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Thanks to Governor Sanford, the Appalachian Trail has received tremendous press this week as a great place to clear one’s head, recharge batteries, and get away from a stressful job.  Had Governor Sanford actually hiked the Appalachian Trail and done these things, he certainly would not be in the mess he’s in now.

While Sanford’s opponents stand the most to gain from his time not on the Appalachian Trail, the Sierra Club has seized the moment as well with a highly topical enewsletter sent yesterday morning from Greg Haegele, the deputy executive director:

We heard the governor of South Carolina had some trouble finding the Appalachian Trail last week.

We don’t want that to happen to anyone else, so now’s a perfect time to let you know about our new online community: Sierra Club Trails. Members of the community are adding trails from around the country, sharing spectacular photos, and discussing topics such as whether guns should be allowed in our national parks.

But so far only two sections of the Appalachian Trail have been added by our members. No wonder the governor got lost!

If you’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, join the Sierra Club Trails community and add a stretch or two. Share your photos of the trail, too!

If you haven’t hiked that trail but have other favorites, we’d love you to share them on Trails as well.

Thanks for all that you do to protect the environment.
P.S. — Don’t forget your (moral) compass.

The same newsletter was also posted on the Sierra Club Trails’ blog and while some blog commenters were critical of the Sierra Club’s “cheap shot” that, according to one, was “not in the best traditions of the club,” the newsletter has already helped.  In just one day, an additional section of the trail was mapped and someone started an Appalachian Trail group.

The Sierra Club Trails site is a wiki and online community that aims to help Sierra Club members find new trails, learn more about ones they’ve already been on, and connect with fellow lovers of the outdoors.  Like any wiki, it’s only helpful to its members if more trails are completed and more information is available to those on the site.  So any opportunity to get visitors to the new site and adding content is taken advantage of.  While the Sierra Club did take a risk in offending some members with its tongue in cheek tone, ultimately, jumping on a news event just as it happened succeeded in opening up the Sierra Club’s new community to people who might not be paying attention otherwise.

I’ll be keeping my eye on the Appalachian Trail section of the site to see if the newsletter helps to complete any more parts of the AT in the next week or two; since I’m not a hiker, the Sierra Club has already increased their traffic by one unlikely visitor!