Stretching over 2,180 miles, the Appalachian Trail crosses 14 states, five national parks, seven national forests, and numerous state parks and towns between Maine and Georgia. Hiking its entire length requires climbing equivalent to Mount Everest 16 times. Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery, and other hikers created the trail in the 1930s so Americans could escape busy modern life for a minimalist adventure in nature, and volunteers built it with handsaws, shovels, and axes, finishing in 1937. Today visitors still use it for the same reason. One hundred and one miles of the trail pass through Shenandoah National Park, forming the backbone of the park's trail system and giving hikers of all abilities access to wilderness, mountain peaks, waterfalls, adventure, and solitude. Volunteers remain central to its upkeep, with more than 30 hiking clubs and 6,000 individual volunteers donating over 200,000 hours of trail work each year, and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club cares for the trail in Shenandoah and assists with other park trails as well.