02x03 - The Appalachian Trail

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

Hey, everybody.

Let's G-O go!

♪ With ABC, --, and Do-Re-Mi ♪

♪ There's endless people and places to see ♪

♪ From the classroom they can search and explore ♪

♪ With every adventure you learn more ♪

♪ They visit countries near and far ♪

♪ They love to learn wherever they are ♪

♪ They see the world in a brand-new way ♪

♪ They make great new friends every day ♪

♪ ABC, --, and Do-Re-Mi ♪

♪ Come along and you will see ♪

♪ The more they travel, the more you know ♪

♪ Get ready, let's G-O go ♪

Special invitation for -- and Do-Re-Mi.

Ooh, I love special invitations.

-They're so... -Special?

That's it!

I'm starting a club.

Yippee! And you've invited me?

Of course.

It doesn't say what the name of the club is.

I'm still working on that part.

Hey, maybe we can come up with a name together.

Everything's better when we work together.

Our club's first order of business is to choose a name.

[all] Hmm.

Maybe it will help to know what our club does.

What does our club do?

I haven't figured that out yet, either.

But we can do that together, too.

So our club's new first order of business

is to decide what our club does.

Oh, oh. What about a hiking club?

Every week, we could hike a new trail.

Ooh, hiking with friends. I like it.

Great idea!

Ooh, or maybe our club climbs mountains,

or explores nature.

Climbing mountains? Exploring nature?

I like all of your ideas.

Now we need to find a place

where we can do all those things.

[all] Let's search it!

[ABC] Searching hiking trails.

What about that one? The Appalachian Trail.

It's the longest hiking trail in the United States.

Almost , miles long.

Millions of people hike it every year,

some for a few hours, and-- get this--

some people hike the entire trail

from beginning to end.

That must take a really long time.

[all] Mm-hmm.

[ABC] Look at all the states it goes through.

[--] , to be precise.

[Do-Re-Mi] Who's that?

[--] Benton MacKaye.

The Appalachian Trail was his idea.

He dreamed of creating a walking trail

that goes along the top of a long line of mountains

that go from the state of Georgia

to the state of Maine.

Great. The Appalachian Trail has hiking trails, nature,

and climbing mountains.

But what about the name of our club?

[all] Hmm.

Maybe the perfect name will come to us as we explore the trail.

Great idea, ABC.

And I think we all agree.

Then let's G-O go!

Ooh. That plaque marks the beginning of the trail.

Let's go.

"Need help clearing path near start of trail.

Send volunteers, please."

ABC, --, and Do-Re-Mi. That was fast.

I'm Beckett.

[all] Nice to meet you, Beckett.

Well, you're not the volunteers I asked for. Are you?

No, but we're always happy to help.

Reporting for duty, Beckett!

All right, awesome.

You can help me clear the wood I just cut.

[all cheer]

So, what does your club do?

We hike trails, climb mountains, and explore nature.

Sounds fun.

Do you belong to any clubs?

Not exactly, but I am one of about , volunteers

who take care of the

[Southern pronunciation] Appalachian Trail.

I thought it was pronounced

[non-Southern pronunciation] "Appalachian Trail."

Well, that's how a lot of people say it.

But here in the South, most of us say "Appalachian."

What exactly does your giant club do?

We keep the trail safe for hikers

by clearing it like we're doing now

and by filling big holes,


and sometimes we do a little painting.

Painting? How do you paint a trail?

Well, I'll show you.

These are called blazes.

They look like some kind of a sign.

For the hikers?

You're both right.

When hikers see 'em on rocks or trees or posts,

they know they're headed in the right direction

-and not lost. -What a great idea.

Want to see the start of the Appalachian Trail?

[all] Sure.

[Beckett] "A Footpath for Those who seek a Fellowship

with the Wilderness."

What does that mean?

It means it's a trail for people who want nature

to be an important part of their lives.

So this is where the trail begins.

Is anyone else thinking what I am?

Most likely no. [chuckles]

I'm thinking we walk north

until we reach the end of the trail.

Who's with me?

Remember, ABC,

the trail is more than , miles long.

It took me six months to go all the way.

You hiked the entire trail?

Yep. It was the most amazing thing I've ever done.

Anyone who walks the entire trail,

whether they do it all at once or a little at a time,

is called a ",-miler."

I want to be a ,-miler.

What do you mean, "a little at a time"?

Well, you could hike the trail for a week or two,

then come back the next year and hike the next part of it.

You keep doing that until you've walked the entire trail

from beginning to end.

Wow! I'm so gonna do that.

Where should we go next?

I'd check out Shenandoah National Park.

It's beautiful.

Hope we see you again, Beckett.

-[mice] Bye! -[Beckett] Thanks for coming by.

[phone vibrates]

Welcome to the Shenandoah National Park.

I'm Amahle.

[all] Hi, Amahle.

We're so happy to meet you.

Are you hiking the entire trail?

Just a part of it.

I'm going back home to South Africa in two weeks.

You came all the way to America to hike the Appalachian Trail?

I did.

My goal is to hike in every continent,

and I'm starting in North America,

here in the United States.

Amahle's officially awesome.

Mm-hmm.

There are many different mountain ranges

along the Appalachian Trail.

[Do-Re-Mi] Like the White Mountains in New Hampshire?

Ooh, and the Green Mountains in Vermont,

and the Blue Ridge Mountains here in Virginia.

[Amahle] Right. All of these ranges, and many more,

are a part of the Appalachian Mountains.

-And they're so beautiful, too. -[thunder rumbles]

Oh. I never expected to see lightning like that.

Lightning?

[--] Oh, my goodness. We're above it.

[Do-Re-Mi] Oh. Nature puts on the best shows.

I'd better get moving. Will you join me?

We'd love to.

Hmm.

Did you know that the Appalachian Mountains

used to be taller?

What happened?

Over a very long time,

wind and rain and ice can wear down even mountains.

[thunder rumbles]

Ooh, hear that?

I think it's going to rain.

There's a place up ahead where we can stay dry.

There are many of these shelters along the trail

where hikers can sleep at night.

And stay dry.

Yes, that too.

So, what else do you plan to see along the Appalachian Trail?

We belong to a club that hikes trails,

climbs mountains, and explores nature.

We've done all those things

except for climbing a really tall mountain.

Can you recommend one?

The bigger the better!

Hmm. Let's see.

This one is not the biggest mountain,

but it's very famous.

It's right at the end of the trail.

-Awesome! -Woo-hoo!

[eagle cries]

[phone rings]


It's ABC, --, and Do-Re-Mi. Hello! [laughs]

My name is Mrs. Bellateche,

but you can call me Mrs. B.

[all] Hi, Mrs. B.

Did you come to Mount Katahdin

to climb to the end of the Appalachian Trail?

-We sure did. -Is that why you're here?

Well, that's what I was hoping to do.

Over the years, I've been hiking the trail

a little at a time,

but I'm not sure I'll make it all the way today.

Oh. Did you hurt yourself?

No. Just feeling a bit tired, that's all.

If you do it today,

you'll be a ,-miler like our friend Beckett.

That would be quite an accomplishment, wouldn't it?

-Yes! -It sure would!

You can do it.

You're right.

Let's G-O go!

[all cheer]

[Do-Re-Mi] We're almost at the end of the Appalachian Trail.

[--] You can do it, Mrs. B.

I can't believe I did it.

This feels amazing.

It's official!

You're a ,-miler.

You're terrific, you know that?

It's taken me years,

and a little help from the three of you,

to make it to the end of the trail.

Helping others is one of our favorite things to do.

Hey, should we add helping others

to the list of things our club does?

Hmm. Hiking trails, climbing mountains,

exploring nature, and helping others.

I like it.

Me, too.

A club, huh? What's the name of it?

We were hoping it would come to us on the trail,

but it hasn't yet.

But we'll keep searching.

And exploring, until it does.

[gasps] That's it.

What's it?

Search and Explore!

Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Whoa!

The Search and Explore Club.

I love it!

Me too!

I want to join.

Okay. Picture time.

Search and Explore on three.

One, two, three.

[all] Search and Explore!

[camera shutter clicks]

[ABC] Now it's time to sing along.