Book Review of Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail by Mills Kelly

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book stats:

168 pages, published in 2023

you may enjoy this book if you like:

Virginia History * Hiking/Nature * Appalachian History

travel inspiration:

It will come as no surprise that Virginia's Lost Appalachian Trail is all about Virginia, but more specifically, it is set in the Southwestern corner of Virginia in the vicinity of Roanoke, the New River Valley, and down to the North Carolina border.

This area is our home - a beautiful region situated among the Blue Ridge Mountains with a few small cities in the mix and many small towns dotting rural areas with long histories of forgotten industries.

Kelly explores the intersection between these small towns and the Appalachian Trail in one of its most storied sections.

We do a decent amount of our own hiking in the area and loved learning more about the history of the trail in connection with the area. You can check out all our Roanoke-area hikes here.

about the author: mills kelly

Mills Kelly is a history professor at George Mason University in northern Virginia and an avid hiker. He volunteers with his local Appalachian Trail Club and serves as the club’s historian. While he originally set out to write a book about the Appalachian Trail, his research introduced him to the lost section of the trail, which became the focal point.

review of virginia’s lost appalachian trail by mills kelly

The Appalachian Trail is established and well-known, perhaps making its greatest foray into general consciousness a quarter century ago with Bill Bryson’s 1997 tome A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. I have lived in the shadow - or the dust, as it were - of the trail for about 30 years with sections running close to several places I’ve lived in Virginia. I have met thru-hikers while camping in the mountains beside the trail. I could smell them before I could see them, which says a lot coming from someone with a poor sense of smell.

There is an allure of the trail, at least to those of us who like the outdoors and hiking. Put aside for a moment the practicalities - the exposure to the elements, sleeping on a hard ground, hauling all your belongings on your own back for months on end - and you’re left with the beauty of traversing up to 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine on foot and the physical and mental fortitude that such an endeavor requires.

In seeking to write a book about the history of the Appalachian Trail, Mills Kelly came across early records and references to the trail location that did not match what he knew about the trail. He weighed whether to burrow down into that rabbit hole, decided in favor, and has produced a fascinating little-known history of about 300 miles of the trail through Southwestern Virginia that until 1953 was routed very differently than today’s well-trodden path.

Best yet, Kelly took this fascinating footnote of history and turned it into a compelling exploration of the politics of the early trail, the economic impact the route had (and might have continued to have) on towns slipping away without economic attractions, and the long memories that exist in local communities.

There is absolutely nothing dry about Kelly’s work; he is a great story-teller and evoker of imagination. I found myself right there with him in wondering about the fate of some of these small towns that once fed, watered, and temporarily housed hikers. But for a random twist of fate, some of these tiny towns might today be popular, trendy spots housing brewpubs or diners along the ever-popular trail that about 4,000 people attempt to hike each year, to say nothing of the shorter distance hikers.

Appalachia has long been disregarded, its people written off, both in media portrayals and economic support. By spending time in these small communities and speaking with people who have memories of the trail prior to 1953, Kelly also brings to life these important stories that don’t get told often enough. As in other communities that run generations deep in one location, there is a long oral history that exists with important tales of our country’s history. By documenting the history of the Appalachian Trail and it’s impact on these small communities and their people, Kelly is contributing an important chapter to the human and natural history records.

This book will be most meaningful to those who have spent time in Southwestern Virginia and can tie the places to their own personal experiences; however, the tale Kelly weaves will pull all readers in and likely leave them yearning to visit and experience the area for themselves. I was so engaged in this work that I read it in the course of one day because of its natural momentum, always a feat for non-fiction!

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