Business as usual: another rant.

Be prepared for something very unusual from me: a topical blog post.

Alright, I may be stretching the definition of the word topical a little far. The word topical usually implies that a subject is of great interest in the current climate, that office workers are discussing it fervently over coffee breaks, and that inches of column space are being devoted to it.

In reality, just one article recent has been published on the subject and probably only because it is a slow news day. This is the news that the fabled Appalachian trail may be extended.

The Appalachian trail, or AT to its friends, holds a special place in the hearts of hikers worldwide. It is one of the world's oldest long distance trails, and what a trail it is. At 2,178 miles it stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia up the eastern seaboard of the United States to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

It may no longer be the longest trail in the world or even the United States, but it is the grand daddy of all those that have followed it. Even the Pennine Way - which Joe I will be walking next month in preparation for The Great Walk West: a walk that includes a part of the AT - was directly inspired by the Appalachian Trail.

Those who have completed its full length are known affectionately as thru-hikers and some of their number are truly legendary. Emma "Grandma" Gatewood was the first woman to complete the trail, despite being a grandmother of 23. Her famous wit and inappropriate gear leaves made her an instant AT celebrity. A status which was only heightened when she repeated the feat a futher two times. Britons though will be more familiar with Bill Bryson and his famous failure to complete the AT.

Each year more thru-hikers complete the trail than the America's two other long distance trails, the Pacific Crest Trail and American Discovery Trail, combined. Why then is it so popular? Partly it is the history and the stories of past thru-hikers. Partly it is the legendary companionship between hikers, who tend to bump into each other every day for months on end, and the charity of those who live around the trail: so called trail magic. Partly it is because the AT is so achievable to anyone who has six to eight months to spare.

It is against this background that a growing number of people are calling for the trail to be extended. The Appalachian mountains do not finish at the trail's northern terminus but continue through Quebec into Newfoundland. A group is currently blazing a trail known as The International Appalachian Tail into Newfoundland and hope for it to become part of the AT proper.

For some reason, I find myself hating this idea. I have only stepped momentarily on the AT and will only be walking a few hundred miles of it next year, but I already feel an affinity to the trail. The true stretch from Georgia to Maine has a rich history and prestige that the no extension will ever match.

I am not against new walking trails, far from it, just the pointless association of new trails with the established and well loved AT brand. Especially if it belittles the achievements of those who have already walked the trail and makes the walk less attainable to future hikers.

The Appalachian Trail may not be enough to satisfy the whims of nutters such as Joe and myself, but that does not mean it should be extended to accommodate the moronic few. Give these people deserve a new badge that includes but does not replace the badge of the AT thru-hiker.

As for plans to extend the trail through Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes, Scotland, France, Spain, the Atlas mountains and any other peaks can claim some sort of geological affinity to the Appalachians, no comment. I just wonder who will be so bold as to suggest that the Appalachain Mountain's Antarctic cousins be included?