On June 5 at the grand opening of the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove State Park, Pennsylvania, the International Appalachian Trail officially welcomed Scotland and the West Highland Way as the first European Chapter of the IAT. Joining IAT President Paul Wylezol in welcoming the WHW were ATC executive members, AT Museum directors, and State and County Representatives.
The official welcome came nearly a year to the day that an IAT delegation from Maine and Newfoundland Labrador travelled to Scotland to hold exploratory meetings with representatives from the British Geological Survey, local trail organizations, Lochaber Geopark officials, and government representatives on the possibility of Scotland becoming a European chapter of the IAT.
The idea of the Appalachian Trail Museum was the brainchild of Larry Luxenberg, a former long-distance hiker and author of the book Walking The Appalachian Trail, about the culture of long-distance hiking on the AT. In 1998 he started promoting the concept of a museum that would collect and display artifacts of early hikers and trail builders, before these items were irretrievably lost.
Guest speakers at the museum’s grand opening included John Quigley, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, David Startzell, Executive Director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Rick Rovengo, Commisioner of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County, and Larry Luxenberg, President of the Appalachian Trail Museum.
In addition to the museum opening and official ceremony, the day also featured a garden-party atmoshere with trail builders and museum curators “manning” their booths, and long-distance hikers standing still in their boots!
But for the IAT, the highlight of the day was the warm welcome extended to Scotland, where we gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Hugh Barron and the British Geological Survey to extend the International Appalachian Trail to their related Caledonian Mountains.
IAT Twilight Zone wormhole footnote: IAT President Wylezol departed Scotland, UK on June 4, 2009 and arrived in Scotland, Pennsylvania on June 4, 2010, enroute to the AT Museum where Scotland was welcomed into the Appalachian trail family.
