The Green Tunnel

The Green Tunnel explores the history and culture of the United States’ most iconic long-distance hiking trail, the Appalachian Trail. Hosted by Mills Kelly, the show delves into topics including the quirky history of trail food, the shelters and structures built along the trail, and dangers you might encounter during a hike.

The End of the Trail 05/07/2024

The End of the Trail Today’s episode is bittersweet because we have reached the end of our hike. After three years and 50 episodes, we are wrapping up The Green Tunnel with something a little different. Every episode of The Green Tunnel has focused on some aspect of the history of the Appalachian Trail, but today we’re looking forward. What will the AT’s future look like? How will the trail evolve? What will the greatest challenges be for the trail we all love? /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/31171392

Hogs, Chipmunks, and Bears, Oh My! 04/23/2024

Hogs, Chipmunks, and Bears, Oh My! On today’s episode of The Green Tunnel, we are exploring a central reason why hikers head to the Appalachian Trail in the first place, to see wildlife. We’ll also talk about how the animals along the trail are changing the way hikers experience the AT and the ecology of the mountains the AT passes through. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/30940108

Iconic Locations: The Katahdin Sign 04/09/2024

Iconic Locations: The Katahdin Sign What long-distance AT hiker hasn’t dreamed of reaching that sign on the summit of Katahdin at the end of their hike? Today, we are headed to the top of the mountain to explore the history of the iconic sign. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/30730263

Trail Writing 03/26/2024

Trail Writing The Appalachian Trail winds its way through Appalachia which is a place where people make sense of their world through stories. Stories of their lives in the mountains. Stories of the land and its riches. Stories, both fiction and non-fiction, about their journeys. In this episode of The Green Tunnel, we are exploring the history of writing about the Appalachian Trail. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/30532408

Iconic Locations: Priest Mountain Shelter 03/12/2024

Iconic Locations: Priest Mountain Shelter Did you know a significant number of hikers confess their sins in the logbook in the shelter on Priest Mountain? Why do they do this and what do they confess? Find out on today’s Iconic Locations episode. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/30325968

Becoming a National Park 02/27/2024

Becoming a National Park Benton MacKaye wanted to be sure that anyone who chose to spend a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks on the trail would have the opportunity to really get away from civilization. However, most of the lands MacKaye hoped to route his future trail through were in private hands, owned either by individuals or corporations. If an Appalachian Trail was really going to be built, then its leaders would have to find a way to reconcile their desire to build a trail with the rights of private landowners. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/30116068

Iconic Locations: Delaware Water Gap 02/13/2024

Iconic Locations: Delaware Water Gap The Delaware Water Gap is one of the most breathtaking spots along the entire Appalachian Trail and has been a favorite subject of landscape painters since at least the middle of the 19th century. It's an important marker for northbound hikers, but it's also a torturous landscape that many hikers call "Rocksylvania." /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/29911608

Wayfinding 01/30/2024

Wayfinding There is no better way to turn a good hike into a bad hike than taking a wrong turn and hiking miles out of your way. Especially if that means you climbed an extra mountain or two. Today, we are exploring the history of blazing, signing, and mapping the trail from Georgia to Maine. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/29703738

Iconic Locations: Bear Mountain Bridge 01/16/2024

Iconic Locations: Bear Mountain Bridge Bear Mountain Bridge sits just north of the oldest section of the entire Appalachian Trail and on today's Iconic Location episode we are what was once the world’s longest suspension bridge. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/29496213

Constructing the Trail 12/12/2023

Constructing the Trail Today we’re going back to the earliest days of the Appalachian Trail to learn more about the critical role that the Civilian Conservation Corps played in making the trail a reality. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/29027848

Iconic Locations: Charlies Bunion 11/28/2023

Iconic Locations: Charlies Bunion Have you ever wondered who Charlies Bunion was named after or why there are two balds with the same name? On today’s Iconic Location episode, we are exploring the mystery of Charlies Bunion. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/28804358

The Perfect Tree 11/14/2023

The Perfect Tree The American Chestnut was one of the most magnificent trees in North America. On today’s episode of The Green Tunnel, we’re going to explore how it lived, how it died, and how – with the help of scientists, non-profit organizations, and passionate volunteers – it just might repopulate the Appalachian Mountains once again. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/28623678

Iconic Locations: Dragon's Tooth 10/31/2023

Iconic Locations: Dragon's Tooth While no one has ever seen a dragon along the Appalachian Trail, hundreds of thousands of hikers have seen a dragon’s tooth. Viewed from a distance this geological formation looks like one very large, very snaggly fang sticking up out of Cove Mountain. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/28465634

Geological Time 10/17/2023

Geological Time This season the history we’re starting with is really, really old. We are exploring the geological history of the rocks and mountains the Appalachian Trail runs through. We will also answer the age-old question, are the mountains actually getting taller? /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/28334750

Season Three: The Natural History of the Trail 10/03/2023

Season Three: The Natural History of the Trail On Tuesday, October 17th, The Green Tunnel will be back with Season Three! This season we’re exploring the natural history of the Appalachian Trail. We’ll dig deep into the trail’s geological past, climb chestnut trees, follow some critters down unexpected paths, and consider the history of the trail’s future. We’ll also highlight iconic locations across the trail, from the Priest Shelter in Virginia to the Kennebec River Ferry in Maine. We’ve interviewed historians and scientists, hikers and authors, trail maintainers and mapmakers, to bring you new stories about the history and culture of the Appalachian Trail. For more information or to catch up on previous episodes, visit our website, . /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/28203770

Hiking Connecticut with “Jester” Section Hiker 08/22/2023

Hiking Connecticut with “Jester” Section Hiker Planning section hikes can take a lot of work. Luckily, every section hiker out there has a go-to podcast to help with that planning. Julie Gayheart hosts the “Jester” Section Hiker podcast and there is no better resource for anyone interested in section hiking the Appalachian Trail. Today, Julie walks us through what it takes to hike the Connecticut section of the trail. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/27812094

A Life Crafted for the Outdoors with Orange Blaze 07/18/2023

A Life Crafted for the Outdoors with Orange Blaze Today we’re headed to Florida. While the AT doesn’t run through Florida, the state has a lot of great trails, including the Florida Trail. And one of the best ways for you to learn about the FT is by listening to Orange Blaze. This podcast highlights the experience of hikers along the Florida Trail and is hosted by Misti ‘Ridley’ Little. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/27485601

50/50 05/30/2023

50/50 When the Appalachian Trail project began, volunteer clubs up and down the length of the trail committed themselves to first scouting, then building, and then maintaining the trail. In the last episode of season two, we are digging into the critical role women played in the early years of the AT. They played such a big role, some trail clubs limited the number of women allowed to join. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26963694

Iconic Locations: Fontana Dam 05/16/2023

Iconic Locations: Fontana Dam Today, we’re hiking on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, to the site of Fontana Dam. It’s the tallest dam east of the Rocky Mountains. Constructed in the 1940s, the dam and its resulting reservoir flooded four towns and affected the daily lives and memories of many people. So, why was the dam built and what lies beneath the cool blue waters of Fontana Lake? Further Reading: Pete Seeger, "The TVA Song," Gazette, Vol. 1 (1958) Smithsonian Folkways Recordings /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26846997

The Weight of History 05/02/2023

The Weight of History The Appalachian Trail is a much more diverse place in 2023 than it was as recently as 20 years ago. But if you spend much time on the trail, you know it’s still a pretty white place. There are many stories about the challenges faced by members of marginalized communities who hike the AT, and we need a lot more research to better understand how the history of the trail and the history of race are closely interwoven. On today’s episode, attorney of Maine and historian of the University of Colorado-Boulder help us explore specifically how the history of the AT crosses paths with African American history, in ways you might not expect. Further Reading: Mills Kelly, “The A.T. and Race” AT Journeys, February 2021: . Megan Rosenbloom, Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin (New York: MacMillian, 2020). Noelle Smith, “How Perceived Racial Differences Created a Crisis in Black Women’s Healthcare,” Nursing Clio, March 31, 2020, Harriet Washington, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (New York: Random House, 2008). Phoebe S. K. Young, Camping Grounds: Public Nature in American Life from the Civil War to the Occupy Movement (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021). /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26710557

Iconic Locations: Harpers Ferry 04/18/2023

Iconic Locations: Harpers Ferry Long before Harpers Ferry, Virginia became the emotional halfway point for Appalachian Trail thru hikers, it was the site of one of the most important events in 19th century American history. In the fall of 1859, the abolitionist John Brown and 22 of his compatriots attacked the federal arsenal there, hoping to spark an insurrection against slavery in the American South on the eve of the Civil War. On today's episode, historian of Louisiana State University explores Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and the landscape hikers now pass through today. Further Reading: AT hiker photographs: [] Jonathan Earle, John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry: A Brief History with Documents (2008). Harpers Ferry Stories from the National Park Service: Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia: An Annotated Edition, ed. Robert Pierce Forbes (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2022), 36-38. Pete Seeger, America’s Favorite Ballads, Vol. 3, Folkways Records, 1959, vinyl. . Harpers Ferry Stories from the National Park Service: . /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26569656

The Call of the Trail 04/04/2023

The Call of the Trail Throughout its history, the Appalachian Trail has been a place many hikers go for peace, for inspiration, for community, for physical challenge, and in some cases, as a sort of personal spiritual journey. In our show today, we’re taking a close look at the history of these inner motivations to hike. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26435220

Iconic Locations: Center Point Knob 03/21/2023

Iconic Locations: Center Point Knob Have you ever wondered where the center point of the Appalachian Trail is? If you guessed Center Point Knob, Pennsylvania you would be wrong. But it was the location of an infamous crime. Well sort of. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26286198

Finding Virginia’s Lost AT with Dakota Jackson and Mills Kelly 03/07/2023

Finding Virginia’s Lost AT with Dakota Jackson and Mills Kelly On this special episode of The Green Tunnel, Dakota Jackson, Director of Visitor Experience at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, talks with Mills Kelly about his new book, Virginia's Lost Appalachian Trail. Dakota and Mills explore the process of digging up the story of Virginia's Lost AT in the archives, and in the memories of the people who remember it. We hope you enjoy this deeper dive into the history of the old section of the trail, and learn a little about how historians recover and interpret the past. Don't forget to listen to "The Lost AT." Purchase your own copy of Mills Kelly's book. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/26143962

The Lost AT 02/21/2023

The Lost AT Today, we’re going to tell you a story from the earliest days of the Appalachian Trail, a time when trail scouts were still trying to find a complete route north or south through what was sometimes unmapped wilderness. It’s a story about a 300-mile-long section of the Appalachian Trail you almost certainly have never heard of. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/25990665

Iconic Locations: Damascus, Virginia 02/02/2023

Iconic Locations: Damascus, Virginia Today we're exploring one of the more famous trail towns along the Appalachian Trail, Damascus, Virginia. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/25812294

Native Persistence 01/24/2023

Native Persistence Hikers don’t often realize they’re passing through the traditional homelands of many Indigenous nations. In today’s episode, we’re focusing on some of the Indigenous lands the Appalachian Trail runs through as a way of helping to recover at least some of the Indigenous history along the trail’s route. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/25706898

Iconic Locations: Roller Coaster 12/13/2022

Iconic Locations: Roller Coaster Today, we explore one of the most infamous sections of the Appalachian Trail. Get ready for the ups and downs of Northern Virginia's Roller Coaster. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/25231092

Crappalachian Trail 11/29/2022

Crappalachian Trail Today, we’re going to be talking about something everybody does, but not everybody’s comfortable discussing. There’s no nice way to say this, other than to just get right to it. Today’s episode is about pooping along the Appalachian Trail. And yes, even that has a history. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/25151865

Iconic Locations: Monson, Maine 11/04/2022

Iconic Locations: Monson, Maine The AT originally ran right through Monson, Maine, fueling its economy, but when the trail was moved and things threatened to change, the community established itself as a hiker haven. /episode/index/show/71f0ba6b-cc26-4d58-8688-266d93aa216d/id/24909585

The Green Tunnel

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