Exploring The Appalachian Trail By Rv, Sort Of.......

Exploring The Appalachian Trail By Rv, Sort Of.......

For six months, Vince and Anita Hartigan cruised the highways and back roads from Springer Mountain, in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine, in their RV providing trail support to their daughter, a.k.a. "Mom" and her husband, a.k.a. "Windtalker" as they thru-hiked the famed Appalachian Trail. "Exploring the Appalachian Trail by RV, Sort of..." is not simply the story of their journey as "trail angels." It is also a comprehensive, illustrated atlas for those desiring to wander the byways along the A.T. and partake of the wonder and beauty that can be found there. You will not only be inspired to pursue your own adventure along the A.T. but will be provided with, ? Detailed, full-color maps illustrating the routes traveled to rendezvous with "Windtalker" & "Mom" ? Extensive information on, and reviews of, the RV parks and campgrounds used ? Secrets to make your own adventure more rewarding and many other tools to make your journey a memorable one. This book is as charming as the support team themselves. A six-month journey along the Appalachian Trail proves trail angels do exist! Informative...lots of maps, web addresses and a teamwork approach to details. --Barbara Blythe, 20-year member - Appalachian Mountain Club IT WAS THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME! Anita and Vince Hartigan have spent the better part of their lives exploring America and places around the world. They have raced sled dogs throughout the U.S. and Canada and they have scuba dived under the frozen lakes of Minnesota and in the bathtub warm waters of the Bahamas. They even lived on a boat as they navigated through the Intracoastal Waterway and up the Mississippi River to Minnesota. But in 2006, they embarked on their most memorable adventure of all. From March to September, beginning at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ending at the foot of Mt. Katahdin in Maine, they cruised the highways and back roads of Appalachia in their RV providing trail support to their daughter, a.k.a. Mom and her husband, a.k.a. Windtalker, as they thru-hiked the 2,175 miles that make up the famed Appalachian Trail. Exploring the Appalachian Trail by RV, Sort of... is not simply the story of their journey as trail angels. It is also an atlas for those who desire to wander the byways along the A.T. and partake of the wonder and beauty that can be found there. This book will not only inspire you to pursue your own grand adventure along the Appalachian Trail, but also provides you with the information and tools necessary to make your journey a memorable one. ALONG WITH ANECDOTES OF PEOPLE AND PLACES ALONG THE TRAIL ARE: Detailed maps illustrating the routes they traveled in order to rendezvous with Windtalker & Mom Information on locating hard to find trail road crossings Extensive information on the many RV parks and campgrounds used In-depth reviews of those sites Secrets to make your adventure more rewarding With her husband Vince, Anita Hartigan has spent the better part of her life exploring America and places around the world. She has raced sled dogs throughout the U.S. and Canada. She has scuba dived under the frozen lakes of Minnesota and in the bathtub warm waters of the Bahamas. And, she has lived on a houseboat as they traveled through the Intercoastal Waterway and up the Mississippi River to Minnesota. Our Appalachian Trail exploration began on March 23, 2006, when we picked up Mom & Windtalker in Atlanta and transported them to a motel in Dahlonega, GA, stopping along the way at an outfitter and at a grocery store, and then continuing on our way to Turner's Corners to our motorhome. The next morning we picked them up and took them to Amicalola Falls, where they completed their final preparation hike prior to the start of the Appalachian Trail hike on Springer Mountain on March 25th. The yellow forsythias in the lower elevations of the state park were just starting to bloom in the weak warmth of the early spring sunshine, but we still needed coats to be comfortable.The nearby mountains still had snow on the ground.Turner Campsites is located just over ten miles northwest of Cleveland, Georgia, at the junction of GA19 and GA129 in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Although it is a very nice, quiet campground along a creek, and is easy to find, it is not a particularly friendly campground for pets--they are not permitted beyond your own campsite nor allowed to be exercised anywhere inside the campgrounds, but must be transported by vehicle off campground property to be walked. Being a mostly black cat and nearly invisible in the dark, MeowMeow did not mind in the least going for walks, on his leash of course, at night on the outer fringes of the darkly lit park. I'll not go into minute detail about how to find all the trailheads and road crossings throughout the Appalachian Trail; but I would recommend that if you are planning to do some back-country reconnoitering, purchase one of the many products DeLorme has to offer, from an Atlas and Gazetteer