View Full Version : Rest In Peace Appalachian Trailway News
I am still in shock sort of. I had no warning that Appalachian Trailways News would be replace by "Journeys," a much different publication. Did anyone? It arrived today. Inside the front cover there's a little notice informing the reader that ATN succumbed at Age 66. No cause of death was listed but I suspect foul play.
It's replacement is about 3 times the page count of ATN but the read goes very quickly. All that held my attention (fleetingly) was the Letters column, a disjointed story about a woman coming back to hike a section of the AT where she along with three friends had been raped many years earlier and some pretty photos of the Whites. Clearly, it outshines ATN in graphics but content-wise, I don't know. It's definitely not a one sit, cover-to-cover read. How disappointing. How sad.
ATN struck me as a genuine reflection of the AT hikers and maintainers. Among the many flavors of American: grit, friendliness, passion, sincerity, idealism, compent, earnest, stubborn, stoic, odd ball, and salt of the earth. "Journeys" is more uptown. It's a beauty no doubt but not a brainy. If the truth be told, it's sort of boring. Like other organization mags that come to my house - their purpose is neither to entertain nor inform the reader, but make him more yielding to their endless pursuit of MORE MONEY FOR GOOD PURPOSES. Who's kidding whom?
If the change brings the ATC more $$, then that's good I suppose and I wish them well. I admire the Board's gut's risk the wrath of the membership. Surely, they know they will be in for an unpleasant time as soon as the membership gets wind on what's coming down but they are doing what they think is in our best interests. I can respect that even if I disagree, but I will still grieve a bit for the dearly departed ATN.
Bigfoot
:welcome to the Bush era!
Why fix it if it ain't broke :(
66 years of tradition gone, to appeal to flashier folk who will pony up $$$ to join.
Guess I can't blame them for going after a freer spending market.
But I'll miss the old name and format.
:welcome to the Bush era!
Exactly how is this Bush's fault? Bureaucrats have been around for decades. :-?
SGT Rock
07-10-2005, 00:32
I haven't seen it yet. I'm waiting for my copy.
Mr. Clean
07-10-2005, 07:06
But I guess all clubs and groups are forced into going where the money is eventually. Hope it works for them, and looking forward to seeing it.
Exactly how is this Bush's fault? Bureaucrats have been around for decades. :-?
Something about federal funds drying up for the niceties at home and billions of dollars going overseas.
Well, first the ATC is going through a lot of changes. Why? I suspect mainly because of lack of recognition. Everyone knows about the AT, but how many know about the ATC. So, changing the publication is just another part of it. New editor, after Robert Rubin left. By the way, AT News is one of the few publications that did not have advertising. I assume that Journeys will include advertising, and hopefully help raise funds for the good work that ATC does for all of us.
I am still in shock sort of. I had no warning that Appalachian Trailways News would be replace by "Journeys," a much different publication. Did anyone? It arrived today. Inside the front cover there's a little notice informing the reader that ATN succumbed at Age 66. No cause of death was listed but I suspect foul play.
It's replacement is about 3 times the page count of ATN but the read goes very quickly. All that held my attention (fleetingly) was the Letters column, a disjointed story about a woman coming back to hike a section of the AT where she along with three friends had been raped many years earlier and some pretty photos of the Whites. Clearly, it outshines ATN in graphics but content-wise, I don't know. It's definitely not a one sit, cover-to-cover read. How disappointing. How sad.
ATN struck me as a genuine reflection of the AT hikers and maintainers. Among the many flavors of American: grit, friendliness, passion, sincerity, idealism, compent, earnest, stubborn, stoic, odd ball, and salt of the earth. "Journeys" is more uptown. It's a beauty no doubt but not a brainy. If the truth be told, it's sort of boring. Like other organization mags that come to my house - their purpose is neither to entertain nor inform the reader, but make him more yielding to their endless pursuit of MORE MONEY FOR GOOD PURPOSES. Who's kidding whom?
If the change brings the ATC more $$, then that's good I suppose and I wish them well. I admire the Board's gut's risk the wrath of the membership. Surely, they know they will be in for an unpleasant time as soon as the membership gets wind on what's coming down but they are doing what they think is in our best interests. I can respect that even if I disagree, but I will still grieve a bit for the dearly departed ATN.
Bigfoot
The guy in charge's title is director of publications and marketing, or something like that. Journeys is more marketing than publications in my opinion. I found it largely unreadable. Too many confusing sidebars. I don't like having to jump around. It's my guess that it won't attract the audience ATC hopes to achieve.
The mere title of the director is a mistake. Marketing should be subtle. Announcing that the magazine is part of a marketing effort is dumb.
Trailway News needed a facelift. Journeys doesn't do it, for me anyway. It struck me as an amateur effort by someone who has looked at a lot of magazines and used a hodgpodge of styles because he doesn't really know what he's doing.
Weary
Blue Jay
07-10-2005, 08:57
I like the new format. The photography was great and I thought the article on 19E was one of the best since I started getting Trailways in 1998 and long over due. You show the new issue to a new thru or a day hiker who is not a member along with a recent old issue, which one do you think they would like better. There is no question in my mind as to which one is better and will increase membership. It's fine to live in the past but everyone does not wish to do so.
It's fine to live in the past but everyone does not wish to do so .<!-- / message -->
Its good to write about the past too!
Weary, I wish I had been at the ATC meeting for a whole host of reasons, but especially to hear what they had to say about your contributions.
I hope you got a free Conservancy hat or something ;-)
Rick B
Change is a good thing!!
If we cannot appeal to a larger audience, we will pushed aside by stronger special interest groups.
Tha Wookie
07-10-2005, 10:50
I like the new format. The photography was great and I thought the article on 19E was one of the best since I started getting Trailways in 1998 and long over due. You show the new issue to a new thru or a day hiker who is not a member along with a recent old issue, which one do you think they would like better. There is no question in my mind as to which one is better and will increase membership. It's fine to live in the past but everyone does not wish to do so.
I thought the best ATN article was the one with Earl on the front that told his fascinating story.
Jack Tarlin
07-10-2005, 18:02
Damn, what a whiny thread.
Yes, the magazine has changed its name, graphics, and some of its format.
So what?
I think the new version is just fine.
The articles and features were well written and presented,and included such things as a great short feature on the town of Harpers Ferry; some spectacular photographs;several features on Trail volunteers; and a very well done insert on the Conference's new name and direction, which was included in the "Annual Report."
One critic of the magazine spoke disparagingly of one of the articles, which dealt with a horrible incident that took place on the Trail in June of 1978. I did not find this article to be poorly written or "disjointed." I thought it was fascinating and informative, and I thought it was forthright and honest for the magazine's first issue to contain a story on an element of Trail life that is all too often hushed up,i.e. the possibility of encountering violent crime.
In short, I thought the new magazine was fine. Surely folks have more important things to worry about than this.
Two minor quibbles: In a very hasty scan of the magazine, two notable errors were in evidence: On page 3 of the Annual Report section, it was stated that the estimated thru-hiker completion rate for 2004 was 24%. I feel that this figure is ridiculously inaccurate. Also, on Page 26 of the magazine, a quiz question appears: "Who has more complete hikes of the A.T. recorded in ATC's 2000-mile registry: Dan "Wingfoot" Bruce of Conyers, Georgia; Warren Doyle of Elk Park, North Carolina; or "Baltimore Jack" Tarlin of Hanover,New Hampshire?" On Page 30, the answer reads as follows: "Jack Tarlin, of Hanover, New Hampshire,with eight complete hikes of the A.T., has the most recorded in ATC's 2000-miler registry."
At present, as written, this may well be true, as I'm not sure all of Mr. Doyle's hikes were reported to the ATC, and, as a result, may not appear in their registry or official records.
But the quiz answer is mis-leading, as it may well lead some readers to believe that I have more complete thru-hikes than anyone else, and this would be a gravely mistaken assumption. It is widely acknowledged,with good reason, that Warren Doyle has hiked the A.T. more than anyone else...I'm not sure of the actual numbers, tho I believe that if and when he completes his present hike in September, he will have hiked the the Trail in its entirety fourteen times. Those interested in this subject should seek out his Trail registry entries from this year, which seldom fail to mention the number of his hikes or his accumulated mileage over the years. And while of course these "updates" assiduously fail to mention that that the majority of his "backpacking" miles were achieved withous a backpack, I'm not entirely sure this is relevant.
In any case, the comment in AT Journeys, while perhaps more accurate in speaking of recorded or registered complete AT hikes, is somewhat misleading,and may well lead some readers to think I've hiked the Trail in its entirety more than anyone else,and this is certainly NOT true; I've never made this claim, and I hope nobody reading this in the magazine would think this was the case.
I plan to send a letter to the editor making this clear.
Other than these two flaws, I thought the new magazine was just fine.
I thought the new magazine was just fine.Well, the new format IS geared to people living in Hanover NH, Princeton NJ and Cambridge MA. Obviously they've done an excellent marketing demographics job. :)
Tha Wookie
07-10-2005, 22:32
Well, the new format IS geared to people living in Hanover NH, Princeton NJ and Cambridge MA. Obviously they've done an excellent marketing demographics job. :)
yeah, they're trying to target all the 8-time registered AT thru's. It's not a big market but it sure is loud. just kidding, jack;)
I like the new format. The photography was great and I thought the article on 19E was one of the best since I started getting Trailways in 1998 and long over due .
I agree 100% with Blue Jay.
Not sure what to say about her article, other than simply to say "thank you" to Robin Johnston for writing it. And thanks to the ATC for including it in the first issue of the new magazine as well.
Rick Boudrie
One thing I noticed missing from the magazine is the part I always loved: The stories and essays found in the back of the magazine written by the readers . Typically there would be 2-3 short articles about a person's experience on the AT. They ran from funny to poignant to inspiring. Loved it.
IT was my favorite part of the magazine. Really showed the AT community side of things. I hope it not permanently gone.
Perhaps I should write a letter rather than post on an Internet forum. :)
orangebug
07-11-2005, 14:54
Totally agree with Mags. The new magazine is quite nice, but does lack the newsletter quality of the old ATN. If the magazine is to help enlist new members, this change might be a very good idea.
I wasn't impressed that this was a new magazine riding on a wealth of ad copy. Page 27 is the Nature Conservancy, and all ads were of non-profit organizations.
It would be nice if there is a way to include the newsletter / amateur writing that many of us have come to love and anticipate each month. I think that the Internet will serve to replace that fix.
Bill....
TJ aka Teej
07-11-2005, 14:57
I'm with Rick regarding Robin's story - thank you, Robin.
Other than that, I'm completely underwhelmed. The Appalachian Trailway News was a classic touchstone for the A.T. community, a pine pitchy woodsmoked shelter register. This new thing reeks like an overheated circuitboard.
Blue Jay
07-12-2005, 00:51
I'm with Rick regarding Robin's story - thank you, Robin.
Other than that, I'm completely underwhelmed. The Appalachian Trailway News was a classic touchstone for the A.T. community, a pine pitchy woodsmoked shelter register. This new thing reeks like an overheated circuitboard.
I like pine pithy woodsmoked shelter registers too, however the ATC has for a long time taken a back seat to other, massive money/power hungry organizations. It would be great if they had enough money to defend the trail against present and future corporate/development attacks. You want shelter registers, go to a shelter.
imscotty
12-11-2016, 11:17
Thought you might want to see the cover from the first edition of the Appalachian Trailway News....
37385
I am reading through my back issues of the ATN and will be posting interesting excerpts in the appropriate threads.
imscotty
12-11-2016, 11:18
The Appalachian Trailway News
The first edition of the ATN was a bit of an experiment ‘underwritten by interested members’ of the ATC. They published in the hopes that it would continue ‘as the official organ of the’ ATC and that the publication would attract gain enough subscriptions to be financially viable.
The Board of Editors were Jean Stephenson (Editor-in-Chief), O. O. Heard, L. F. Schmeckebier, Ruth B. Mersch, and Dorothy R. Swift. Subscriptions cost $1.00 for the semiannual publication. They wrote…
“… some members of the Trail Conference have long felt that there is a great need for a publication devoted solely to the Appalachian Trail and the work of the Appalachian Trail Conference. Such a publication should go to every member club and to every individual member. It should contain the news of trail developments, relocations, information on policies, discussions of problems, announcements of new shelters, and news items of general interest. By this means members throughout the country could have a close knowledge of the entire Trail project, and be in touch with what was being done everywhere. “
Greenlight
12-11-2016, 13:08
This is the internet age, where anyone with a computer and an internet connection can produce and distribute a publication. Quality is an issue, however. IT takes a minumum of about 1,000 (wo)man-hours per month to put out a quality, engaging, fact-checked 36 page publication. Adjust as necessary for page count. As editorial staffs have shrunk over the past decade, publication quality has been lowered across the board, and many publications have gone kaput. Magazines are the historical crowd-sourcers before crowd-sourcing was cool (it was/is called freelancing) but now nobody is paying for quality, and the fox is watching the hen house.
I assume the ATN is victim to this trend.
Journeys is a dumb name, too. It's like churches that are re-naming themselves "Elevation" or "The Fountain." It's meaningless, but the logo sure kicks butt! Put in an espresso bar and young people will come because they can't resist great advertising!
I'm too new to this stuff to have paid attention, so I really don't have a dog in the fight, but the days of the mimeographed, typewritten newsletter stapled shut and hand addressed to it's recipients are not necessarily dead. It's just made with desktop publishing software and mailed by a third party. If ATNs absence creates a void, I'm sure some enterprising individual will put together a team to resurrect it, even if there are a couple of years intervening.
I am still in shock sort of. I had no warning that Appalachian Trailways News would be replace by "Journeys," a much different publication. Did anyone? It arrived today. Inside the front cover there's a little notice informing the reader that ATN succumbed at Age 66. No cause of death was listed but I suspect foul play.
It's replacement is about 3 times the page count of ATN but the read goes very quickly. All that held my attention (fleetingly) was the Letters column, a disjointed story about a woman coming back to hike a section of the AT where she along with three friends had been raped many years earlier and some pretty photos of the Whites. Clearly, it outshines ATN in graphics but content-wise, I don't know. It's definitely not a one sit, cover-to-cover read. How disappointing. How sad.
ATN struck me as a genuine reflection of the AT hikers and maintainers. Among the many flavors of American: grit, friendliness, passion, sincerity, idealism, compent, earnest, stubborn, stoic, odd ball, and salt of the earth. "Journeys" is more uptown. It's a beauty no doubt but not a brainy. If the truth be told, it's sort of boring. Like other organization mags that come to my house - their purpose is neither to entertain nor inform the reader, but make him more yielding to their endless pursuit of MORE MONEY FOR GOOD PURPOSES. Who's kidding whom?
If the change brings the ATC more $$, then that's good I suppose and I wish them well. I admire the Board's gut's risk the wrath of the membership. Surely, they know they will be in for an unpleasant time as soon as the membership gets wind on what's coming down but they are doing what they think is in our best interests. I can respect that even if I disagree, but I will still grieve a bit for the dearly departed ATN.
Bigfoot
The Appalachian Trailway News
The first edition of the ATN was a bit of an experiment ‘underwritten by interested members’ of the ATC. They published in the hopes that it would continue ‘as the official organ of the’ ATC and that the publication would attract gain enough subscriptions to be financially viable.
The Board of Editors were Jean Stephenson (Editor-in-Chief), O. O. Heard, L. F. Schmeckebier, Ruth B. Mersch, and Dorothy R. Swift. Subscriptions cost $1.00 for the semiannual publication. They wrote…
“… some members of the Trail Conference have long felt that there is a great need for a publication devoted solely to the Appalachian Trail and the work of the Appalachian Trail Conference. Such a publication should go to every member club and to every individual member. It should contain the news of trail developments, relocations, information on policies, discussions of problems, announcements of new shelters, and news items of general interest. By this means members throughout the country could have a close knowledge of the entire Trail project, and be in touch with what was being done everywhere. “
I find the your quote interesting Scotty.
I'm not familiar with ATN activities only seeing and very briefly perusing a very few rare copies. For the old timers who know about ATN did it have a wider focus on trails rather than solely the AT as the ATC does?
I can't compare Appalachian Trailway News and Journeys but I do like Journeys for AT news. Articles are grounded with a feeling of grassroots activities that have stepped it up several notches. I've always enjoyed the personal letters, usually one page in length on the inside of the back cover, heartfelt shared what the AT has meant to the writers.
imscotty
12-11-2016, 15:19
I find the your quote interesting Scotty.
I'm not familiar with ATN activities only seeing and very briefly perusing a very few rare copies. For the old timers who know about ATN did it have a wider focus on trails rather than solely the AT as the ATC does?
I can't compare Appalachian Trailway News and Journeys but I do like Journeys for AT news. Articles are grounded with a feeling of grassroots activities that have stepped it up several notches. I've always enjoyed the personal letters, usually one page in length on the inside of the back cover, heartfelt shared what the AT has meant to the writers.
Hello Dogwood, The ATN was the 'Whiteblaze' before there was a Whiteblaze. Back before the internet I always enjoyed receiving the next issue of the magazine, it was a way to keep up with news on the trail. Of course it has changed quit a bit over the years. Early editions focused a lot on reports from the supporting clubs, trail routing, trail building, and land acquisition. Latter they could focus on more general conservation principles.
I'll be posting more material in various threads as I come across it. I have already posted some 1939 excerpts indicating that trailhead vandalism and trail graffiti was a problem, even back then :(
This is the part of the quote that jumped out at me " … some members of the Trail Conference have long felt that there is a great need for a publication devoted solely to the Appalachian Trail and the work of the Appalachian Trail Conference."
Personally, I'd like to see wider perspective, more equalized recognition, given to east coast trails with the AT recognized as it was envisioned ...just one part of a larger interconnect trail system.Lots of east coast trails are so worthy of greater support and use rather than the narrowed fixation on the AT that often prevails.
rocketsocks
12-11-2016, 20:53
Property rights are not absolute, there's a cost accociated with trail systems, and its nots always fare.
http://articles.latimes.com/1997-03-09/news/mn-36391_1_appalachian-trail
imscotty
12-11-2016, 21:29
Socks, yes, many land owners along the trail still have bitter feelings over eminent domain takings. Can't blame them. Hikers need to keep this in mind when some of the locals seem hostile to hikers. I seem to remember some time ago there were cases of 'bobby traps' being set along certain areas of the trail.
Dogwood, when the ATC was formed this was the longest long distance trail (after the Long Trail (which already had the Green Mountain Club). I think the ATC's focus on the AT has served the AT well. Now that the trail is permanently (more or less) established, I think they are broadening to more general conservation issues. The quote above is in reference to the fact that up to that point communications were coming from each of the maintaining trail clubs directed mostly toy their own members (MATC, AMC, DOC, RMC, GMC, NY/NJTC, PATC, etc)