This has been noised about for years, and they finally opened trail connection between the Pinhoti Trail in Bama and the Springer Mountain terminus of the AT. This tacks another 334 miles onto the trail system…although Pinhoti is not (yet?) officially part of the system.
They’re also planning to extend the trail to Flagg Mountain, the southernmost mountain in the Appalachian chain. Then perhaps, with support and Congress’s help, the southern terminus could be officially moved, and with the Gaspe extension, we could have an Appalachian Trail that truly extends the entire length of the chain.
The terminus will never move. It will remain Springer to Katahdin unless something very drastic changes. The AT community is amazingly resistant to any extensions or major changes to the trail route.
Oh, I know. I’m part of the AT community. Stubborn bastards.
But give it another 20 or 30 years, and I’ll bet it eventually changes.
I should mention that it’s totally enough for me right now that the trail is finally (finally!) connected. I’ve been dreaming about this connection since I was a kid, hiking around Cheaha, Chinnabee, and the Pinhoti (and then having to drive, drive, drive) in order to get anywhere near the AT.)
