An Appalachian Trail Hiker’s Story with Mills Kelly (BPR #352)

On today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, presented by Topo Athletic, we’re joined by Mills Kelly, 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 it, Mills takes us deeper into the stories most hikers never hear: why the AT was never designed for 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 barbecue camps. We also delve into dynamite soup, onion sandwiches, copperheads at campfires, and the debate over original purism, which dates back to 1948. Anyone who loves history and/or the AT is guaranteed to enjoy this.

We end the show with a final call to the Denver-area hiker meeting, why, not really, the trail won’t always be there, a marriage explosion for rain, wind and snow, the triple crown of potato foods, and some very important seafood tips from a listener.

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Interview with Mills Kelly

Timestamps and questions

00:05:14 – Reminders: Join us for the hikers meeting, apply to vlog or blog for the Trekand listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:08:18 – Introducing Mills

00:10:48 – Have you ever hiked the AT?

00:18:45 – When do you expect to tour the Maine section?

00:20:04 – Who was Ed Garvey and why is he important to AT history?

00:22:53 – What was backpacking gear like in the early 1970s?

00:25:21 – What were onion sandwiches?

00:26:39 – What is dynamite soup?

00:28:32 – Discussion on the dark history of Paul Fink and his connection to the founding of AT

00:29:20 – Discussion on race in the OT and what the historical record reveals

00:34:12 – Discussion on sunset cities and trail running

00:39:22 – Discussion on the prominent and early role of women in hiking clubs and trail building.

00:41:20 – Tell us about the history and importance of trail clubs.

00:45:50 – Discussion of Mills’ course on historical hoaxes and misinformation on the Internet.

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

00:58:15 – Are you afraid of 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 on the history of snake killing in the OT.

01:10:30 – Discussion on the AT garbage problem in the 60s and 70s

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

01:23:10 – What are your other things that bother you?

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

01:28:25 – Why was southwest Virginia the most difficult part of the AT to route?

01:39:40 – What was Damascus like during the heyday of the logging industry?

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

01:45:40 – How did the trail on Springer Mountain start?

01:48:35 – What did Benton MacKaye really intend the AT to be?

01:50:40 – What is the Way of the Warrior?

01:52:08 – Discussion on the sacred history of Katahdin for the Abenaki

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

01:58:00 – How is the trail in Maine historically different from today?

01:59:42 – What was it like having to prove that you walked the entire trail?

02:04:00 – Discussion on the original purism debate and Early Shafer’s 1948 walk

02:06:35 – What’s next for you?

02:11:40 – Peak Performance Question: What’s your top backpacking or performance trick?

Segments

Propaganda Clues: Actually, no, the trail won’t always be there: why you should walk now by Claire Dumont

QOTD: Fuck, marry and kill: rain, wind, snow.

Triple Crown Potato Food

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