05/07/2024
Happy Anniversary!! 🥾
This year marks a few anniversaries for wilderness areas in the U.S. and Georgia. The GATC maintains nearly 140 miles of trail in Georgia, of which slightly over 78 miles are white-blazed Appalachian Trail. Of those 78 miles, 40.4 miles, or over 50% of the trail mileage in Georgia, are in designated wilderness areas requiring special design and maintenance considerations that are not necessary along non-wilderness portions of the trail.
Wilderness areas in general were preserved following the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964 after a long effort at preservation. This year marks the 60th anniversary of that act. Under the original act, wilderness, with only a couple of exceptions, was preserved mainly west of the Mississippi River where vast acreage had been minimally impacted by Americans of non-indigenous origin. Areas in the east were originally considered for wilderness designation, but with the history of extensive logging throughout even the most remote areas, the US Forest Service, which held much of the land under consideration, came to believe that the majority of acreage in the east did not meet the intent of the law. Some of the words and phrases included in the 1964 act were “untrammeled” “undeveloped” “natural” “where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The law required areas of 5,000 acres at minimum to be considered, as well. Very little territory east of the Mississippi was considered unimpaired by our ancestors of European heritage, or where it did meet the standards, the areas were not large enough. The Forest Service maintained that areas in the east did not meet the requirements defined in the Wilderness Act.
Ten years after the Wilderness Act of 1964 or fifty years ago this month, in May 1974, a bill was introduced in the US Senate that would, in January 1975, be signed into law by President Gerald Ford as the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act creating a more expansive definition of wilderness and clearly allowing areas in the east that may be considered less pristine and pure worthy of consideration and ultimate designation as wilderness.
Despite the bill’s passage in 1975, it would be another nine years before any of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia would be in designated wilderness area. The first area designated was a cross-border wilderness area: the Southern Nantahala Wilderness area designated in 1984, forty years ago this year. This placed 16.3 miles of the A.T. in wilderness; 3.2 of those miles were in Georgia at the northern extent of the trail in this state. This was followed in 1986 by the designation of the Raven Cliffs and Tray Mountain wilderness areas, adding 12.8 miles of wilderness to the trail inventory here. The most recent additions were the Blood Mountain and Mark Trail wilderness areas in 1991 bringing an additional 24.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail under wilderness management, more than doubling the previous mileage under this designation.
In wilderness areas, the A.T. is maintained to a more primitive standard with fewer blazes and generally no structures present. Here in Georgia, there are a few historic structures in designated wilderness that were constructed prior to designation. The Blood Mountain shelter is an example. Maintainers of trail in wilderness areas are required to use non-powered tools, as well. So instead of chainsaws, you may see crosscut saws; or instead of motorized weed-wackers to clear the treadway of weeds, you might see sling-blades. The lowest form of technology is required in these areas.
Members of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club are dedicated to maintaining the trail and keeping it clear for hikers to enjoy. If you’re interested in learning more about what we do and how we do it, or if you’d like to support our efforts, look at joining the club or making a donation.
