John Amabile

At the 31.7-mile marker on the Appalachian Trail (starting from the Springer Mountain, Georgia, trailhead), at a place called Neels Gap, one encounters a hiker’s oasis, the outfitter known as Mountain Crossings. This one-stop-shop for gear provisions, and expert trail advice has another distinction. The staff there have a front-row seat to the “detritus” discarded by thru-hikers who, by this point in their journey, have covered over 30 miles of trail.