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Blissful
04-24-2008, 11:52
(Since I need help quick, I decided to post this under General)

Need some famous (not too short or too long) quotes about the AT and who said it for my presentation tonight. Like from Benton, Earl Shaffer, etc. Need one to start the program off with and one to finish. (and please, no jokes!) Thanks so much!

wilconow
04-24-2008, 12:00
When you walk, you know the distance you’ve covered in your tired bones, and it’s impossible to go so far that you lose the thread of continuity between "there" and "here." –KELLY WINTERS, Walking Home: A Woman’s Pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail, 2001

Backpacking forces one, by necessity, to walk the balance line, the edge of the sword, between disciplined deprivation and hedonistic gratification: a tiring, sweat-soaking day ends with a plunge into a cool stream; an arduous, lung-bursting climb is followed by a magnificent panoramic sweeping view; and there is the continuous contrast between life on the trail and civilized pleasures–a warm meal, a hot shower, clean dry clothes. It is by walking this line between sacrifice and satisfaction that one finds fulfillment. –ROBERT BROWNE, The Appalachian Trail: History, Humanity, and Ecology, 1980

Life for two weeks on the mountaintops would show up many things about life during the other fifty weeks down below. –BENTON MACKAYE, An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning, The Journal of the American Institute of Architects, 1921

They should form a framework of parks and forests connected by a series of paths and trails for general outdoor living. —BENTON MACKAYE, founder of the Appalachian Trail, 1879-1975

wilconow
04-24-2008, 12:02
To those who would see the Maine wilderness, tramp day by day through a succession of ever delightful forest, past lake and stream, and over mountains, we would say: Follow the Appalachian Trail across Maine. It cannot be followed on horse or awheel. Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, it beckons not merely north and south but upward to the body, mind and soul of man. –MYRON AVERY, In the Maine Woods, 1934

After more than two thousand miles on the [Appalachian] trail, you can expect to undergo some personality changes. A heightened affinity for nature infiltrates your life. Greater inner peace. Enhanced self-esteem. A quiet confidence that if I could do that, I can do and should do whatever I really want to do. More appreciation for what you have and less desire to acquire what you don’t. A childlike zest for living life to the fullest. A refusal to be embarrassed about having fun. A renewed faith in the essential goodness of humankind. And a determination to repay others for the many kindnesses you have received. –LARRY LUXENBERG, Walking the Appalachian Trail, 1994

well it appears that I should copy and paste half the quotes on this page so I'll just provide the link

http://www.americantrails.org/quotes2.html

Pete Moss
04-24-2008, 12:22
this isnt famous but may be on a few bumperstickers and today I am finding it especially true.

"A bad day on the trail is better than a good day at work"

veteran
04-24-2008, 13:09
Kegger’s “The Rainy Day (AT) Poem” (http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=rush/poem.html)

emerald
04-24-2008, 13:39
"Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the AT beckons not only north and south but upward to the body, mind and soul of man."

I may not have it exactly right and I would advise you to verify what I just posted. What else does anyone need for a quote?

Best wishes with your presentation and be sure to let us know how it goes for you and the uplifted souls who return home thinking about when they can find time to go for a hike on the AT.:)

Lyle
04-24-2008, 13:58
Here's a couple to consider.

"The solitude is impressive; it is a lopsided exchange for radios and newspapers and their cries of calamity. No trees speak of death, though they be dying; no birds wail of imminent disaster, though they be preyed upon. I see the forest stretched out in never-ending array, hear it's sounds, smell it's smells, it's leaves brush across me; I am wet by the rain, and trudge on."...Albert Field, Hiking the Appalachian Trail, Volume I

"Why did I hike? I guess it was just because I felt like it! Satisfied?"...Albert Field, Hiking the Appalachian Trail, Volume I

Not AT specific but appropriate:

"So live each day like you mean it,
Grab hold of each dawn that comes your way.
And if it's blessings you're a-countin'
Try a morning in the mountains,
There ain't no better way to start the day."
from "Morning in the Mountains"
by Walkin' Jim Stoltz

or

The Appalachian Trail, by Walkin' Jim Stolz

Down at Springer Mountain I learned a thing or two,
Just a greenhorn city boy, starting out brand new,
I'd been feeling disconnected, kind of lost along the way,
But the first step that I took, found me coming home that day.

The Appalachian Trail was where it all began,
That's where this boy first learned to call himself a man,
It was the wind that taught me how to spread my wings,
It was the path that led me on to other things.

It's funny how just spirit will see you through hard times.
The blisters, pain, and freezin' rain, and the frozen boots were mine.
I look back now, and think of how I could have thrown it in,
But the one who stands before you now, just never would have been.

The Appalachian Trail was where it all began,
That's where this boy first learned to call himself a man,
It was the wind that taught me how to spread my wings,
It was the path that led me on to other things.

I still spend my days out walkin' with the wind,
Now there's silver in my beard, and my hair is gettin' thin.
They say life is a circle, and we'll all come 'round again,
if that is so, I'm looking for my Appalachian friends.

The Appalachian Trail was where it all began,
That's where this boy first learned to call himself a man,
It was the wind that taught me how to spread my wings,
It was the path that led me on to other things.

general
04-24-2008, 17:51
mind over matter, if you don't mind, it don't matter. (rusty, i think)

Skidsteer
04-24-2008, 17:58
"It's just a Trail" Lone Wolf.

"No Sniveling" Sgt Rock.

Bulldawg
04-24-2008, 19:29
"If you are lucky enough to be on the trail, then you are lucky enough"

fiddlehead
04-24-2008, 20:43
"It's more head than heel" Grandma Gatewood

Tin Man
04-24-2008, 20:58
Here's a few quotes...

http://www.americantrails.org/quotes2.html

Cosmo
04-25-2008, 20:19
"The Trail is not there for you, you are there for the Trail"
Warren Doyle

MamaCat
04-25-2008, 20:28
Not specifically about the AT, but one I like

"The mountains are calling and I must go." -- John Muir

Gray Blazer
04-25-2008, 23:25
"Catch a trout while you're out there." Skidsteer

Shadowmoss
04-26-2008, 08:04
Maybe not the exact words but: "I guess if I was in a hurry, I wouldn't be walking." Sgt. Rock's TJ

Bare Bear
04-26-2008, 10:23
"What we carry is a reflection of our fears." Jelly Bean 06

"Weight is everything" Bare Bear 06

"It's about the smiles, not the miles." Neels Gap

"Everyday is a glorious day if you just look at it right." Pastor John 06
Maybe not famous but true enough to remember................

Lion King
04-26-2008, 11:41
"The time you spend out here is worth more then the time it takes, so take your time"

(not saying Im famous, but I have had a lot of people tell me they dug that quote since i wrote it in a register a few years back)