Legs and Borders

"The footpath they build had no historical basis. It didn't follow any Indian trails or colonial post roads. It didn't even seek out the best views, highest hills or most notable landmarks. In the end, it went nowhere near Mount Mitchell, though it did take in Mount Washington and then carried on another 350 miles to Mount Katahdin in Maine. (Avery, who had grown up in Maine and done his formative hiking there, was most insistent on this.) Essentially, it went where access could be gained, mostly high up on the hills, over lonely ridges and forgotten hollows that no one had ever used or coveted, or sometimes even named. It fell short of the actual southern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain by 150 miles and of the northern end by nearer 700. The work camps and chalets, the schools and study centres, were never built." Bill Bryson "A Walk in the Woods" Day spent eating, chatting and watching movies, a lot of familiar faces joined in...