Why does the appalachian

The current record holder is Karel Sabbe, a Belgian dentist, who in finished the Trail in 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes with the help of his support team. Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy still holds the record for hiking the trail without a support team, at 45 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes. During rainstorms, even tent proponents tend to shack up in these three-sided shelters, which are built and maintained by volunteers.

Unfortunately, they often get crowded and infested with mice and mosquitoes. Today, only about 10 miles of the route are in private hands, a sea change from its earlier days.

Nonetheless, the Trail corridor remains vulnerable to air pollution, invasive species, climate change, urban sprawl, all-terrain vehicles and energy development, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Fraser firs, for instance, have been dying in mass in the Smokies as a result of an outbreak of balsam woolly adelgids, a tiny non-native insect that feeds on their sap.

When South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford disappeared from the state capital for six days in June , his staff claimed that he was out hiking the Appalachian Trail. It turned out, however, that Sanford was actually visiting his mistress in Argentina. And with that, a new euphemism for adultery was born. Despite the scandal, Sanford currently serves in the U.

Kite explained that scientists have only recently discovered and begun to build theories explaining this geologic mystery. There are other theories as well, but the long and short of it is, the mountains seem to be growing again. So ours is very much a story of rebirth. You could argue that the Appalachians are one of the oldest AND maybe one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world…. The mountain remnants that give us clues today also exists in northern Europe, Scotland and in northern Africa, the Atlas Mountains.

Researchers estimate that people first inhabited both the Appalachian and the Atlas Mountains around the same time - roughly 14, years ago. But time and latitudes have shaped the ranges very differently. It would be great to be able to explore the Atlas Mountains and speak with people in mountain communities and see how they live and what they value. She grew up visiting her grandparents in a town surrounded by the Atlas Mountains. We used to go once a year. We used to listen to those beautiful songs in the Amazeer language.

Every time I want to travel in time and space, I just play one of those songs, and it just makes my day. They used to lack access to improved sanitation and safe water. He used to tell me stories from his childhood -- how tough it was and how committed he had to be. My dad is my hero. And honestly I have noticed a lot of similarities once I was in West Virginia.

Benaicha also mentioned that she used to listen to country music when she was back home in Morocco. She says artists like Reba McEntire struck a chord with her. Just as it can be difficult to grasp geologic time, it can be equally challenging to clearly identify the ways that geography shapes us culturally. In the same breath, nothing can be more influential. Steve Kite, the geologist from WVU, explains that the Appalachians, for example, make it hard to get around, and that may fundamentally shape culture.

We may be steeper than Colorado. Wheeling resident and West Virginia poet laureate Marc Harshman offered some insight:. Likewise, certain stories and folkways persisted longer than anywhere else in the U. Harshman also points to his own work imprinted by place. Harshman shared this segment:.

Perhaps poets and musicians are best able to illustrate the indescribable, deep and ancient mountain roots that connect us to the ground that holds us from generation to generation, shaping the farmers, scientists, travellers and storytellers that we become -- just reflections of the mountains that are born, grow, die away, and… are reborn.

There was an active Underground Railroad that ran through Appalachia, from Chattanooga north to Pennsylvania. This gave rise in the early 19th century to a multiracial group known as the Melungeons, who had African, European, and Native American ancestry. But the African influence on Appalachia persists even today.

The banjo — a stringed instrument central to bluegrass and other forms of Appalachian music— originated in Africa. The people of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora also introduced foods such as sorghum cane, sweet potatoes,blackeyed peas, watermelon, and peanuts into Appalachian cuisine. And the Black in Appalachia website and podcast are great resources for learning more about this hidden history.

Even in the s and 70s, many people in Appalachia were still living without basic necessities such as electricity or indoor plumbing. Hunger and a lack of basic hygiene were not uncommon.

In , after President Lyndon B. Originally founded by John F. Kennedy, this federal-state partnership focused on helping Appalachian people create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. The ARC has worked for 55 years to bring the region into socioeconomic parity with the rest of the nation.

It defined the region of Appalachia, created educational opportunities for the people who lived there, and invested in economic development projects benefiting all counties. Inbreds, yokels, hicks, and rednecks are just a few of the common slurs that have been used over the last century though some country folk reclaimed the last one as a point of pride, seeing it as a reflection of their humble lifestyle and hard work ethic.

Especially when the region has been such a rich melting pot of ethnicities and cultures from the very beginning. The reality is that Appalachia was isolated while the rest of the country was modernizing, leaving them behind in a sense. As a result, they were less educated, less well nourished, and less wealthy than people who lived in major metroplises and their suburbs. Their traditional way of life, which involved living off the land, made the people of Appalachia appear as dirty, hillbilly farmers to outsiders.

When in fact they were really the sort of hard-working, salt-of-the-earth people who helped make the United States what it is today. Even now, there are still literacy issues, health problems, and other issues related to poverty that plague parts of Appalachia. There remains an often stark income inequality between the tourists that visit the region and the people who actually live there. One prime example of this is the Biltmore Estate, which was built by the elite Vanderbilts to cater to their upper class friends even as the rest of Appalachia grappled with poverty.

Yet still, with help from the ARC and the benefits of tourism revenue, the people of the region are finding ways to improve their circumstances by commodifying the very things that make Appalachian culture so uniquely American.

Handmade quilts, coverlets, pottery, wood carvings, and woven baskets were beautiful and often displayed in the home. The use of natural dyes and natural materials as well as whatever scraps of fabric they had on hand resulted in unique and colorful pieces that brought art to the homes of Appalachia. There was a push that started back in the s to preserve traditional Appalachian arts and crafts.

But technology and market demand has influenced both the process and result of these works over the course of the last century. Christianity has been the predominant religion in Appalachia ever since European immigration to the area began in the s.

These Christian influences blended with traditional European i. The Cherokee brought their reverence for nature and knowledge of native plants, herbs, and animals, influencing local practices for centuries. Cherokee folklore influenced Appalachian storytelling in the way it dramatically characterized animals or other inanimate objects in nature. These fairy tales, combined with regional events, also shaped Appalachian folklore.

Jack is usually lazy or foolish, but through cleverness and tricks he succeeds in his quest. In Appalachia, Jack is likely to be a sheriff or a more common man. And, like most Appalachian folklore, these Jack Tales were passed down orally, rather than being written down.

These stories are based on real figures and events, but they take on folklore status as the stories are exaggerated for dramatic effect. Murderers like John Hardy, victims such as Omie Wise, and specters like the Greenbriar Ghost are all common horrific stories that became lasting oral traditions.