I get asked this question all the time...

How do you pronounce the name of that famous East Coast hiking trail?

When I lived in Washington State growing up, it was always the Appa-LAY-chun trail.

When I hiked, I ran into people who pronounced it every which way...

• Appa-LATCH-ian
• Appa-LAY-shun
• Appa-LAH-chun
• Appa-LATCH-un

It's often said that the Mason-Dixon line separates the point at which people say the name correctly or not, but I hear disagreements from Tennesseans and North Carolinians as well.

Since moving to North Carolina myself, I now say Appa-LATCH-un, and people have stopped correcting me.

However you say it, the beauty that is the Appalachian Trail is worth experiencing in any accent, and by any name.

Get out there and enjoy the trail, and Take a Hike!