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Appalachian Trail Store Steps up to Deliver Holiday Goods

December 15, 2009 - Looking for just the right gift for the outdoor-loving friends and family on your holiday shopping list? I know just the thing: Give them something special from the Ultimate Appalachian Trail Store.

The Appalachian Trail is a national treasure, a resource that speaks deeply to millions of Americans and evokes a fundamental passion for wild places in those who have hiked parts or all of it, and those who have never set foot on it but admire its creators' bold vision.

At the store, you're sure to find something for the AT devotees in your life, like jewelry, caps and jackets, books and DVDs, guidebooks and maps, T-shirts, hiking essentials, patches, posters, magnets, decals and more.

"It's one-stop shopping for AT stuff," said Brian King, spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the trail's nonprofit managing agency and store operator. "We're essentially a book publisher, but we've got lots of other trail-related items."

Net proceeds from store sales go toward funding conservation efforts along the trail corridor – a major task and an expensive one, considering that the AT is essentially a 2,100-mile-long national park spanning 14 states from Maine to Georgia. So you can get high-quality goods that will be appreciated while helping the trail at the same time.

"The money generated by the store goes right into the ATC general fund, to be used wherever the needs are greatest," King said. "Could be for ridge runners, staff, trail work, trail crews – whatever isn't covered by another funding source."

What are the best-selling items this year at the Ultimate AT Store?

" 'America's Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail,' a DVD produced by National Geographic, is the hot ticket right now," King said. "It's been featured recently on the National Geographic Channel, so there's a lot of demand for it."

The aerial photography in the film is stunning, and includes through-hikers reaching the summit of Mount Katahdin. And if you enjoy good photography, you'll want to check out "The Appalachian Trail: An Aerial View," a "unique, made-in-Maine book by Mark Warner of Newcastle, who took the photos from a Piper Cub he rebuilt himself," King said.

The "Appalachian Trail Data Book," the perennial best-seller and essential companion for AT hikers, is now in stock. The updated 2010 version measures the length of the trail at 2,179.1 miles, a 0.8-mile increase over last year.

My favorites? "Five Million Steps," an award-winning DVD that follows 16 AT through-hikers from Georgia to Maine, is sure to have you packing for the big hike when its 75 minutes of stories ends. And the classic AT poster map, suitable for framing.

Given the weak economy, you might think that membership and contributions to the ATC would be down. Not so, King told me.

"We're still 30,000 members strong," King said. "Our members continue to be loyal to the trail and do what they can. They're in it for the long haul."

The ATC doesn't take such support for granted. The challenge is always to encourage more people to get interested in the trail so they can help support the mission through donations of time and money.

"We can't do it without our members and volunteers. They are the owner-operators of the AT, with the ATC as host," King said. "It's this wonderful symbiotic relationship that keeps the trail going."

Last year, 6,803 people gave their time and energy to the trail, logging an astounding 220,565 hours. Volunteers participated in trail maintenance and shelter construction, meetings and conferences, guidebook production and distribution, and a host of other activities. Thirty maintaining clubs helped direct a large part of this extraordinary effort.

So while you're shopping for AT gifts, consider becoming a member if you aren't already. You'll get a subscription to the bimonthly magazine AT Journeys, discounts, a colorful patch, a membership card and the satisfaction of knowing you're an integral part of the country's premier national scenic trail.

Shop the Ultimate Appalachian Trail Store at www.atctrailstore.org or call 888-ATSTORE. Find more information on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy online at www.appalachiantrail.org.

The Maine Appalachian Trail Club would appreciate a little love this holiday season as well. At the MATC Store at www.matc.org, you can find "The Official Appalachian Trail Guide to Maine," complete with a set of seven maps. MATC shoulder patches, decals, pins, note cards, baseball caps and T-shirts are also available.

CAREY KISH, Portland Press Herald, December 10, 2009


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