Berks County, PA -
• First proposed in 1921 and completed in 1937, the Applachian Trail stretches 2,175 miles across 14 states.
• The 229 miles in Pennsylvania are known for foot-busting, rocky terrain. The state is also home to the trail’s halfway point, in Adams County.
• In 1948, York County native Earl V. Shaffer, became the first person to hike the length of the trail. Fifty years later, at the age of 79, he did it again.
• Today, an average of 2,000 people attempt a thru-hike of the trail every year. Only about one in four completes it.
• About 4 million people use the trail annually.
Sources: www.earlshaffer.com; Appalachian Trail Conservancy; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.