Links to Dave’s excellent podcast and blog have been added to the Trail Tales page. Dave is off the trail now due to the Corona virus restrictions, we hope he will be able to continue soon.
If you have a link you think would be good on the Trail Tales page send it to webmaster@discoverytrail.org
The American Discovery Trail and COVID-19
In response to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and recommendations from other public health authorities about the ongoing threat posed by the COVID-19 virus pandemic, the American Discovery Trail Society is urging all travelers and potential travelers to postpone or cancel their thru-hiking or other long-distance travel plans on the American Discovery Trail.
Because no one can travel long distances on the ADT and be certain of avoiding exposure to the coronavirus, and because anyone at any time can be a carrier of the virus without knowing it, it is clear that anyone traveling the ADT and resupplying in communities along the trail represents a serious risk to others on the trail and people in those communities—particularly high-risk individuals for whom the virus could be deadly. Under these circumstances, choosing to start or continue a journey on the ADT runs counter to widely accepted medical, government, and scientific recommendations for avoiding exposure to and limiting the spread of COVID-19. For more information please see the CDC’s information on COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
The organizations that manage the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail have all issued similar requests. A compendium of COVID-19 updates relating to long distance trails can be found at http://pnts.org/new/covid-19-updates-for-national-scenic-andhistoric-trails/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=469df5a9-cacf-45cd-8920-0f8f6584f333
Trail users should note that state coordinators and other volunteers will be unable to provide face-to-face assistance for the duration of the coronavirus emergency, but will be available at the email addresses on our website.
Our Facebook pages will not feature the adventures of any current long-distance travelers at this point, but if you have any photos or stories from safe near-home adventures on the trail—or previous adventures—we would be delighted to display them.
Newsletters: Winter 2019
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa. ADT Mural
- Donor List – Thank you!
- New Nevada Coordinator
- Sharon Weekley receives Happifeet Award
- Colorado Signage success
- Signage update
- Oldtown Toll Bridge
Newsletters: Autumn 2019
- Ghosts on the North Bend Rail Trail?
- Remembering Darwin Hindman
- Getting the word out – Steven Hill
- The National Trails System
- Bears!
- The Trail Artist
KSL TV (Utah) Video About The ADT in Utah
KSL is the NBC affiliated TV station in Salt Lake City, recently their senior outdoor journalist made a piece about the ADT starring Brad Marro who is walking the trail. The filming was done on Boulder Mountain in Utah just west of Capitol Reef National Park.
As the reporter says the next big step for the ADT is to be recognized as a National Discovery Trail – we need your help with that – see our Legislation page. Become a member of the ADTS!
Newsletters: Summer 2019
The Summer 2019 newsletter is now available
- US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
- Pennsy Greenway Trail, Indiana
- Trails Improve Your Health!
- New Missouri Coordinator
- Hikanation A.T. museum exhibit
- Keoni Smith – after the ADT
- Lightning Advice
ExtremeTerrain – Our Latest Business Partner
New Western Terminus
With the completion of the bridge to Hawaii it has been decided to move the western terminus of the ADT to Diamond Head. This addition adds 2,393 miles to the ADT, fortunately only two signs will be needed for the new segment, East and West. We are now looking for the Hawaii state coordinator…
Newsletters: Spring 2019
The Spring 2019 Newsletter is now available.
- MainStrasse Village, Kentucky
- New website
- ADT Signage legislation
- Happifeet Award
- Printed maps discussion
- New signs and maps in Colorado
- Virtual ADT travel in Nebraska
- North Platte, Nebraska, Heart of America
Previous editions are available on the Newsletter page.
Signage: S.47 Signed By The President
On March 12 2019 President Trump signed the “Natural Resources Management Act.” containing a small section authorizing the placement of ADT signs on federal land, now we have to determine where we want the signs, buy the signs, and negotiate placement of signs with the various departments involved. The main federal lands involved are National Parks, National Forest and Bureau of Land Management land.
SEC. 2503. AMERICAN DISCOVERY TRAIL SIGNAGE.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term “Secretary concerned” means—
(A) the Secretary, with respect to Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary; or
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture.
(2) TRAIL.—The term “Trail” means the trail known as the “American Discovery Trail”, which consists of approximately 6,800 miles of trails extending from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, as generally described in volume 2 of the National Park Service feasibility study dated June 1995.
(b) Signage Authorized.—As soon as practicable after the date on which signage acceptable to the Secretary concerned is donated to the United States for placement on Federal land at points along the Trail, the Secretary concerned shall place the signage on the Federal land.
(c) No Federal Funds.—No Federal funds may be used to acquire signage authorized for placement under subsection (b).