Word: appalachian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Governor Mark Sanford's confession to adultery may be roiling South Carolina and traumatizing his family, but it's bequeathed to the rest of us a handy new euphemism for sneaking in a little romance on the sly: hiking the Appalachian Trail. That was the original reason given by Sanford's staff for his unexplained six-day absence from the state's capital - an explanation whose credibility evaporated when the governor resurfaced, not from an extended nature walk but from a covert sojourn to Buenos Aires, where his mistress lives. In the meantime, the peculiar tale of Sanford's disappearance...
...Appalachian National Scenic Trail is the nation's longest "marked footpath," stretching approximately 2,178 miles (the exact figure fluctuates) from the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail blazes through 14 states and ranges from deep wilderness to strenuous mountain hiking above the tree line - its elevation dips to 124 ft. in New York and climbs to 6,625 ft. in Tennessee, at the top of Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail was the brainchild of Benton MacKaye, a New England regional planner who published...
...Appalachian Trail attracts thousands of hikers each year, most of whom traverse small sections of the trail on short day trips. A hardier band of explorers shoot for the big enchilada: hiking the entire length of the trail, some 5 million footsteps. Each year about 500 "thru-hikers" or "2,000-milers" complete the grueling trek; the A.T. foils about 80% of those who try. The total number of reported "thru-hikes" hit 10,000 in 2008. Traveling the length of the trail takes between five and seven months; most people start at the southern end and head north. Campgrounds...
...South Carolina. In a bracing news conference June 24, the 49-year-old confessed to an affair with an Argentine woman following a bizarre six-day disappearance that grabbed national headlines when his staff and family claimed ignorance about his whereabouts. Aides later said Sanford was hiking along the Appalachian Trail, and seemed as surprised as everyone else when Sanford reappeared following a visit to Argentina. In disclosing the affair, Sanford also announced he would resign as head of the Republican Governors Association. His wife, who apparently had known of the liaison for months, later released a statement saying...
...absence and revealed his affair. Not even his staff seemed to know exactly where the governor was, and until he was greeted at Atlanta's airport on the morning of June 24 by a reporter from The State, the official line was that Sanford had been hiking on the Appalachian Trail to clear his head after a tough legislative session. Though even his toughest critics seemed to feel some measure of sympathy for Sanford after his confessional, many believed his admission of "selfishness on my part" applied as much to his public transgression as his personal indiscretions. Going AWOL...