American Backcountry
Outdoor Graphics on Moisture Wicking, Organic and Cotton Tees

1994

Appalachian Trail Days
Damascus, Virginia

In the winter of 1993, Frank Hintz drove to Harpers Ferry with the first ever
American Backcountry shirt designs in the trunk of his car. Frank had
made an appointment with Brian King at the Appalachian Trail
Conference's headquarters to show the designs, and all of our hopes and dreams for a successful new business were hanging in the balance. The way we figured it,
if the ATC thought the designs were good, the hikers on the trail might think so, too.

Frank and I had been friends for a long time, and we were both
stuck in horrible, deadend corporate jobs that we both hated. So
we thought up this plan where I could design t-shirts instead
of brochures and Frank could hike around the trail and sell
them instead of driving around Virginia like a maniac
trying to sell climate controlled secure storage space.
Well, Brian King gave us a shot (FOR WHICH WE WILL
BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL) and he recommended
that we take a stall at Trail Days to see if anyone
would buy our stuff. Setting up at Trail Days gave us
a chance to talk to most of the Thru-hikers resting
up on their way from Springer Mountain to Katahdin.
We sold some shirts, learned a lot and generally had a great time eating okra at the Cherokee Diner in Abingdon.

The Original 'North South' Shirt

We've brought this shirt back from the archives to
commemorate our new website and 15 years in
business. It's our way of saying 'thank you' to all of
our original, hardcore customers who have stayed
with us all of these years. Maybe you remember
this shirt, maybe you even bought one way back when
in 1994 at Appalachian Trail Days. It lists all the trail's
hotspots between Springer and Katahdin, and we
designed it especially for all those
Thru-hikers that have walked
every mile between the two.
As always, every time
we sell an ATC shirt
we send them some of
the profits. Special thanks
to the ATC for all of the support
they've given us over the years, it's been a pleasure
working with you.

'Miles To Go Before I Sleep'

Frank was inspired by this line from the Robert Frost
poem, and I illustrated it with a linoleum block print
I carved on my kichen table (remember, keep your hands
BEHIND the knife). Our equipment wasn't so
sophisticated then and we used to have a really hard
time getting all of the colors to line up. This shirt was
made for every hiker out there who has faced the
unbelievable fatigue the trail can bring, and the
simple satisfaction of some hot food and a good sleeping bag
at the end of a long day.

The American Backcountry
Moisture Wicking Tee

-Fastest Drying Time in the Industry
-Permanent Moisture Transport Technology
-Built in Anti-Microbial and Anti-Stain Features
-100% Polyester, Built to Last
-Field-Tested by Frank

Our Dye Sublimation printing
process is PHTHALATE-FREE.

American Backcountry
Moisture Wicking Tees
Moisture Wicking Longsleeve Tees
Moisture Wicking Polos
Moisture Wicking Hoodies
Organic Cotton Tees
Recycled Polyester Tees
Cotton Tees

American Backcountry- Outdoor Graphics on Moisture Wicking, Organic and Cotton T-Shirts
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