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Presentation
Great Eastern Trail
2019

My Variant
of the
Great Eastern Trail
 Hiked in 2017 by
Fashionplate Dan Bedore
Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
October 2019 Gathering Presentation
Dan Bedore
28,000+Miles Walked, Triple Crown
900+Miles Paddled
3,300+Miles Biked
1,900+Days in the Wild

Why Create a Different Route?

- Had Walked TN Cumberland Trail
- Road Walks in Tennessee, Kentucky
- Near Continuous Route S, E of Smokies
- Jealous of Route Selection
- GET ends in Middle of Finger Lakes Trail
Appalachian, Pacific Crest,
Continental Divide Trails
• Easily Available Data:
 Navigation, Resupply, Transportation
• Easy to Follow:
Blazes, Signs,  Well Defined Trailbed
• Trail Related Services:
 Shuttles, Hostels, Stores
• Many Experienced Hikers to Offer
 Advice, Help, Company
 • Less Variety, Choice
• Crowded Trails Mean:
  • Less Solitude
 • More Animal Pests
 • Less Wildlife Sightings
 • More Trash, Impact
Image: Southeast Trails
Image: Northeast Trails
Table: New England Trails
Trail Location GET?
Pinhoti Alabama Yes
Benton MacKaye Georgia Cumberland
Bartram Georgia Pine
Foothills S Carolina Mountain
Mountains to Sea N Carolina TuGuNu
Allegheny W Virginia Yes
Headwaters Virginia Yes
Tuscarora Virginia Yes
C&O Canal Maryland Yes
Mid State Pennsylvania Yes
Finger Lakes NCT New York No
Maps and Data
• 38 Foldout Maps
• 1” stack of 8½x11 Maps
• ? Books
 • Carry From Start and Mail Back
• Many Files Loaded to GPS
 • Topo Maps - GPS File Depot
 • Tracks and Points - Spotty

Schedule

• March 2017, Alabama Pinhoti
• August - Upstate New York
• Remainder of Summer and Fall in Sierra Nevada
  • Option: More Finger Lakes Tr, Erie Canal

For Better or for Worse

+ Few People on Trails
+ Locals Not Used to Hikers
+ Close to Towns and Supplies
+ Wildlife not Used to People
 - Mapping Not Complete
- Trailway not Obvious
- Campsites Rare or Dubious
- Verizon Service Rare

Great Memories

• Bison - Signs: Do Not Play
• Erie and Other Canals: History
• Adirondacks High Peaks

Brutality

• Weeks of Rain, Mud, Loose Rock
• Route Often Unclear
• Tired Afterwards for Months
• Lyme Disease or Tough Hike?

Contact Me

Fashionplate Dan
Dan Bedore
www.bedore.org
danshike@yahoo.com
Image: Reflections in Water
Image: Whiskey Still Ruins
Image: Sunset
Image: Fire Lookout Tower
Image: Tortoise Spine
Image: Cave Spring Mural
Image: Barn Door
Image: Bird Nest
Image: Axe Blaze Rotted Through
Image: Shelf Fungi
Image: Stone Tower
Image: Sale, John, Dan, Apple Pie
Image: Bison
Image: Newt
Image: Barry and Jane
Image: Hatched Turtle Eggs
Image: Fossils
Image: Clouds, Adirondacks High Peaks

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