View Full Version : Trail Towns/College Towns
UCONNMike
06-01-2005, 12:52
I know the AT goes right thru Hanover, NH which is where the Dartmouth campus is. I was wondering if there are any other universities that the AT comes across, whether it be a mile or two off the trail or walking right thru it like in the case of Dartmouth.
Footslogger
06-01-2005, 13:43
One that comes to mind is Dickinson in Carlisle, PA. Short ride East of Boiling Springs. When I got to Boiling Springs on my thru in 2003 there was a BlueGrass Festival going on at the campus and I was able to hitch a ride out to the campus for the afternoon/evening.
Only other one I can think of off hand is VA Tech. But Blacksburg isn't exactly what I'd call close to the AT.
'Slogger
AT 2003
Stoker53
06-01-2005, 14:08
Appalachian State Univ is in Boone, NC .....which is relatively close to the AT.
The Solemates
06-01-2005, 14:11
Pearisburg and the Catawba Valley is only 15-30 minutes from Virginia Tech, which has one of the prettiest campuses Ive seen.
Alligator
06-01-2005, 14:30
Pearisburg and the Catawba Valley is only 15-30 minutes from Virginia Tech, which has one of the prettiest campuses Ive seen.
Outstanding masonry at the Tech campus. There's an outfitter in Blacksburg if needed.
Ashville, NC has a college or two, and it's about the coolest little city I've ever seen. Being a northerner (from CT as well), it's one of the few places in the south that I really fell in love with. Nothing against the south, my family is from the south, but I love the northern woods and don't often find a place that makes me forget about them. Ashville is one of those places though. And, it has probably the best small music venue in the world, "Be Here Now", in which many an up and coming music star performed. On par with "CBGB's" in NYC.
Of course, Ashville isn't exactly close to the trail, but it's worth it to get over there if you can.
Williams College (http://www.williams.edu/) is a small liberal arts college ~2 mile or so off the AT. If you do the Long Trail, you actually can start in Williamstown at the Pine Cobble "approach" Trail.
North Adams is a also a college town about 2 miles off the AT (opposite of Williamstown) IIRC. http://www.mcla.mass.edu/
Appalachian State Univ is in Boone, NC .....which is relatively close to the AT.
Boston is relatively close too... if you're driving! :banana
Asheville (with an "e") is home to UNC-Asheville and Warren Wilson College, both of which have student bodies leaning heavily towards the outdoor lifestyle. With the new I-26 through Sam's Gap it's about a 40-minute ride by car. There are a couple of new hostels in town and several good hiking gear outfitters. Be Here Now, however, is gone. :( There are plenty of other good music venues, though. I'm also a transplanted Yankee who loves hiking in the higher elevations around here as the forests remind me of the mountains of northern New England.
No one has mentioned Farmington, Maine. It's closer to the AT than some places mentioned and is home to the U of M at Farmington. It's not too far from Andover.
Ashville, NC has a college or two, and it's about the coolest little city I've ever seen. Being a northerner (from CT as well), it's one of the few places in the south that I really fell in love with. Nothing against the south, my family is from the south, but I love the northern woods and don't often find a place that makes me forget about them. Ashville is one of those places though. And, it has probably the best small music venue in the world, "Be Here Now", in which many an up and coming music star performed. On par with "CBGB's" in NYC.
Of course, Ashville isn't exactly close to the trail, but it's worth it to get over there if you can.
The Solemates
06-01-2005, 16:47
Williams College (http://www.williams.edu/) is a small liberal arts college ~2 mile or so off the AT. If you do the Long Trail, you actually can start in Williamstown at the Pine Cobble "approach" Trail.
North Adams is a also a college town about 2 miles off the AT (opposite of Williamstown) IIRC. http://www.mcla.mass.edu/
we actually ate at the williams college dining hall on our thru. forgot about that one. yuppy campus, just like most of the NE.
[QUOTE=hiker33]Be Here Now, however, is gone. :( There are plenty of other good music venues, though. I'm also a transplanted Yankee who loves hiking in the higher elevations around here as the forests remind me of the mountains of northern New England.[QUOTE]
Really? Well that's poopy. CBGB's here in NYC is going away soon too. When did BHN shut? That's sad news. All the best music places are shutting down.
I agree about the forests reminding one of the north. Good stuff.
Moon Monster
06-01-2005, 19:39
A group and I went into Elizabethton, TN while staying at the Braemar Castle Hostel (which is in nearby Hampton, TN). Elizabethton is the location of East Tennessee State University.
I also went beyond Beuna Vista, VA and into Lexington (a section hiker loaned us his car for an evening), which is the home of Washington & Lee and the Virginia Military Institute. It had a real although upity college town feel. We went into the local ice cream parlor complete with several days' funk. It was very amusing to watch the reactions of all the squeeky clean co-eds.
The Cheat
06-02-2005, 12:28
Pawling NY is about 20 miles from Poughkeepsie. We have Vassar and Marist, the CIA, and Bard is a bit further north.
we actually ate at the williams college dining hall on our thru. forgot about that one. yuppy campus, just like most of the NE.
Williams College is a private college. I suspect North Adams, a public college (part of the UMASS system I believe) would be less yuppiefied. The mountain region of New England in Mass/VT/CT is yuppie like. Northern NH and Maine are more the "live free and die" part of New England. Going away from the AT - eastern Mass, eastern CT and Rhode Island is rather blue-collar.
The only part of NE is that is really "yuppy" like is near the AT and (parts) of the costal areas and a few enclaves in Boston, Providence, etc.
To say most of NE is yuppy like reminds me of when I dated a woman from the deep south. One of her friends told me "I hear all you Yankees are rich". :)
Mags, originally from RI
Yuppy can even be good at times. This weekend in Williamstown, you can pitch a tent on the grounds of the Clark Art Institute (World class suff there) For free, I think. Part of a special celebration with fireworks, bands, yuppie stuff like yoga and bird watching. I do know admission to the musuem is free this weekend.
If you happen to be coming down (or going up) Greylock on Saturday or Sunday, it might be worth a detour.
For trivia buffs, I think the Clarks (SInger Sewing Machine fortune) built thier musem in WIlliamstown because they were woried that NYC might get bombed and their art destroyed.
Rick B
Yuppy can even be good at times.
Yes it can be. I rather like my NPR radio, good coffee and access to an excellent library. Like the fact that I have a compartive easy life compared to people I knew growing up.
OTOH the superficiality at times can be off putting. The "down to earth" values I knew growing up can be refreshing and solid.
Nice to have choices and variety, on the trail, in the "real world" and in points in between. :sun
RockyTrail
06-02-2005, 15:35
Northern NH and Maine are more the "live free and die" part of New England. ...I think that's supposed to be "Live free OR die".
The first time I saw this phrase on a NH license plate I thought it was the motto of the welfare state. :)
...I think that's supposed to be "Live free OR die".
The first time I saw this phrase on a NH license plate I thought it was the motto of the welfare state. :)
You are correct. Had a brain cramp. Not the first time! :)
NH is far from a welfare state to say the least. ;)
Kerosene Charlie
06-02-2005, 15:45
Tusculum College: near Greeneville TN, 1/2 hour north of Hot Springs.
Mars Hill College: at Mars Hill, NC, 1/2 hour south of Hot Springs (I understand
they give dance scholarships for the Bailey Mountain Cloggers)
Two respected, small, liberal arts schools.
The Solemates
06-02-2005, 17:40
You are correct. Had a brain cramp. Not the first time! :)
NH is far from a welfare state to say the least. ;)
mags...just looked at your site. looks great, and has a wealth of useful information. i thoroughly enjoyed it and will be back to read more!
Hey Mags, I always thought the trail WAS the real world and the other "man made." Just a thought ;)
Hey Mags, I always thought the trail WAS the real world and the other "man made." Just a thought ;)
Well, if you noticed I put "real world" in quotes. Just another thought. :)
But anyway...
"I was the world in which I walked". --some person or an other
From my PCT journal:
As I look back on this journey, I can’t help but think of the walk I took four years ago. The Appalachian Trail was a watershed moment in my life. The hike re-defined would could be done with my life. The trek on the PCT was more of an affirmation of the lifestyle I have chosen for myself. When am I getting back to the real word? For me these long treks ARE the real world. Mountains, rivers, deserts and snow are more real to me after two extended treks in the mountains than a world consisting of six years of car payments, rising to the top of the business ladder and whatever else is generally defined as being successful.
The journey on the crest was amazing. Pushing myself through painful blisters, seeing the High Sierras and the Cascades in all its raw beauty, the camaraderie with my fellow hikers. The Pacific Crest Trail is not just 2650 miles of hiking, it is 2650 miles of memories that will last a lifetime.
********
Both on trail and off trail ARE BOTH the real world for me. To say one is an illusion does a disservice to my friends, loved ones and things that mean the most to me.
When I am on the trail, it is the REAL WORLD. It is is solid and true. The sun sets, the fog over the mountain. The smell of decaying leaves in the fall making a pungent sound.
When I am off trail, grabbing a beer with my good friends is just as important. Helping someone roof their home. Attendng weddings, being there for them when bad things happen. The embrace of girlfriends in joy when dating and sadness when we parted.
Sorry..both are part of the real world. Both are valid. Both are important.
One is no more real than the other.
When I wrote my journal entry, the mountains were the real world. It was an emotional time for me, as you can imagine Now that I am not in the mountains every day, what you called "man made" is the real world.
At this point in my life, reaizing that day to day living is just as important, just as meangingful, just as real.
To think otherwise does a disservice to the people I love.
Footslogger
06-03-2005, 13:33
Both on trail and off trail ARE BOTH the real world for me.
Sorry..both are part of the real world. Both are valid. Both are important.
One is no more real than the other.
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Well said Mags. I didn't use those exact words to describe my feelings about my AT thru-hike but my thoughts were similar. When I'm out hiking on some trail it is every bit as much of my normal life as when I'm working at the clinic. All part of living in the moment.
'Slogger
Shepherd U. is in Shepherdstown, WV, just up the road from Harpers Ferry. I believe ATC had their conference there once.
Hey Mags, I always thought the trail WAS the real world and the other "man made." Just a thought ;)
Who do you think made the trail?