Where will life’s trails take you? This summer, thousands of hikers will experience the challenge of the Appalachian Trail. Hundreds may even earn the title of "through hiker" by completing the entire trail that runs between Mount Katahdin, Maine and Springer Mountain, Georgia. Whether hiking a portion or all 2,160 miles, visitors will encounter spectacular peaks, curious wildlife, wonderful waterfalls and breathtaking vistas. But those who know the trail also know it offers an unparalleled glimpse into American life and American history. They know its secrets. The names along the Trail all tell a story: Harper's Ferry, Grandfather Mountain, Ginger Spring, Happy Creek and Harmony Hollow. Sometimes, as with Harper's Ferry, we know the place and its role in American history. We may, if we live there or study enough, know the story of the actual Ferry and the family that operated it long ago. But why would a creek be "happy" or a hollow "harmonious"? These and other names offer a hint of the history of those who settled the hills and mountains and made

them home. Some stories are well known. Sometimes the name's origins are lost to history or now belong exclusively to the fertile imaginations of those who tell tall tales along the Appalachian Trail.

While the Trail offers a refreshing return to nature, many of the more remote portions of the Trail were actually once quite civilized and were inhabited by farmers, ranchers and settlers. However, as national parks were established in the 20th century, homesteaders left their homes, farms and small towns to make way for the parks and, in some cases, the Trail that would run through them.

Hikers often find evidence of these past settlers. Along a mountaintop ridge a backpacker might discover an apple tree, and then another, and another. What appeared at first to be an isolated tree is really part of an abandoned grove. The dozens of trees in neatly planted rows reveal a hint of the life of the farmer who once lived there.

Around the next bend might be a cemetery of only three or four plots. There could be more graves, but only a few stand out among the brush and vines. Experienced hikers are often not surprised to find rock fences, chimney stacks and abandoned machinery in places it would appear no human had ever ventured. All are signs of those who came before us, whose legacy and history are rarely powerful enough to fight back even the most tender weed or vine. Their stories will all eventually be lost to nature and to history.

What is your story? How will you be remembered? The wonderfully decorated scrapbooks of today will one day also fade and be resigned to history. There is a better way to leave a legacy that transcends time and history and truly makes a difference, one that will not be choked by weeds or strangled by vines.

The only true way to leave a lasting legacy is to make a difference in the lives of others. As a loyal Phi Psi, you undoubtedly appreciate our mission -- to foster the development of leaders and to promote academic excellence in higher education. There are many ways for you to join us in that important mission, and it is easier than you might think. While we always appreciate your support today, you can also include us in your will as an important aspect of your estate plan and the foundation of your legacy. You can establish a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust that has tax benefits and offers payments to you. That is a way to help others and help yourself.

We have made it easy to obtain more information. You can see the benefits of these and many other planned gifts in the privacy of your home just by visiting the Endowment Fund's planned giving website. You can also call or e-mail us and we will gladly send you more information. No matter where life's trails take you, we can help you make sure you leave the legacy you want by making a difference in the lives of our fellow brothers.