Road walks were the norm for decades — I recall taking one that was 20 miles long.
Taking a road walk is not Yellow blazing.
The issue is safety. The ATC need to address the safety issue in a way that does not require a yellow blaze (shuttle).
Continuity of the Trail is central to its identity. Passing through the picturesque town of Harpers Ferry (however nice that it may be) is not.
Just a wild guess, but I'm thinking ATC likely knows just a bit more about the big picture than what many here are speculating.
The road walk is not a option, Far to dangerous ! I wonder how difficult it would be to install a locked gate on the Hf side and install a locked gate where it's safe to use the walk bridge again? And have someone unlock these gates when they know no trains would be coming. Just thinking out loud.
As a matter fact I wouldn't be surprised if there is not road signs put in place soon stating no pedestrian walking on 340. You'd be going from wv, through va, and into md. In this short couple miles. (3 state challenge) lol. But if they decide to this they'll be watching and issuing tickets, just to keep someone from getting hurt or worse.
Which is why the ATC needs to get out in front of this now.
They don’t have the luxury of waiting until someone is hurt or killed.
You make a persuasive case about the dangers of walking on that road, however I expect that you may not have investigated the possibility of a parallel pathway outside of the guardrail, or all possible alternative temporary reroutes. Or all the other options that respect the continuity of a passable from Maine to Georgia in an unbroken line without yellow blazing. The ATC needs to do this.
A shuttle is not a good option — and thinking that it is a safe temporary solution is ignoring human nature. It does not matter if it drops you off on the other side or if you can debarked the shuttle and back track to the other side. Continuity is important to many thru hikes and to the trail itself.
In the early 80’s the ATC went to great expense to establish a Ferry (canoe w guide) over the Kennebec after a thru hiker drowned. They did this because they understood that human nature being what it is, many hikers would not wait or call for a boat.
No way of knowing if this commitment saved lives, but a lot of people think it did. Most everyone agrees that traveling in canoe over the AT is a compatible with the essence of a thru hike. It was a wise decision.
The ATC needs to do something now — beyond suggesting a yellow blaze — before there is another tragedy.
The bridge reroute might not be your only alternate route. After starting on GA 5 months prior in 2011 I had to take my first blue blaze, a high water alternate route in Baxter SP when Hurricane Irene dumped 10" of rain.
Then there's reroute when they close sections of the trail due to fires. And the HF bridge in the past has occasionally been closed due to high water.
Dealing with these issues is all part of a Thru-hike.
"Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011
A yellow blaze is when you get in a motor vehicle to advance down the AT.
Walking around an impassable/closed section is not a “yellow blaze” even if you do so on a roadway.
That can be done as of today — albeit not in a safe way. That is why the ATC is not recommending that individual choice.
You are to be commended for your concern for Tabasco’s safety, however.
The ATC needs to do something quickly to help insure he and others have a safe alternative which allow them to traverse the AT from Maine to Georgia in an unbroken line.
That has been central to their mission for decades.
Use Google Earth street view to "walk" the 340 and you'll see the problem. Making a parallel walkway does not look to be practical, besides the fact you'd need 3 different state's DOT to work on the project. It would be a major disruption of traffic while the work was being done and that would likely kill the idea right there.
The real kicker looks to be the Sandy Hook bridge. It's hard to tell for sure, but it doesn't look like there is a pedestrian walkway across that bridge and it's barely wide enough for cars to pass each other without taking out the side view mirrors.
The only other bridges across the river are a long way off and the roads they are on head in the wrong direction. It would be an insanely long detour.
While there might be a few people who would be upset about not being able to walk across the river, I'm sure the vast majority will have no ethical problem with the shuttle.
I did the 20 mile Cumberland valley road walk back in the day. It was actually a pleasant walk along shady rural roads with little or no traffic. Which apparently is no longer the case, one of the reasons the route was moved to the farm fields.
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