The Thru-hiker's Handbook continues the tradition of A.T. hikers from one year passing
along information to a hiker/editor who will make it available to those who hike the
following year. Without the help of those who take the trouble to share information,
this guide would not be possible. The author would like to thank the following people
who contributed information and/or ideas used in this year's edition:
Rick Adams · Kenneth Alter · John Bauer · Rick Beebe · Jim Bellingrath · Joe Biegen
· William Burke · Andrew Carle · Ronald and Jaclyn Carter · Homer Castle · Colleen
Chambret · Linda Ann Chandler · Todd Childs · Anna Clark · Josh Cloninger · Cathy
Cohen · Daniel H. Collins · Michael R. Cronin · Jeffrey G. D'Angelo · James M.
Darrow · Skip Dejarnette · Richard Dickson · Kathy Dillon · Melvin Delea · Gerald
Drucker · Rich Ehli · Benjamin Elwood · David Emerick · James Ernst · Betty Farmer
· Margaret Finley · Pete Flannagan · Jeff Foote · Sandra Gant · Dennis R. Gass · Alvin
Gaston · Suzanne George · Cynthia Gilbertsen · Greg Hambacker · Gene Hamilton
· Kim Ingersoll · Ray Johnson · Tom Klein · Robert Krieger · Pete Lane · Sharon
Lesser · Earl R. Lemiuex · John Maddox · Gregory Malone · Annie Matlock · Rose
McKinney · Lon Mendelsohn · Dr. Ted Newsome · Mildred O'Keefe · Ramey Reeves
· Joe Rodriquez · Richard Rushton · Dexter Schoenthaler · Bob Scott · Angela
Skidmore · Jerald A. Stephenson · Mark Sullivan · Thomas Thurber · Jim Tice · Roger
Turnowski · Debbie Underwood · Kenneth Vann · Jeff Wade · Betsy Walton · Charles
Ward · Gail Weisser · Donald J. Wilson · Arthur M. Yates · Judy Yogman
Thanks is also extended to the many hundreds of people who shared information on
our Trailplace.com website and ATML mailing list that proved to be useful for this guide.
There are just too many of you to list by name individually here, but your contributions
are very much appreciated. As always, thanks is extended to the many members of the
various A.T. clubs who provided valuable information about their Trail maintenance
sections, and to the owners and managers of the businesses and services listed herein
for supplying data used to update the information about their services and towns.
A special thanks is extended to the Appalachian Trail Conference for providing mileage
figures from the A.T. Data Book 2003, which were used to derive many of the mileage
figures in this handbook, and to A.T. maintainer Bob Peoples who supplied additional
mileage figures for a reroute opened after the Data Book had gone to press (which
explains why the total length for the A.T. in this handbook is 1.6 miles longer than the
total length indicated in this year's Data Book).
Finally, a personal thanks is extended to my parents. I moved the A.T. Center from
Hot Springs back to Atlanta early last year so that I could be closer to my parents, who
are both in their late eighties, and help them with the responsibilities of daily living. It
turns out that they are helping me with this book as well, and so I owe a personal
thanks to my stepfather, George, for his many hours of proofreading, and to my mother,
Helen, for the countless things she has done to assist this effort.
THANK YOU ALL!
The Thru-hiker's Handbook 2003 177
Acknowledgments
