100-Year Appalachian Trail Milestone In The Shadow Of Hurricane Helene

A Major Milestone Amid Helene's Aftermath

A 100-year anniversary is being celebrated on one of the most iconic walks in the world, while it works to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

T​he Appalachian Trail Conservancy turns a century old Monday. The nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the AT, as it's called, along its nearly 2,200-mile length from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine.

"If you're standing next to a complete stranger at this beautiful view, you're going to have a conversation, you're going to talk about your hike," Sandi Marra, president and CEO of the conservancy, said in an interview Wednesday. "It's just this incredible opportunity to have a shared experience with another human being."

The nonprofit is a key leader in Hurricane Helene cleanup efforts on the trail. The storm in September knocked down trees and washed out parts of the trail, in some places leaving it unrecognizable. The hardest hit areas were along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

"We are slowly getting there," Marra said. "You know, originally there were almost 400 miles of trail that were completely shut down. We're down to just about 21 miles, so we've done a lot."

H​undreds of volunteers continue work to open the closed portion. Staff shortages in the U.S. Forestry Service are also having an impact, Marra said.

(​MORE: How Helene Could Change North Carolina's Weather)

T​his all comes as the spring hiking season is just getting underway. A "thru-hike" from one end of the AT to the other typically takes between 5 and 7 months. On average, about 3,000 people attempt a thru hike each year, according to the conservancy. But 3 million visitors a year take at least a step on the trail.

T​he AT was first conceived in 1921 by regional planner Benton MacKaye. Construction was finished in 1937. The conservancy formed in 1925 to oversee management and conservation of the trail.

"What we've done is just protect a landscape that otherwise really wouldn't exist today if it hadn't been for the Appalachian Trail being built," Marra said.

(​MORE: North Carolina Struggles To Fund Cost Of Helene Recovery)

E​ven when there's not hurricane damage, hiking clubs and other volunteers work year-round along the entire trail to keep it clear for hikers. Storms any time of the year and winter ice can knock down trees and branches and cause erosion.

Jim Fetig, president of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and a thru-hiker in 2014, summed up the allure of the trail for volunteers and hikers alike.

"The AT allows people to park their stress at the trailhead in order to allow nature's quiet to restore their sanity back to the original factory settings," Fetig said in an email Friday.

"It's the zen of the experience, the community of common cause, and the baptism of sweat that does the trick. That's why we call it the people's trail."

Weather.com senior writer Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.