Initial list of HTA 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
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
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
Skip Yowell, Morland, KS
Co-founder, JanSport, 1967
Created dome tent, travel pack & much other hiking-related gear
Co-founder: Outdoor Industry Association & Outdoor Industry Foundation, 1989
Board Member, Big City Mountaineers
Author: The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder & Other Mountains, 2007
Gudy Gaskill, Golden, CO
Founder, Colorado Trail
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
Mission: Closing the Gaps in Our National Scenic Trails