Take a Hike Looking to get outdoors and enjoy nature, now that spring has sprung? Our columnist knows just the place to go. April 2021 While getting out and breathing fresh spring air is always a good prescription, it seems especially attractive in 2021, as we begin finally venturing beyond our backyards. A safe, beautiful, nearby destination? For many, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail fits the description. It’s within an easy day’s drive for half the population in America, and it encompasses rivers, mountaintops, deciduous and coniferous forests, ponds and swamps, alpine meadows, and wildflower hillsides. It even embraces charming old Revolutionary War towns and picturesque farms, over 14 eastern states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. More than three million people hike at least some of the trail each year.