EXPLORATIONS – Appalachian Trail

EXPLORATIONS – Appalachian Trail
By Oliver Chanler

Broadcast: Wednesday, December 01, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

 
A view from the Appalachian Trail. (Picture - NPS)
And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about one of the most popular walking paths in the United States, the Appalachian Trail.

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VOICE ONE:

One of the most popular activities enjoyed by Americans is spending time in forests and walking along paths through the country. This activity, called hiking, has led to the creation¹ of paths throughout the United States. Some of these paths, or trails, are short. Some are only a few kilometers. Others are many hundreds of kilometers.

One of the longest is the Appalachian National Scenic² Trail. The trail is the first completed part of the National Trails System. The trails system was established by Congress³ and the President in nineteen sixty-eight.

VOICE TWO:

The Appalachian Trail is more than three thousand four hundred kilometers long. It starts in the northeastern state of Maine and ends in the southeastern state of Georgia. The trail goes through fourteen states.

They are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey⁴, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.

The path takes walkers through the Appalachian Mountains. They extend⁶ from the Canadian Province of Quebec to the southern American state of Alabama.

VOICE ONE:

The Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest on Earth. They first began forming about one thousand million years ago. During the millions of years since then, the mountains were changed and reformed by the forces of water and wind. Ice also changed the mountains, making many of them smaller and digging valleys and lakes among them. Many different kinds of trees grow along the trail. And many different kinds of animals live in the forests along the trail.

Land along the trail is protected by the federal⁷ government and by state governments. Some parts are not protected by the government directly. Instead, they are protected by legal agreements with private owners willing to permit people to walk across their property.

VOICE TWO:

Walkers on the Appalachian Trail pass through some of the great valley systems of the mountains. They can look down into these beautiful valleys and see farms and forests stretching across the land for many kilometers. Farmland in the valleys is rich and productive⁸. And some of the great events in American history took place in the valleys. For example, one of the great battles of the American Civil War was fought in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

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VOICE ONE:

The Appalachian Trail was the idea of Benton MacKaye. Mister⁹ MacKaye first proposed¹⁰ creating the trail in nineteen twenty-one. Although there were many separate trails in different parts of the eastern United States, most of them were not connected. In nineteen twenty-five, representatives of several private organizations met in Washington, D.C. and formed the Appalachian Trail Conference.

Their idea was to create a trail connecting the two highest mountains in the eastern United States -- Mount⁵ Washington in New Hampshire, and Mount Mitchell in Georgia. It was another five years before development of the trail began, under the direction of Myron Avery. Seven years after Mister Avery took control of the project, the Appalachian Trail was completed. This happened on August fourteenth, nineteen thirty-seven.

VOICE TWO:

Creating the trail was a difficult job that involved the work of many thousands of people. But there were no public celebrations or events to observe its opening. Public knowledge of the trail grew slowly. Today, it is one of the most famous trails in the world. However, it is not the longest hiking trail. Two others in the western United States are longer. They are the Pacific Crest¹¹ Trail and the Continental¹² Divide Trail. Still, the Appalachian Trail is the most famous.

VOICE ONE:

 
Mountain areas along the Appalachian Trail. (Picture - NPS)
People from around the world come to see the natural beauty of the mountains, lakes, rivers, and valleys near the Appalachian Trail. The trail makes it possible to see much of this beauty without having to see cities, towns, and other parts of the modern world. Instead, people can see many places along the trail that look very much the way they did before humans arrived many thousands of years ago.

This is one of the main reasons why the Appalachian Trail is so popular among Americans, especially those living in the eastern United States. The trail is not far from most of the major cities along the eastern coast, such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. It provides a place where people from these cities can leave behind the worries of modern life to enjoy the peace and beauty of nature.

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VOICE TWO:

Most people who use the Appalachian Trail go mainly for short walks that last for less than a day. Many of them want to look at the different kinds of plants and animals that live along the trail.

For many other people, the Appalachian Trail provides a chance to spend several days camping and hiking. They walk along the trail carrying all the things they will need to survive for several days. These hikers carry food, cooking equipment, water, sleeping bags and temporary shelters called tents.

VOICE ONE:

In New Hampshire's White Mountains, there are special camps along the Appalachian Trail where people can stay. The Appalachian Mountain Club operates these camps. The club is one of the thirty-two groups that belong to the Appalachian Trail Conference. Volunteers in these groups supervise¹³ and operate the Appalachian Trail through a cooperative¹⁴ agreement with the National Park Service.

The Appalachian Mountain Club has about ninety thousand members. It is the oldest conservation organization in the United States.

VOICE TWO:

The Appalachian Mountain Club operates several camps along ninety kilometers of the trail. Each camp provides hikers with shelter, beds and food. Each camp is located about a day's walk from the next one.

These camps are so popular that it is necessary to request to stay at one a year ahead. It is especially difficult to find a place in such camps during summer weekends.

Many people hike along the trail to such camps with their families. Writer Eileen Ogintz is one of those people who stayed at an Appalachian Mountain Club camp with her family. She found it very different from what her family does every day at home. She and her family had to hike up a mountain path in the rain to get to their camp. There are no radios or televisions. So families spend time talking with each other. After two days in the wilderness¹⁵, her family enjoyed the experience.

VOICE ONE:

The Ogintz family's two days on the Appalachian Trail is similar to the experience of many people. The first part is difficult. But the rewards of experiencing nature are very satisfying. This may be enough for most people. But there are some people who want more than just a day or weekend on the trail. These people try to walk from the beginning of the trail to the end.

They usually start at Springer Mountain in Georgia in the early spring. Generally, they hike the more than three thousand four hundred kilometers to Mount Katahdin in Maine in five to six months.

VOICE TWO:

One person who tried to walk the Appalachian Trail is writer Bill Bryson. Mister Bryson tells the story of his long walking trip in his humorous book "A Walk in the Woods." However, he and his friend did not complete the trip as planned.

At the end of their long trip, Mister Bryson and his friend asked each other how they felt about the experience and if they were sad to leave the trail. After thinking about it for a while, the two agreed that they were both happy and sad about ending their trip.

Mister Bryson said he was tired of the trail, but still very interested in it. He became tired of the endless forests, but felt great wonder at their endlessness. He enjoyed the escape from civilization, but wanted its comforts.

At the end of "A Walk in the Woods," Bill Bryson suggests that his experiences on the Appalachian Trail changed the way he looks at life and the world.

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VOICE ONE:

This Special English program was written by Oliver Chanler. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

1 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

2 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

3 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

6 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

7 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

8 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

9 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

10 proposed   

被提议的

参考例句：

• There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and conditions. 员工对改变工资和工作环境的建议普遍不满。
• an outcry over the proposed change 对拟议的改革所发出的强烈抗议

11 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

12 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

13 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

14 cooperative   

adj.有合作意向的，合作的；n.合作社（企业）等

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• We decided to set up a cooperative.我们决定开办一家合作社。

15 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。