International Appalachian Trail records

The International Appalachian Trail (IAT) was the brainchild of Richard (Dick) Anderson. Anderson is an avid hiker, biologist, one-time Maine Audubon Society director and former Commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation. In October 1993, he envisioned an extension of the Appalachian Trail (AT) north into Canada, to the mountain chain’s continental endpoint. For nearly half a decade, Anderson worked to build support for the trail and to establish the route through Maine from the AT’s terminus at Katahdin into Canada, working with partners in New Brunswick and Québec. On June 5, 1999, the trail’s extension to Cap Gaspé, at the easternmost end of Québec, was acknowledged with an official dedication ceremony. The first thru-hiker to walk the entire AT with the IAT extension to Cap Gaspé was John Brinda in 1997.

In the years following the trail’s initial extension to Cap Gaspé, the IAT worked with Canadian representatives from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island to route the trail to the North American terminus of the Appalachian Mountains on Belle Isle, Newfoundland.

At inception, the Appalachian Mountains were part of a large range cutting across the Pangea continent, hundreds of millions of years ago. Today, the range’s geological remnants include the Appalachians in North America, various mountain ranges in Europe, and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. As word of the IAT spread in geology and hiking circles, countries on land that was once part of this ancient mountain chain became interested in establishing the trail in their regions. Between 2009 and 2015, chapters and trail segments were established in Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales, England, Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

The IAT organization was formally incorporated in 1996. It advocated for the trail, routed it and secured land leases and rights of way, publicized its existence, supported thru-hikers, and built relationships with countries interested in establishing chapters along their portion of the original mountain chain. Through representatives and annual general meetings, the international chapters of the trail worked together to create a community of trail networks with well-maintained routes, cohesive signage, and mutual support.

The Maine chapter of IAT maintains memberships, insurance, and land deeds or access agreements for the Maine portion of the trail, as well as basic maintenance of lean-tos and campsites. The group relies on donations and, in the early 2000s, sales of maps, cards, and other branded items. Anderson and Don Hudson, the trail’s early advocates, worked with Richard Innes and cartographer Charlie Gilman to route the trail through Maine, and with photographer Wilfred E. Richard to document hikes and meetings. Volunteers and board members worked together to cut and map the trail, install signage, build campsites, and work with local landowners, residents, and politicians to secure support. The IAT published a newsletter, eventually titled L'Oreade, and Anderson worked continuously to publicize the trail’s development and promise.

In 2014, the Maine section of the IAT was named the Richard B. Anderson Trail, in recognition of Anderson’s role in the IAT and the significant impact he has had on land conservation in Maine.