude
    @OG-PapaDude 2 года назад +4

    So strange to see this perspective after hiking from Springer to Damascus in '17 and Damascus to Dalton, Mass. during the '20 pandemic. I'm not done yet. I will complete the trail yet and thru-hike the entire trail within the next five years.

  • @chaseratliff8505
    @chaseratliff8505 2 года назад +10

    I’ve been loving your videos, you make me want to get into videography and informative story telling.

    • @S7ARBOY
      @S7ARBOY 2 года назад

      do it! follow your dream!

  • @Eli.Suarez
    @Eli.Suarez 2 года назад +1

    I love how youtube has decided to just start pushing your videos. 61K subscribers in the past week! Your videos are awesome

    • @jimurrata6785
      @jimurrata6785 2 года назад +1

      99k three days later on Saturday evening.
      That silver play button is right around the corner. 😉

  • @bwint7234
    @bwint7234 2 года назад +4

    This channel is incredible. Massive props to your research and the quality of your videos. Definitely hope you get the attention you deserve.

  • @riptidemonzarc3103
    @riptidemonzarc3103 2 года назад +1

    Circle Glasses is Gary Oldman's best role to date

  • @georgenelson8917
    @georgenelson8917 2 года назад +20

    As a southerner , a Texan who has worked 55 yrs in Parks, trails, interpretive signs for State , county federal park Depts., there is a huge problem that faces us. The almost total lack of public land and a honest HATE of public lands, buying or setting aside wilderness in the Present Republican Party. This was not the case with Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and others ( oddly Hover had a commission to study land conservancy in the East and south , Midwest, proposed to buy up 13 million acres of PRIVATE LAND for forest and land conservation. His party was not interested, but FDR did buy over 13 million acres at $7 a acre. That was a opportunity never to come again. Thank the creator of the universe ( who isn’t listening) for Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt guts, intelligence and energy to give future generations a gift of open public lands .

    • @kcasto-ze3pm
      @kcasto-ze3pm Год назад +1

      Cringe

    • @agbook2007
      @agbook2007 Год назад

      As a southerner, you aren’t wrong to critique… but bless your heart - “cringe” on the parenthetical.

  • @donatehilltop
    @donatehilltop 2 года назад

    Tell circle glasses phil that I understand him and appreciate his effort in puppetting you and editor phil throughout this video. Thanks for sharing.

  • @jeffreymayes907
    @jeffreymayes907 2 года назад +2

    Benton was also very involved in the clean up of the Nashua River which boarded the town of Shirley MA were he lived while teaching at Harvard and also working for the US Dept of Labor. The Nashua was the most polluted river in Massachusetts and one of the most polluted river in the US. The clean-up of the Nashua was the inspiration of the MA clean water act and the MA clean water act was the model for the US clean water act.

  • @Joey-bv5wn
    @Joey-bv5wn 2 года назад +15

    Cool video, I work on the trails shown in the map at 5:18. AT was really deep down community/ regional planning. Hiking + ideas about wilderness/ recreation we have now were largely shaped by this and other projects. Theres a tension between local community intentions and resulting throngs of city slickers and eventually thru hikers. Probably will not be the economic/ resource network once envisioned (until post apocalypse) but it’s getting plenty of people outside where they belong. Also it was nearly all logged while there were still some untouched forests out west, probably part of the reason east coast land didn’t seem as magical.

    • @georgenelson8917
      @georgenelson8917 2 года назад

      No, not in the south . It was the hated Federal government that settled up and bought the 13 million acres at $7 a acre. The total land scape was Private property, no trespassing.

  • @BaileyGoldstein
    @BaileyGoldstein 2 года назад

    How am I just finding your channel. RUclips is doing you dirty Mr. Edwards. Keep up the top notch work king! Johnny got millions of subs how is your channel this small?? I will riot on your behalf. Much love brother thanks for blessing us with your content.

  • @VAM_Physics_and_Engineering
    @VAM_Physics_and_Engineering 3 года назад +4

    I really enjoy your videos keep up the great work. I hope you gain more traction.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад +1

      Love the brevity-based premise of your channel. I will turn to your videos next time I run into something tricky!

    • @VAM_Physics_and_Engineering
      @VAM_Physics_and_Engineering 3 года назад

      @@PhilEdwardsInc thanks!

  • @ABUMFAN
    @ABUMFAN 2 года назад +2

    Thanks for the history. Terrific digging and storytelling

  • @MaxGalofre
    @MaxGalofre 2 года назад +3

    I love your content. Fantastic nuggets of history with a sense of humour.

  • @JohnCWannamaker
    @JohnCWannamaker 2 года назад +1

    I'm from NC and have done some of the Appalachian trail so I am excited for this one.

  • @Zenaltra
    @Zenaltra Год назад +1

    The NJ portion of the trail is 10 mins away from my home, I don't get out to it nearly as often as I should. There are several spots that are great for a few hours hike.

  • @NationalParkDiaries
    @NationalParkDiaries 2 года назад

    Super cool. I love public lands history like this. And as a native Southerner, I love to see our East Coast trails get some love. Also, definitely got your pronunciation right 🤣

  • @rosierose8549
    @rosierose8549 Год назад +1

    Circle glasses phil... God I love your videos.

  • @devinrounseville6525
    @devinrounseville6525 2 года назад +1

    Excellent videos! Very well put together and they look very clean. I am always interested in the subject and your videos have a calm, but very intelligent vibe. Thank you!

  • @idkjustchangingmyname7343
    @idkjustchangingmyname7343 2 года назад

    This is why I love RUclips answering questions I never would have thought of in a fascinating and informative way. Also why I hate RUclips when the opposite is the case.

  • @DestroyingBombNL
    @DestroyingBombNL 3 года назад +3

    1:43
    I'm still waiting Phil ⌛

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад +3

      can’t film right now - i’m trying to network with this small raccoon that the bear also ate. the bear has a small stomach, but it’s surprisingly hard to think of good icebreakers!

  • @RaDeus87
    @RaDeus87 2 года назад +1

    5:25 that background music made me pause the video to listen for ambulances/firetrucks, sounds eerily similar to a distant siren (at least our high-low sirens here in Sweden) 😅

  • @ssfc117
    @ssfc117 2 года назад +1

    I remember hiking the northern part of the Appalachian trail in maine on a trip for my first college. It was spectacular and the only place I’ve been that could maybe compete with the northern pacific coast in terms of splendor.
    Still ended up transferring home to be back in the PNW tho bc it’s still better lol

  • @zopie7120
    @zopie7120 2 года назад

    Circle glasses Phil has a very Gary Oldman vibe to me 😁. Hubby and I spent park of our honeymoon on the AT almost 30 years ago. Great video!

  • @AndrewChiNguyen
    @AndrewChiNguyen 3 года назад +5

    circle glasses.

  • @josephbiggs6620
    @josephbiggs6620 2 года назад

    All the frills and high quality production value of a modern video, yet maintains the personal feel of old youtube :)

  • @jakeehrlich8113
    @jakeehrlich8113 2 года назад +2

    As I'm going through my backlog of your videos after joining recently, I'm starting to pick up on the shared lore a little more.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад

      I had forgotten which video my master even showed up in first.

  • @drwagner14
    @drwagner14 Год назад

    This video was a vehicle for one good idea. Well played

  • @agbook2007
    @agbook2007 Год назад

    Love the editing, Phil(s)…. Also great content! 👍🎉

  • @Napalmhamilton9
    @Napalmhamilton9 2 года назад

    Great video. My company made an app that helps people plan and navigate this trail. So cool to learn the history of the trail and the hard work that went into it

  • @ailo4x4
    @ailo4x4 2 года назад

    Okay, that made me laugh out loud...round glasses Phil ;-) I'm glad I'm not the only one who talks to myself on camera!

  • @krysnb84
    @krysnb84 2 года назад

    Oh my gosh circle glasses Phil is back 🙌🏽 (or maybe the first?) haha that’ll be a fun Where’s Waldo 😂 - thanks as always for the fun informative vids!

  • @randomtinypotatocried
    @randomtinypotatocried 2 года назад

    I grew up hiking on those trails since it was in my backyard. I never thought about the history behind the trails until now

  • @chrislanejones
    @chrislanejones 2 года назад

    Awesome, Luray, Virginia is right down the road from me!

  • @uptown3636
    @uptown3636 2 года назад

    All hail the blessed cameo of the one true Circle-Glasses Phil!

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад +1

      be careful when you summon him, we know not what he will do next

  • @christopherhughes2076
    @christopherhughes2076 2 года назад

    Great video! Love your channel. I feel like there is so much more to talk about here. Make a small series about the AT?

  • @danbowen710
    @danbowen710 Год назад

    Circle Glasses Phil really brings flashes of Gary Oldman in The Professional 😮

  • @JamesIrwins78s
    @JamesIrwins78s 2 года назад

    Congrats on 100k Phil! Hopefully I’ll get there sometime, lol.

  • @GaryMcilvenna
    @GaryMcilvenna 3 года назад +2

    I think the odd appearance of the hierarchy of Phils would be a good thing.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад

      i have to be careful when i summon them. some have unimaginable power.

  • @katieandkevinsears7724
    @katieandkevinsears7724 2 года назад

    I bought a puzzle of your postcard at Shenandoah on my family vacation in August.

  • @NCTKMH
    @NCTKMH 2 года назад

    History lessons with American Gary Oldman?! You’ve got a new subscriber sir, love the content!

  • @JeffreyOchoa8
    @JeffreyOchoa8 2 года назад +1

    Do one about the PCT next!

  • @NCISfreak123
    @NCISfreak123 Год назад

    Wow circle glasses is a powerful Phil!

  • @wirelesmike73
    @wirelesmike73 2 года назад +2

    I didn't subscribe out of some sick desire to see you eaten and digested by a bear in the wilderness... I subscribed because of the knowledge, humor, and creativity presented.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад +3

      Honored that you don’t want me eaten by a bear.

    • @SylviaRustyFae
      @SylviaRustyFae 2 года назад

      Im still hopin for the eaten by a bear vid, bcuz if it gets uploaded that means he survived somehow and that i want to see.

  • @QUARTERMASTEREMI6
    @QUARTERMASTEREMI6 2 года назад +1

    I couldn’t help but think of Indiana Jones at 1:59 - "Snakes, why'd it have to be snakes?!" 😅

  • @matthewdrummond1340
    @matthewdrummond1340 2 года назад

    Circle Glasses Phil is awesome

  • @TexRenner
    @TexRenner Год назад

    One of my daughters is a volunteer with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

  • @lkentonon
    @lkentonon 2 года назад

    Just read bill Bryson Walk in the woods and absolutely vibing this

  • @matthewishunting
    @matthewishunting 2 года назад

    CIRCLE GLASSES PHIL? Holy shit that's hysterical

  • @casenpinkowski5240
    @casenpinkowski5240 2 года назад

    Introducing… Circle glasses Phillll!! 😆

  • @stephenhimka6743
    @stephenhimka6743 2 года назад

    Great video!

  • @leonylias
    @leonylias 2 года назад +1

    You’re just too good

  • @fernwogteveril6935
    @fernwogteveril6935 2 года назад

    I appreciate the footage of the young backpackers. Maybe part of the CCC? I stayed at a campsite with a chimney built by them. It made me think about and appreciate the young men that created a lot of trails.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад +3

      There’s a cool CCC museum in a park near me - lotta cool stuff they did.

  • @andrewthe
    @andrewthe 2 года назад

    Circle glasses Phil must have been stoked for the new Matrix to come out.

  • @guyjperson
    @guyjperson 2 года назад

    Circle Glasses Phil seemed to be channeling Gary Oldman

  • @redriverindochine
    @redriverindochine 2 года назад

    Great. Keep it up!

  • @TK-_-GZ
    @TK-_-GZ 2 года назад

    algorithmic punch!
    ("A walk in the woods" is a fun and strange read of a comedy travel log in the Appalachian.)

  • @benmcreynolds8581
    @benmcreynolds8581 2 года назад

    I'm from Oregon and it's really cool to see the difference in ecosystem and natural woodlands compared the the ones I hike here around Benton County in between the Willamette valley and the coast range. You gotta check out some of our hidden old growth woods that are like stepping back in the time of dinosaurs.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад

      I wish I could do more hiking out there - really amazing what I have done.

  • @susukijapan
    @susukijapan 2 года назад

    This needs more views!

  • @jimbrittain402
    @jimbrittain402 2 года назад +1

    The Trail info was cool... but "Circle glasses Phil"! How meta! How self-referential! Yaaay!

  • @Wingman4l7
    @Wingman4l7 2 года назад

    Circle Glasses Phil was very Ed Harris (the creator) from the Truman Show, loved it.

  • @carlovinco698
    @carlovinco698 2 года назад

    Circle Glasses Phil looks like a young Gary Oldman.

  • @mitchz5136
    @mitchz5136 2 года назад

    Very interesting video! Honestly, I don't know many things about USA's national parks or the Appalachian Trail so everything in here is new (I also liked the AT logo, simple yet cool and even some evil corp vibes) by the way, I totally agree with the comments below, this channel is going to be big, keep going 🙌

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад +2

      haha i totally see the evil corp vibes now that you mention it

  • @eltioputo
    @eltioputo 2 года назад

    The Philiverse gets interesting

  • @dramis.m
    @dramis.m 2 года назад +1

    I was kinda hoping he would talk about the SIA/IAT that connects to Forillon National Park in Gaspésie, Quebec.
    Still a great video though!

  • @synegra83
    @synegra83 2 года назад

    Circles glasses look like the type of guy I would have a drink or two or three at a dive dive Antony Bourdain vibe

  • @jkr9594
    @jkr9594 2 года назад +1

    before today, i did not know the Appalachian Trail even existed. now i want to fly to America, just to hike it.

    • @robertewalt7789
      @robertewalt7789 2 года назад

      Fly to NYC, then take a boat to Bear Mountain. The AT goes across the Hudson River there.

  • @shableep
    @shableep 2 года назад

    Hey man! I really love your reporting. Please start a Patreon so I can support! Also, I donno why you don't have more views. I think RUclips promotes videos 10 minutes or longer?

  • @jimmyshrimbe9361
    @jimmyshrimbe9361 2 года назад +3

    Maybe you saw a garter snake?

  • @robertcourtemanche9185
    @robertcourtemanche9185 2 года назад

    Got a little Gary Oldman going there for a second.

  • @calcustom5026
    @calcustom5026 2 года назад +1

    I'm a northerner and I still pronounce it "Appalachian" instead of "Appalachian".

  • @eformance
    @eformance 2 года назад

    For a moment there I thought you were talking about a high dynamic range recording format, but then I realized you weren't speaking of V-log but vlog.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад

      I think I did shoot part of that Vlog in S-Log.

  • @BOABModels
    @BOABModels Год назад +1

    I first came accross the Trail in the Bill Bryson book, 'A Walk in the Woods'. The film version with Robert Redford isn't as good as the book by the way.

  • @synegra83
    @synegra83 2 года назад

    Here before 17,000 subscribers.

  • @ashgupta6181
    @ashgupta6181 3 года назад +2

    @Phil Edwards How can we otherwise contact you?
    Btw, this channel will eventually become a great, giant community and people will look back on these videos as if not masterpieces at least the first great works of a great artist (I think)

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  3 года назад +2

      Thanks for that Ash! I think I have any contact info on the about page.

  • @michaelharkins6669
    @michaelharkins6669 2 года назад

    Can anyone tell me the name of the music used as the end of the video? It's so good

  • @LadyKnightGodwin7092
    @LadyKnightGodwin7092 2 года назад

    Suggested reading
    Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery
    Really inspiring story and how she saved the trail

  • @ScottMyersOfTheEarth
    @ScottMyersOfTheEarth 2 года назад

    Circle Glasses Phil is kinda scary

  • @joebykaeby
    @joebykaeby 2 года назад

    Aaaall haaaiiiil Circle-Glasses Phiiiillll

  • @antonnielsen9660
    @antonnielsen9660 Год назад +1

    Wait, who edited circle-glasses Phil?

  • @emilydouglas3610
    @emilydouglas3610 2 года назад +1

    That White Mountain Guide map was drawn by my ancestor Louis Fayerweather Cutter! I literally screamed when I saw it! You can see where he marked his summer house "Echobank" at 5:18, if you find "The Ledge 2270" and look above that. It's odd that it's 1898 and has that name, I didn't know it had that name before he bought it in 1903. Also, this map has South at the top, so that it's facing the same way he would if he were standing facing the Presidential Range from his porch. I knew he drew early maps like this, but I've never seen one. Where did you find it?

    • @emilydouglas3610
      @emilydouglas3610 2 года назад

      Oh, there's a note in Louis F's handwriting from 1906 between the Lowe's and where it says "Appalachian Mountain Club." The note is about paths being unusable due to lumber. That's related to the story of the White Mountain National Forest being granted. He always edited as the land changed, but I would have thought that he would have faced the map northwards by then.

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад +1

      very cool! if you email me i can send to you and figure out where i found it. neat story!

  • @oceanblu5252
    @oceanblu5252 2 года назад

    Hey Phil, what music did you use for this? Specifically the song that starts at 2:10

    • @PhilEdwardsInc
      @PhilEdwardsInc  2 года назад

      This one! ruclips.net/video/iU7N2XG8mZg/видео.html

  • @shadwellsong
    @shadwellsong Год назад

    “Cut” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

  • @aviphysics
    @aviphysics 2 года назад

    I can't imagine that there isn't some Native American legacy behind at least the segment of the trail.

  • @ExopMan
    @ExopMan 2 года назад

    6:02 good looking dude

  • @211teitake
    @211teitake 2 года назад +1

    I enjoy the informative content but love the playful meta stuff.