Corinne Peace, Katy Trietsch,
Leigh Rothermel
The Len Foote Hike Inn
Outside School
Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia
 |
| Twigs on Springer Mountain at the completion of his journey |
The SOBO’s are arriving at
Springer Mountain!
Fall is here and as we watch the leaves change and drop, another creature from
deep woods emerges from the vibrant colors – SOBO’s! The South Bounders are
starting to appear, wild and dirty from their long adventure. Eleven were
reveling on October 23 full
of emotion and stories. We are fortunate one SOBO, “Twigs”, has stayed with us
for several nights working hard in the kitchen along side us. “Twigs” was quite
the inspiration for our guests and many commented on how much about the AT they
learned from him. His words of wisdom are “Just do it!”
With their completion of the AT is the promise of spring's
new beginning and the next group of NOBO’s starting out from Springer Mountain
in 2016. The Hike Inn hopes you are excited to “go” with them, as we plan for
our A.T. Ambassador to the Schools (ATAS) program we
shared at the 2015 TTEC summer institute. We envision connecting the
Hike Inn to the ATC’s Trails to Every Classroom participants, through the thru
hikers journey.
Leigh Rothermel, a new staff member at the Hike Inn and a NOBO
Thru-hiker 2015, is helping to establish the ATAS program. With her unique experience
her advice is essential to the Hike Inn’s planning and implementation. Teachers
have already sought out Leigh to visit their schools to share her journey with
students.
 |
| Leigh on McAfee Knob in Virginia |
Hikers can benefit from this program by getting kids excited
about the Appalachian Trail. They will receive
education experience by sharing with students in several ways, options
depending on teacher’s preference, include 1) sending post cards to the
students along the trail 2) writing blog posts for students to read 3) sending
videos of scenic and historical places along the trail 4) visiting the school
classroom and sharing their experiences.
Teacher and students can benefit from this program by
enhancing interdisciplinary lesson plans and learning from experiential
connections on the trail. The classroom can choose to engage with their
‘adopted’ hiker by sending their thru-hiker letters, care packages, and invite
‘their’ hiker to their classroom.
There will be an application process and we will hand pick
select hikers interested in participating with your classroom. Only hikers who
are truly enthusiastic about getting kids involved in the outdoor community and
the Appalachian Trail will be selected.
 |
| Hiker Big Easy in Maine |
The Hike Inn initiative is to provide support for the
collaboration between the hikers and the schools to ensure a successful and
enjoyable educational program. The Hike Inn will reach out to hikers through
popular
Appalachian Trail blogs and our
A.T. Ambassador to the Schools Facebook page (
https://www.facebook.com/AT-Ambassador-to-the-Schools-Program-1648114562138387/ ) this
winter. We look forward to hearing from our 2015 TTEC cohort or alumni’s
interest in how you want to participate.
What we need from our TTEC teachers is your interest in this
program and which options you want to participate in. Please email Corinne,
Katy, and Leigh at
staff@hike-inn.com
to further discuss participation the Hike Inn’s AT Ambassador to the Schools
program. You can keep up to date with our exciting new program through our blog
site
https://atambassador.wordpress.com/
. We look forward to sending spring 2016 trail energy your way!
In generating interest in the Appalachian Trail, I set up the amazingly huge map the was provided by the ATC. With the help of the UMSTV Morning Show, an announcement was made requesting students that had hiked the trail to see me and together we would place a bubbled note on the map. It would include their name and pinpoint the location where they had hiked. In just a few short days, 15 students came to me.
Interesting enough, she is from PA and likes to pronounces “Appalachian” the southern version . 
