5 - A Few Miles of History [Dub]; New Jersey Outdoors; 5

The Appalachian Trail is two thousand twenty three miles long and stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Hood taught in Maine. It is the people's trail worn and well. The trail was conceived in 1921 by Shirley Massachusetts. In 1937 just 16 years later. The last two miles of the trail was cut and blazed the entire work being done by volunteers. Contrary to widespread assumption the Appalachian Trail does not follow the old Indian war path which lies in the Appalachian valley but follows it on the mountain crests. Of the Appalachian Trail covers fourteen Eastern States. The longest stretches 465 miles in Virginia and the shortest five miles in West Virginia. New Jersey has 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail through the northwest portion of the state. The Appalachian Trail has never been in the true sense of footpath in the wilderness. More than half of its land through farmlands and small towns. Through fields and

wood lots following dirt roads and wandering off to crests and ledges with views of rivers and valleys. Welcome to New Jersey outdoors. We're up here today and county in the Stokes state forest right along the Appalachian Trail. And today we're going to learn about hiking the trail. We're about to backpacking and we're going to see some wonderful things along the trail. Today we have with Mary Sheryl Lee the Department of Parks in Essex County. We have at least Evans and mark her in with us. So Mary Show us some of the backtracking equipment how you use it and tell us a little bit about hiking the Appalachian Trail. OK me I'd be glad to. First. Start with the backpack. All the equipment that you need to have with you they can be rather expensive. But it's possible to make one for my

kids as I've done and that can cost in about half. Next you need pads and insulation between you and the ground from your calling you I went and come from comfortable yes. Makes it a little softer. Than the tent under here. Here the tent poles the tent pegs. That is basically your house and yours. OK. We have here. About this one. Yeah that's the gasoline we have here is a gas which is run on white gas to propane like this one here that Mary. So when you have to carry gas were. More expensive. I think we have a lot of food spread out here. There are a freeze dried foods available

from many sources in the supermarket. You can find a lot of plain white outlets and less expensive like rice and a lot of noodles and things like that. Couple other things right. You don't want to forget your compass your map. And so you can find yourself. And if you're going to be out after dark you need a little flashlight this is a nice size for backpacking. In fact if you have a problem after dark. That water bottle was sensual. Yeah. There's a bigger style your craft margarine bottle it works fine and keeps the contents of your pack from getting wet from the condensation of the water. Here we have a silverware. Bendable and always have a lot of matches. And also tonight

in case you have. Lester's show up extra wine in case your pack breaks or you need something to gather some tape here in case you rip your sleeping bag on your down father's sleeping bag. I forgot about that. A down sleeping bag is lighter in weight and compresses to a smaller bundle than the fiber fill two polyester which are nice but a little heavy for back passion. A lot warmer. Oh that's right. And a wind breaker is handy to have. It. Keeps you warm when the winds blow. I have a down shirt here this is from a kit also it could be very expensive but from a kit it didn't cost too much and was kind of fun to make. Actually the best part was having it finished. TIME But it's really nice when they're finished. And I think very beautiful women never know. That's really

nice. Tea in the morning and cooker. Try to make one pot meals. It's a lot easier for cleaning up. In the summertime so I like. That we keep all our food condensed as much as possible in plastic bags to keep from getting wet and try to condense take everything out of wrappers and things like that. Just condense it this way it's a big factor. Here. But actual And it's spatial. Character much weight. They say that they were 25 pounds and a vigorous young man such as you could carry 35 from never never more than 30 your body weight. Really. That's really kind of heavy That's a lot. This weather can't hurt.

Can I say you should bring a little more food than you think you want because you do get a tremendous appetite especially here at Day after day. OK I think we've shown the necessary things that we must take on a backpack in order to be comfortable and happy. So let's back up now and be on our way. This is going to be the moment of truth and we're going. To have fun. Right. There are. More than four million hikers walk at least part of the trail each year. And over 300 men and women spend four months or longer walking the entire 2000 23 miles. The Appalachian Mountains were named by the Spaniards for the Appalachian southeastern Indian tribe. Their geology is complex as might be expected of a range that has been uplifted and eroded away three times. When McKay conceived the Appalachian Trail he had a clear objective. To fulfill

people's need for variety by cutting a path into the modern form of the of this biopic area known worldwide as the great forest. The genesis of the great forests has been traced back to a period when all the continents were one land. It supported a vast and luxury and forest reaching up to the top of the world. Over the millions of years the land split into continents and the original great forest was fractured into widely separated fragments. One of which is the Eastern deciduous forest of the United States. Discovered such a.

Trail it was about. I was walking. The. Walk. I could just get in the car and. Just. Because it is a great exercise walking is about the best. Path. To me.

I guess you can do it two different ways you can go by yourself. Go with a bunch of people either way. You're going to. Get a lot out of it. Just because it gives you can sort out your problems or whatever. And. I hope to be doing it for the rest of my life. That's. It's great. It gives. Self confidence. You can. Not be afraid of it. You can. You know in this day and age you're surrounded by people and it's hard to find it. For me. I guess just a form of. Recreation because. Getting away when you're home or going to school I go to school and

work. Sometimes you just get too caught up in it. Some of the things you're doing now is just to get you to take some time weekend or whatever you know even just a day or anything just get away and relax for a day or two. Does he want to deal with all the. Junk that you always deal with. I bought a pair of hiking boots I didn't talk to anybody about this I just bought the hiking boots and I thought someday I want to spend three or four days or maybe possibly a week hiking on the Appalachian Trail. And as I had more and more and more children and the boots were unworn still in the box and I got older and I decided. Shucks I'm too old to hike now. Then about 14 years ago my doctor suggested that I go out and be active at something that it would be good for me. And the first step that I took to go out with people hiking changed my

whole life. It it gave me the feeling that I could do other things besides just cook and sew and take care of children. That has become my whole life and it has been the making of me. And really it has brought me more pleasure than anything else I've ever done. On days when I don't get out. I really feel half sick. I really feel ill. I've got to have it it's my fix. And. I think I'm probably rather peculiar. But it's it's really great for me when I'm out. My worries seem to kind of slide off my shoulders and they don't seem that important. Because you're out and you're seeing the beauty of the world. And it is beautiful. There are so many state parks and reservations in this in the jersey the watershed has areas where you think you're really in another country and up here too I'm sure. I don't know all of them. But for me

for happiness it's for health. And. When I go out I'm going out to have fun. I was you know I was a mother and grandmother and I was sort of fulfilled but boy now I really am. I feel like I've reached the crest kind of heading down the other side now but I'm having such a good time. I see the beautiful part of the world. And. I like that. It's just to get away.

And just. Take things. Take your home. Take. I like to go out. More in just a couple days. And just. Tell me I need not see any people or towns or. Bars or anything like that you know and just have my back and just you know basic comforts like you know I sleep in a bed at night. You know or whatever. It's just nice to know. This is as. I am. I am.

First thing you do is put up your tent then became a Tory not necessarily that. But if a storm that did this that look I think that's good. They're going to write their friend higher sure. I mean there are plenty of. And not many rocks around. You can fix. It. Pretty

good. Well that is really whether if he carries it in he's supposed to carry it out. For most of the wildlife growing. This is their home and we're the visitors here. But you know that you have. Bars and things like that. Turns into carbon you know you're really you know I guess it's you know it's just common sense because if you're going back in her path and you just want to pretty much go to a spot that looks so nice you think you're a first person that ever went there you don't want. To get away from. Where people have been. Confined.

Then you can just. Butt out here.

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Television will send you a copy of New Jersey outdoors which will tell you a lot about what's going on our fine state that maybe you'd like to take a look at a shot put together by hikes day and fishing on the stony broke. Oh. I

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