A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail with Mills Kelly (BPR #352)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Mills Kelly, a historian, podcaster, professor, and author.

Mills taught at George Mason University for 24 years, produced the acclaimed podcast The Green Tunnel, and just published his latest book, A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail. In this one, Mills takes us deep into the stories most hikers never hear: why the AT was never designed for through hiking, the surprisingly dark history of some of its founding figures, and why the hundred-mile wilderness used to be a network of fishing camps and steakhouses. We also get into dynamite soup, onion sandwiches, copperheads in fire pits, and the original purism debate, which dates back to 1948. Anyone who loves history and/or the AT is guaranteed to enjoy this one.

We wrap the show with a last call for the Denver Area hiker meetup, why- actually no- the trail won't always be there, a bang marry kill for rain, wind, and snow, the triple crown of potato foods, and some very important seafood tips from a listener.

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Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code "BPRADIO15" for 15% of hyperlitemountaingear.com

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Interview with Mills Kelly

• Mills' Website

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:14 - Reminders: Join us for the hiker meetup, apply to vlog or blog for the Trek, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:08:18 - Introducing Mills

00:10:48 - Did you ever thru-hike the AT?

00:18:45 - When you do hope to hike the Maine section?

00:20:04 - Who was Ed Garvey and why does he matter to AT history?

00:22:53 - What did backpacking gear look like in the early 1970s?

00:25:21 - What were onion sandwiches?

00:26:39 - What is Dynamite Soup?

00:28:32 - Discussion about Paul Fink's dark history and his connection to the AT's founding

00:29:20 - Discussion about race on the AT and what the historical record reveals

00:34:12 - Discussion about sundown towns and race on trail

00:39:22 - Discussion about women's early and prominent role in hiking clubs and trail building

00:41:20 - Tell us about the history and significance of trail clubs

00:45:50 - Discussion about Mills' course on historical hoaxes and internet misinformation

00:53:30 - How do you evaluate sources and verify truth as a historian?

00:58:15 - Are you scared about the future of truth in the age of AI and social media?

01:01:05 - Tell us about your experience with hearing loss

01:05:00 - Discussion about the history of killing snakes on the AT

01:10:30 - Discussion about the AT's trash problem in the 60s & 70s

01:16:00 - What does maintaining an AT shelter actually entail?

01:23:10 - What are your other pet peeves?

01:25:30 - What are your most popular podcast episodes?

01:28:25 - Why was southwestern Virginia the hardest part of the AT to route?

01:39:40 - Whas was Damascus like during its timber-industry heydey?

01:43:20 - How does the AT economically impact small rural towns?

01:45:40 - How did the trail come to start at Springer Mountain?

01:48:35 - What did Benton MacKaye actually intend tthe AT to be?

01:50:40 - What is the Warrior Path?

01:52:08 - Discussion about Katahdin's sacred history to the Abenaki

01:56:00 - Tell us about the history of the Katahdin sign

01:58:00 - How was the trail in Maine different historically than it is today?

01:59:42 - What was it like having to actually prove that you hiked the entire trail?

02:04:00 - Discussion about the original purism debate and Early Shafer's 1948 thru-hike

02:06:35 - What's next for you?

02:11:40 - Peak Performance Question: What's your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: Actually No, the Trail Won't Always Be There: Why You Should Thru-Hike Now by Claire Dumont

QOTD: Fuck marry kill: rain, wind, snow

Triple Crown of potato foods

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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