Update: Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike / Save Shuckstack Tower

Below is an email update I just received from Peter Barr, author of Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers. Peter is making steady progress on two of his main goals this summer: hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, and raising funds to help restore the Shuckstack Lookout Tower in the southwestern corner of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here's his email:


Dear Friends,

I have finally reached New England on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, having hiked about 1,500 miles to this point. To say the least, my hike has absolutely been an adventure of a lifetime. I hope everyone has been following my progress at my online journal at www.PeterOnTheAT.com. The journal entries remain a bit behind schedule but are now posted regularly. You can still track me in real-time with the Twitter feature on the right-hand side of the website, or by visiting http://www.twitter.com/whippersnap.

I am so very fortunate to have been interviewed and offered the position with a land conservancy that I was seeking in western North Carolina. Beginning September 1, I will begin an internship with the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy in Hendersonville, NC. Both Allison and I will be moving to the mountains of North Carolina at that time. I am very excited about this second adventure that will begin immediately following the completion of my AT hike: a new job and a new place to live. Because of the position's starting date, I will be completing my Appalachian Trail thru-hike by the end of August. It will require a dedicated pace with little time off during the remainder of my hike to finish on schedule.

I am very excited to report that my goal of raising one dollar for every mile that I hike on the Appalachian Trail - $2,178 - for the restoration of the Shuckstack lookout tower, has been met and surpassed! With still nearly one-third of the entire Trail remaining to hike, I am creating a second challenge of reaching $3,000 for Shuckstack, an additional $800. Many people have asked me and continue to ask me how they may help me on my AT adventure. I have always said, and I continue to reiterate, that contributing to my Shuckstack restoration fundraising campaign is the single most important action that you can perform to help me on my hike. Please help me reach my goal of raising $3,000 to save the Shuckstack lookout tower. To help me by contributing, visit http://www.SaveShuckstack.com.

Thanks so much for the interest in my AT thru-hike. I hope to catch up with everyone once I return from Maine in September!


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.