Appalachian Trail Relay

The Appalachian Trail stretches from Maine to Georgia for a grand total 2160 miles.  The Appalachian Trail Relay covers nearly 90 of those miles and the entire Massachusetts portion of the trail, in just two days.  One team of hikers starts from North Adams in northern Massachusetts while a second team starts from the Connecticut border.  Each of these teams are then split in half, the end result being that a total of 4 groups is formed to hike each who then hike approximately one fourth of the total distance.  For example, one group from the Northern team starts in North Adams while the second group drive to a check point where they leave the car and begin hiking ending up at an AMC shelter.  The first group then hikes to the car which they then drive to the shelter where both groups spend the night.  The same process is then repeated the next day ending up at the bridge where the Trail crosses the Massachusetts Turnpike.  The southern team does this same process and then if everything goes well everyone who started hiking the previous day meets everyone else on the bridge.  Each person ends up hiking an average of 10-14 miles a day.   

Pictures and Trip Accounts
October 2002
October 2001
May 2001



University of Massachusetts Outing Club - 2002