Leonard M Adkins - Nature of the Appalachian Trail: Wildlife, Plants, Geology, and More

OTHER BOOKS BY LEONARD M. ADKINS

Adventure Guide to Virginia

All About the Appalachian Trail (for ages 913)

The Appalachian Trail: A Visitors Companion (the prior edition of this book)

The Best of the Appalachian Trail: Day Hikes (with Victoria and Frank Logue)

The Best of the Appalachian Trail: Overnight Hikes (with Victoria and Frank Logue)

The Caribbean: A Walking and Hiking Guide

50 Hikes in Maryland: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from the Allegheny Plateau to the Atlantic Ocean

50 Hikes in Northern Virginia: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from the Allegheny Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay

50 Hikes in Southern Virginia: From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean

50 Hikes in West Virginia: From the Allegheny Mountains to the Ohio River

Hiking and Traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway: The Only Guide You Will Ever Need, Including GPS, Detailed Maps, and More

Images of America: Along the Appalachian Trail: Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee

Images of America: Along the Appalachian Trail: Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire

Images of America: Along the Appalachian Trail: New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut

Images of America: Along the Appalachian Trail: West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania

Images of America: Along Virginias Appalachian Trail

Maryland: An Explorers Guide

Postcards of America: Along Virginias Appalachian Trail

West Virginia: An Explorers Guide

Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail (Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard, photographers)

Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains (Joe Cook, photographer)

NATURE OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL: Your Guide to Wildlife, Plants, and Geology

Leonard M. Adkins

1st edition 1998

2nd edition 2021

Copyright 1998 and 2021 by Leonard M. Adkins

Project editor: Kate Johnson

Cover design: Scott McGrew

Cover photo: The Appalachian Trail as it passes through the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Dave Allen Photography/Shutterstock

Text design: Grant Tatum, with updates by Annie Long

Illustrations: Grant Tatum

Interior photos by Leonard M. Adkins except: by Malachi Jacobs/Shutterstock

Proofreader: Emily Beaumont

Indexer: Rich Carlson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Adkins, Leonard M., author.

Title: Nature of the Appalachian trail : your guide to wildlife, plants, and geology / Leonard M. Adkins.

Other titles: Appalachian trail

Description: Second Edition. | Birmingham, AL : Menasha Ridge Press, 2021. | Revised edition of: The Appalachian Trail : a visitors companion, 1998. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021003057 (print) | LCCN 2021003058 (ebook) | ISBN 9781634043335 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781634043342 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: HikingAppalachian TrailGuidebooks. | Natural historyAppalachian TrailGuidebooks. | Natural historyAppalachian Trail. | Appalachian TrailGuidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV199.42.A68 A35 2021 (pbk.) | LCC GV199.42.A68 (ebook) | DDC 796.510974dc23

LC record available at lccn.loc.gov/2021003057

LC ebook record available at lccn.loc.gov/2021003058

All rights reserved

Manufactured in the United States of America

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

MENASHA RIDGE PRESS
An imprint of AdventureKEEN
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Birmingham, Alabama 35233
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No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

For Nancy Adkins,
whose inner strength and life wisdom
never cease to amaze me, her son

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

S O MANY PEOPLE provided assistance and encouragement throughout the process of preparing this book for publication that it would be impossible to acknowledge every one of them. However, special thanks must be expressed to Brian King, publisher for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, for scrutinizing the chapters on the history and route of the Appalachian Trail; Ann Messick, for her amazing knowledge of flowers (and their scientific names); Dan Smith, for looking over several chapters in their early stages of development; V. Collins Chew, author of Underfoot: A Geologic Guide to the Appalachian Trail, as the geology chapter would never have been finished without his help, although the final draft may not coincide completely with his opinions; Karen Michaud, for verifying information about Shenandoah National Park; Janet Williams, Robert Williams, and Michael Greenwald, for their generous permission to reprint their bird checklist; and Dr. Stephen Lewis and Caroline Charonko, for the new life Ive been granted.

The biggest thank-yous go to Benton MacKaye for having dreamt of the Appalachian Trail in the first place and to every trail volunteer who has ever worked to make and keep that dream a reality.

The final thanks must go to Laurie, for without her, none of my travels, writings, or happiness would be possible.

Nature gives to every time
and every season
some beauties of its own;
and from morning to night,
as from cradle to grave,
it is but a succession of changes
so gentle and easy
that we can scarcely mark their progress.

~ Charles Dickens

INTRODUCTION

I T HAS BEEN quite a few years now since a friend suggested we hike the entire Appalachian Trail together. My response was, Sure, lets do it, but what is it? I had not heard of the trail and, never having backpacked a day in my life, had little idea of the wonderful world to which I was about to be introduced.

About two weeks before the trip was to begin, the instigator of the adventure backed out. Having saved funds for more than a year and obtained the necessary equipment and a leave of absence from work, I began the journey alone. With many adventures and misadventuressome good, some risky, and some downright hilariousbut due mostly to my inexperience, I accomplished only 900 miles that year.