AUGUSTA — The Kennebec Historical Society’s August public presentation “Blazing Ahead: Rivalry That Built the Appalachian Trail” will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the Maine State Library, 230 State St.

Few know the story of how the Appalachian Trail was envisioned and built. The most famous footpath in the world could easily have been an unfulfilled vision lost to the ages in an architectural journal if not for a number of fortunate events. The idea proposed by Benton MacKaye in 1921 had lost steam by 1928. It took the drive of a young man from Maine named Myron Avery to see the project to completion.

The KHS presenter, Jeffrey Ryan, is a Maine-based author, speaker and photographer, and has a passion for exploring the outdoors, particularly on foot. He has hiked thousands of miles including his first trip of a lifetime, a six-month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. The presentation is co-sponsored by the Maine State Library and free to the public.

For more information, call 622-7718.