Bart Smith

Last updated
Bart Smith
OccupationPhotographer
CitizenshipAmerican
GenreHiking, Outdoors, National Trails, National Parks
Notable worksAmerica's Great Hiking Trails, America’s National Historic Trails
Notable awardsGold from Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards program, Silver from National Outdoor Book Award
Website
www.bartsmithphotography.com

Bart Smith (born 1959) is an outdoor photographer who concentrates on documenting America's National Trails System. Over the course of more than 25 years, he became the first person to hike and photograph all of the 11 national scenic trails and to traverse (mostly by hiking, but when necessary, by sailing, paddling, and bush plane) all of the 19 national historic trails. [1] The 30 national trails go through all 50 states, with a total mileage of more than 50,000 miles. [2]

Contents

Smith's photographs of the national trail system, along with other notable trails, call attention to the diversity of American trails, the landscapes they cross, and the need to protect them. He is the principal photographer of 10 books, and has contributed to many others. [3] [4]

Biography

Smith's interest in hiking began with childhood Boy Scout trips. He told Backpacker magazine that he remembers becoming interested in the idea of long-distance trails when his Boy Scout troop crossed the Pacific Crest Trail and he learned that it was possible to walk all the way from his home in the Pacific Northwest to Mexico. [5]

Starting in 1992, Smith spent five years hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and honing his skills as an outdoor photographer. In 1997, he successfully submitted a book proposal featuring his PCT photographs to Westcliffe Books, then a Colorado-based publisher of fine nature and outdoor photography books. (Westcliffe is now an imprint of Trails Books, which is itself an imprint of Denver-based Bower House.) The book, Along the Pacific Crest Trail, with text by Karen Berger and Daniel R. Smith, was published in 1998.

For his next book, Smith hiked the Appalachian Trail and partnered with Earl Shaffer, the Appalachian Trail's first thru-hiker, who wrote the text. The Appalachian Trail: Calling me Back to the Hills was published in 2002. Smith then hiked the Florida Trail, the Ice Age Trail, and finally, the rest of the national scenic trails. The total distance was more than 17,500 miles, according to Steve Elkinton, then the National Trails System program leader for the National Park Service. [6] Having completed the national scenic trails, Smith then decided to hike, or, where hiking was not possible, travel by water or air, over the national historic trails network.

Smith's work and travels have been covered in and published by national and international media, including Backpacker, [5] Smithsonian, [7] Outside, [8] and The Guardian . [9] [10]

Regional media and trail organizations closely followed Smith as he ticked off the trails in his quest to hike the entire national trails system. Media coverage focused on his overall project, as well as on the details of the trips (gear, packweight, logistics, dangers, camera equipment) and the characteristics and importance of individual trails. Examples include the Oregon Trail (Idaho State Journal [11] ), the Lewis and Clark Trail, (Gateway Arch Park Foundation [12] and the Helena (Montana) Independent Record [13] ), the El Camino Real de los Tejas (My San Antonio [14] ), the Santa Fe Trail (Santa Fe New Mexican [15] and Examiner [16] ), and the Nez Perce Trail (Billings Gazette [17] ).

Speaking and Trail Advocacy

In addition to his photography, Smith is a frequent speaker for hiking conferences, as well as at venues for the general public, ranging from bookstores [18] to the Smithsonian Institution. [19] His books, media coverage of his travels, and his lectures have brought attention to the diversity of the American trails network and the need to protect the trails and the landscapes they cross.

Bibliography

America's National Historic Trails

Hiking Trails of the Pacific Northwest

The AT: Hiking the People's Path

The Pacific Crest Trail

America's Great Hiking Trails

The Pony Express: An Illustrated History

Along Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail

Along the Florida Trail

The Appalachian Trail: Calling me Back to the Hills

Along the Pacific Crest Trail

Related Research Articles

Appalachian Trail Hiking trail going through fourteen US states

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Hiking Walking as a hobby, sport, or leisure activity

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The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is just south of Campo, California by the U.S. border with Mexico, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border on the edge of Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Continental Divide Trail Long-distance scenic trail in the western United States

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Mount Guyot (Great Smoky Mountains)

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References

  1. ↑ Niedbalski, Jim (Oct 12, 2018). "A Trail for Everyone, and Everyone's Legacy of Trails" (PDF). MCLA (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts); originally published in the Berkshire Eagle.
  2. ↑ "National Trails System". Partnership for the National Trails System.
  3. ↑ Cobb, David (Feb 10, 2020). "The Walking Photographer". Photo Cascadia.
  4. ↑ "Bart Smith Author Page". Amazon.
  5. 1 2 Lyon, Casey (Jun 8, 2018). "The Man Who Hiked It All". Backpacker.
  6. ↑ Lacitis, Erik (October 3, 2009). "A Journey of Thousands of Steps". Seattle Times.
  7. ↑ Webster, Donovan (Apr 1, 2005). "Footpath Atop the West". Smithsonian.
  8. ↑ Berger, Karen (June 28, 2021). "Beginner's Guide to the Appalachian Trail". Outside.
  9. ↑ "The man who hiked 30 us national trails -- in pictures". The Guardian. Oct 2, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Six of the best US national trails – chosen by experts". The Guardian. Oct 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Jordan, Eniko (Sep 15, 2012). "Washington man fulfilling dream of walking Oregon Trail". Idaho State Record.
  12. ↑ "Bart Smith Completes Lewis and Clark Trail at the Arch". Gateway Arch Park Foundation. Oct 10, 2018.
  13. ↑ Kuglin, Tom (Jul 11, 2018). "Retracing Lewis and Clark's Steps Hiker Passes through Helena on Quest to hike all 30 National Trails". Independent Record (Helena Montana).
  14. ↑ McDonald, Colin (Jan 4, 2012). "A long walk through history: Man hiking 550 miles on 300-year-old trail passes through S.A." My San Antonio.
  15. ↑ Nott, Robert (Oct 23, 2014). "Hiker ends a 900-mile trek in Santa Fe". Santa Fe New Mexican.
  16. ↑ Dumsky, Brandon (Aug 3, 2014). "Walking the Santa Fe Trail". Examiner (of eastern Jackson County, Missouri).
  17. ↑ Benoit, Zach (Sep 17, 2011). "Photographer walking 1,100-mile Nez Perce Trail". Billings Gazette.
  18. ↑ "Coffee Table Book Celebrates Oregon Hiking". The Nugget Newspaper (Sisters, Oregon). Feb 16, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Bart Smith at the Smithsonian". You Tube, Smithsonian speech video.
  20. ↑ "Travel Books Best Sellers List". The New York Times Book Review .
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