Wearing Down the Appalachian Trail

With Good Reason

From start to finish, the Appalachian Trail covers a whopping 2,181 miles. Rodney Bragdon dishes on the toughest challenges he experienced while through-hiking the entire trail. And: Camping, hiking, and enjoying the great outdoors are American pastimes. But for African Americans, gathering in public spaces has long been fraught. Erin Devlin discusses the racism that was built into America’s national parks. Later in the show: From its Native American roots to hiking fashion trends, Mills Kelly traces the often overlooked history of the Appalachian Trail. Also: Jeff Marion studies visitor impact on the Appalachian Trail and worries we might be loving it to death.