Western North Carolina is chock-full of long-distance trails — the Appalachian Trail, the Bartram Trail, the Benton MacKaye, the Foothills Trail — more than most could hike in a lifetime.

But what if hikers could just keep on hiking, all the way down to the Florida National Scenic Trail or up to the Virginia Creeper Trail, without ever leaving the sanctity of the trail corridor?

That’s the goal of the Southern Appalachians Initiative of the American Hiking Society — a 5,000-mile trail network spanning nine states. About 30 hiking clubs across the South have formed the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition to make this trail network a reality.

“This network of foot trails will offer expanded recreational opportunities as well as create much needed conservation corridors for wildlife,” according to the group’s mission.

WNC is the equivalent of Grand Central Station in the trail scheme. All the trails funnel through this corner of the state before spreading out in various directions.

As a result, the hiking clubs of WNC are playing an integral role in the giant puzzle, figuring out what spurs and connectors need to be built to provide the interconnection.

The patchwork of national forests and national parks makes the region rich for trail possibilities. But rapid growth has lent new urgency to the work of the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition to secure trail corridors from encroaching development before it is too late.

The trail network will also take pressure off the heavily used Appalachian Trail. While the social interaction among fellow AT hikers is part of the trail’s lure, packing into a shelter nightly — close quarters that offer no escape from the handful of gabby hikers found along the trail — is not everyone’s ideal long-distance hiking trip.

In addition to creating a physical trail network, the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition of hiking clubs raises awareness about the value of trails and promotes relationships among trail blazers.

The Southern Appalachian Initiative is coordinated by the American Hiking Society’s Southern Appalachians Field Office in Chattanooga, Tenn. The American Hiking Society has partnered with the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program.