Appalachian Trail Celebration & Backpacking Clinic

Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, GA will host its Annual Appalachian Trail Celebration & Backpacking Clinic on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, 2010. Both experienced and novice hikers and campers attend this annual event to celebrate the great outdoors, learn about the Appalachian Trail, listen to AT hikers share their experiences, and discover what it takes to make the 5-million step journey across 14 states.

Invited AT hikers include: Gene Espy, the second man to thru-hike the AT in 1951; David Miller, author of AWOL on the Appalachian Trail; Leslie Mass, a 2001-2002 thru-hiker, Laurie Potteiger of the ATC, a 1987 thru-hiker, and Bill Walker, who completed his thru-hike in 2005.

In addition there will be presentations by several invited trail organizations including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), Georgia Appalachian Trail Conference, Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, Atlanta Hiking Club, Leave No Trace, and others.

Several equipment specialists will be on hand to display, demonstrate and answer questions about specific outdoor equipment such as shelters, cooking gear & food, backpacks, sleeping bags & pads, and clothing.

Evening activities will include informal chats, questions & answers, and book signings by speakers. Other activities will include a night hike, and a Birds of Prey program.

Activities will begin at 9 AM each day and end at about 8 PM on Saturday and 6 PM on Sunday. A detailed scheduled of events can be found on the Friends of Amicalola Falls SP website. More information can be found on the the Amicalola Falls State Park website, or by calling the park Programming Office at 706-265-1969.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.