A.T.rail Of History

Mills Kelly describes himself as an historian, podcaster, backpacker, photographer, and author. He's had a long and distinguished career. He is a (now retired) professor of history at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  He's also had a long history with the Appalachian Trail. While at GMU, he hosted an excellent podcast on the A.T., The Green Tunnel. A link to this podcast can...

Ed Riggs interviews Jim Foster. Jim is the Chair of the Museum's Hall of Fame selection committee. Jim talks about how and why the Hall of Fame was started and the 2026 Hall of Fame Class. They also discuss the 2026 Hall of Fame Banquet, to be held on November 8 at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, WV.  Follow THIS LINK for complete information on the Banquet and to purchase tickets.

Cinda Waldbuesser recently took time to talk with us. She joined Appalachian Trail Conservancy as President and CEO in January, 2026. We talked about what attracted her to this position, her experience in the conservation sector and her plans for ATC. Cinda Merrill Waldbuesser is an accomplished conservation and public-sector executive with more than two decades of leadership experience spanning t...

Bill O'Brien, President of the Museum, is also active in ALDHA, the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. ALDHA's annual meeting is called The Gathering. In 2026, The Gathering will be held on Columbus Day - Indigenous Peoples Weekend at Gettysburg College, close to the Museum. Bill is one of the Coordinators of the 2026 Gathering. He tells us about the origins and mission of ALD...

Bill O'Brien became the new President of the A.T Museum earlier this year. But, Bill's association with the Trail and the Museum goes back many decades. Bill talks about first learning about the Trail, his two thru-hikes, the many Trail icons he has met over the years and his plans for the Museum.

We interview Museum volunteer Gwen Loose. Gwen leads the team that develops and constructs the exhibits in the A.T. Museum. Gwen talks about her long association with the Trail and her work with the Museum. She describes the process of first developing an idea for an exhibit, then bringing it to fruition. Gwen is also an expert on the women of the Trail, and has written a book on this subject. She...

This is the first of a series of episodes on the thirty A.T. maintaining clubs. The Maine Appalachian Trail Club is responsible for the entire 267 miles of the Trail in Maine. We talk to Janice Clain, the current President of the Club. We also feature Dave Field, who has volunteered with the Club for 70 years. They discuss the founding of the Club, some of its important leaders over its history an...

Today's episode consists of interviews with and about some legends of the A.T. The first is John Beaudet. John, known as Bodacious, is a two time A.T. thru-hiker and well known artist in eastern Tennessee. He carves the unique hiking sticks that the Museum awards to each inductee into the A.T. Hall of Fame. Find out more about Bodacious at https://bodaciousat.com/ Next is Bob Peoples. He&apos...

This episode is a panel discussion that took place during the 2025 A.T. Hall of Fame celebration, featuring the 2025 HoF Class and representatives. Featured are Dick Anderson, represented by Don Hudson; Walter Greene, represented by Janice Clain; Marion Park, represented by Jim Fetig and Ron Tipton. The moderators are Larry Luxenberg and Bill O'Brien of the Museum.

Larry Luxenberg is the Founder and President Emeritus of the Appalachian Trail Museum. In this first original episode of A.T.rail of History, Larry talks about how he first learned about the A.T., what moved him to first hike the entire Trail, then write a well known book about it, then found the Museum of America's most famous and most used long distance hiking trail. Larry Luxenberg's...

This episode is a unique panel discussion that took place during the 2025 A.T. Hall of Fame celebration. The subject was the first 100 years of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The first speaker is Larry Van Meter, Executive Director of ATC from 1981 through 1986. Next you’ll hear from Dave Startzell, Executive Director from 1986 through 2012. Next is Brian King, who served in several capacities...