The Founding of the Appalachian Trail

Raz-Plus and Reading A-Z offer projectable or printable books—also assignable in Raz-Plus!—such as The Founding of the Appalachian Trail, an informational (nonfiction) benchmark assessment passage Level Y (Grade 5), and Lexile 1100L.

The Founding of the Appalachian Trail

As the United States expanded during the nineteenth century, it seemed that developers had little worry for the damage they did to the land. Indigenous people had always respected and taken care of the land, but to white settlers, nature was a hindrance. It was something to be conquered and subdued in order to make a profit.

The naturalist John Muir and the conservationist (and president of the United States) Theodore Roosevelt believed nature should be appreciated. They brought attention to the goal of protecting unspoiled lands. By the early 1900s, the country had set aside large areas to be protected as national parks and forests.

In 1925, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy devised a new way to enjoy the beauty of nature. The plan was to create a 2,175-mile-long hiking trail along the Appalachian Mountains stretching all the way from Georgia to Maine. Local hiking clubs would care for long stretches of the Appalachian Trail to keep it open for all those who chose to hike it, whether for a mile or two or for the entire length.

Trailblazing crews from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club created one of the first pieces of the trail between 1927 and 1931. Club members tirelessly planned the path, cleared brush, and moved rocks and fallen logs. Their portion of the trail followed the Blue Ridge Mountains through what is now Shenandoah National Park.

By 1937, the Appalachian Trail, affectionately called the "AT," was finished. The trail crossed through the traditional lands of twenty-two Native nations. Clubs built huts and cabins along the route to provide rest and shelter to hikers. Eager travelers pulled on their packs and took off into the wilderness to celebrate the wonder of nature.

In "The Founding of the Appalachian Trail," teachers are able to use this short passage as one step in the three-step process to find students' instructional reading needs or to assess whether they are prepared to read more difficult text.