Fun Facts: The Appalachian Trail and Allegheny River

@OneOfMany (12150)
United States
April 12, 2018 8:33am CST
I live in a part of the Appalachian Mountains (the far western part), but the trail itself is actually quite interesting due to the fact that it is the only mountain trail that has an ocean in the middle of it! The Appalachian Mountains begin in the state of Alabama and continue up through many states until reaching into Newfoundland, Canada. The Trail itself starts in Georgia and goes to Maine... at least it did. Now it is an international trail that goes into Canada and hits the Atlantic Ocean, only to pop up again at Ireland! After Ireland, Scotland is included in the system. Apparently the mountain range even covers the eastern side of Greenland, but I don't know of any trails there! Originally the Appalachian Mountains were called the Alleghenies, based on the Allegheny River (which flows through my town). One person even suggested renaming the United States, Alleghania, around 1810, since it was a very well known word. As for the Allegheny River itself, it flows from my area gradually getting bigger and being joined with more rivers and changing names, until it flows into the Gulf of Mexico as the Mississippi River. The fun fact about the Mississippi, is that if it were named based on river volumes of the contributing branch, it would be the Allegheny. As for when that water mixes with the salt water? It remains in freshwater river form all the way around Florida until it finally mixes just off of Georgia.
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4 responses
@mlgen1037 (29886)
• Manila, Philippines
12 Apr 18
The fun fact about the Mississippi, is that if it were named based on river volumes of the contributing branch, it would be the Allegheny. As for when that water mixes with the salt water? It remains in freshwater river form all the way around Florida until it finally mixes just off of Georgia. - Interesting. Isnt it when freshwater is mixed with salt water, it will become salt water? I wish I could see this for myself but I am too far away.
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
12 Apr 18
Yes. If it were to be named based on length, it would be different. It was named the Mississippi because it served as the western edge of the United States at a time. You can see the satellite images of it. It's not all that impressive. It's just neat that it stays together so long. I haven't seen much of the lower Mississippi other than what I have seen from the air.
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@mlgen1037 (29886)
• Manila, Philippines
12 Apr 18
@OneOfMany Wow. That is something. I studied American history that includes the Mississippi River. But never knew any other facts until you mentioned this.
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
12 Apr 18
@mlgen1037 Well, I like to research. I didn't know some of these until this morning (about the Appalachians in Scotland and Greenland; people referring to them as the Alleghenies; and them wanting to rename the United States). I knew about the river from years ago (and the different facts associated with it). With the Louisiana Purchase (sold by the French), we got land west of the river; and with different conflicts and diplomacy, we got land from Britain, Spain, Mexico, and Russia. In a few instances we bought land from other countries. Anyway, it was a long history.
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@sabtraversa (12941)
• Italy
12 Apr 18
How come there's an international trail now, with the ocean in between? It sounds like a great opportunity to travel and explore a part of the US, with the cheapest and most reliable mean of transportation. I like to hike, but nobody I know likes to, over here.
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@sabtraversa (12941)
• Italy
12 Apr 18
@OneOfMany Boat shoes? What unit of measurement is a "house"?
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
12 Apr 18
Well, people put on boat shoes and walk across the ocean if they want to be adventurous. But often that gets expensive. Most take an airplane. :P I like to hike. In my town, there's one hill top that is covered in these large boulders leftover from the glacier. They are fun to climb on. Most of them are bigger than houses.
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
12 Apr 18
@sabtraversa Yes, shoes for walking on water. They don't do so well and it is difficult to balance with. You're better with an antigravity pack in that case, but then it gets hard to resist the wind. Well, if the rocks were hollow, you could live in them comfortably. :P
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr 18
Sounds a great place to hike.
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
13 Apr 18
We have some pretty neat places up here. Just last night we (people in an economic and community development group) were trying to figure out if the hiking trails up to giant boulders on the hill was swallowed up by private land or not.
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
15 Apr 18
@JudyEv There is this creek I enjoy swimming at in the summer, and the property went up for sale, and the guy who bought it actually forbid anyone from going down to swim there afterwards. He was some rich guy from New York, just trying to oppress the local population. Their house they built there (but rarely ever were in) is for sale now, after 12 years. Hopefully we'll be able to get back to it.
@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Apr 18
@OneOfMany Some rich people with homes along the beach front tried to say the beach itself was private property but luckily they got shouted down.
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@ivanituut (1934)
12 Apr 18
good facts, thanks
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@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
12 Apr 18
You're welcome. :)
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