In 2003, Leanna Joyner hiked the 2,189-mile-long Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Even though she was aware of the historical aspects of the Trail, she found the “physical and present-moment experience of long-distance hiking” made it easy to overlook the significance of the area’s history along the way.
“I came to this project with a familiarity of and passion for the A.T., but history, as a subject, never felt like it belonged to me. I undertook this project to challenge myself to gain new perspective on the Trail.” Through her new book, Hiking through History: Civil War Sites on the Appalachian Trail, she is also helping future hikers appreciate the historical significance they are passing as they make their way.
“I wrote it to share the history of the place with Appalachian Trail lovers, and to share the A.T. with history lovers,” says Leanna. “This book meets the typical hiker’s tactile experience of the Trail with knowledge that deepens one’s appreciation of what happened here.”
She says that rather than presenting a lot of minutia regarding military operations, she sought to capture the action and outcomes “in a way that brings to life the moments that shaped our American history that we get to explore on our Appalachian Trail.”
Her goal was to connect the past to the footpath. “I did that in a way that has never been told before in A.T. guides, describing ways that the landscape looked then compared to how we see it now, and describing the characters who knew the land before it was ever imagined as part of this long-distance trail.” Leanna continues, “Sparked by my research, I set out on hikes to retrace the steps of regiments, United States presidents, and freed slaves.”
Hiking through History contains maps and descriptions of 25 short hikes to Underground Railroad and battle sites in small towns near or on the Trail and ridges above the valleys. Leanna has included summaries of key battles, along with historic photographs as well as those of scenes as they appear today.
Hiking through History: Civil War Sites on the Appalachian Trail, nonfiction, 2015, softcover, $24.95, by Leanna Joyner, is published by Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The book is available at Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, and Bluff Mountain Outfitters in Hot Springs, as well as online through Amazon and the Ultimate A.T. Store. All proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
