Hiking Trails of America Leadership
Jim Kern
St. Augustine, FL
- Founder, Florida Trail Association, 1966
- Co-Founder, American Hiking Society, 1976
- Director, HikaNation, 1980-81
- Founding Publisher, American Hiker Magazine, 1988
- Founder, Big City Mountaineers, 1989
- Past President, Hiker’s Grand Slam, 1998
- Past President, Kern Trekking & Travel, 1999
- Author, Trail Reflections, 50 Years of Hiking and Backpacking, 2011
William “Bill” Kemsley, Jr.
Taos, NM
- US Navy Veteran, WW II Pacific Theater, 1945-1946
- Founding Editor and Publisher, Backpacker magazine, 1973
- Co-Founder, American Hiking Society, 1976
- Editor: The Whole Hiker’s Handbook, 1979
- Author: Backpacker and Hiker’s Handbook, 2008
Paul C. Pritchard
Hagerstown, MD
- Decorated Combat Military Veteran, U.S. Army Advisor, Republic of Vietnam
- First Executive Director, Appalachian Trail Conference
- Former Deputy Director, U.S. Department of Interior
- Past President, National Parks and Conservation Association
- Co-Founder, American Hiking Society, 1976
Founder, National Park Trust
Larry Luxenberg
New City, NY
- Appalachian Trail Thru-hiker, 1980
- Founder and President, Appalachian Trail Museum, Gardners, PA.
- American Hiking Society, Board of Directors
- Author, Walking the Appalachian Trail
Dennis Lewon
Boulder, CO
- Former Editor-in-Chief, BACKPACKER magazine
Ron Strickland
Bedford, MA
- Founder, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, 1970
- Author, The Pacific Northwest Trail Guide, 1984, 2001
- Author, Pathfinder: Blazing a New Wilderness Trail in Modern America, 2011
- Author, The North Country Trail: The Best Walks, Hikes, and Backpacking Trips…, 2013
- Lifetime Service Award, 11th National Trails Symposium (American Trails), 2008, and others