Pro tip: Saw a huge change in trail conditions after the 2021 reroute on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia

I hiked the AT approach trail in 2019 and then again last spring, and the new section near Springer Mountain is way less eroded now. The old path was basically a mud slide after rain, but the reroute added switchbacks and better drainage that held up even through a wet season. Anyone else notice how much a well-planned reroute can save a trail from getting all torn up?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_singh928d ago

Those switchbacks make a HUGE difference in the muck.

roseb478d ago

My buddy Mike took his new boots out on the Pacific Crest Trail last spring and hit a muddy section near a creek crossing. He was so sure his old boots would have slid right off the trail, but he said the switchback tread just bit into the muck and kept him steady. He actually fell once on a flat rock, but never on the switchback parts. He texted me a photo of the tread caked with mud, laughing about how the pattern looked like a serious tire. I asked if he would buy them again, and he said yes for that kind of grip alone.