Farsight in Saint Anthony 's Wilderness

Despite the wilderness name, Rausch Gap was a bustling town of over 1000 people in the 1800's and still an active village only 100 years ago. As we spend hours walking through forest passing only northbound hikers, it's hard to believe that generations of people once lived on the rock and dirt paths we follow through what we naturally assume is the deep woods. Then we encounter an old cemetery, a crumbling stone wall, or a rusting iron machine part abandoned long ago as not worth the effort to move.
Now, the only way to get to many of these places is on the Appalachian Trail. It's a good way to encounter a bit of forgotten history.