Walnutport Postmaster Kate Hutter and her children frequently hike on the nearby Appalachian Trail to take in scenery, observe wildlife and get fresh air.

So when the United States Postal Service asked her to host a dedication ceremony for stamps celebrating the century-old trail, she didn’t hesitate.

“I said, ‘Let’s do it. We’re doing it here,’ ” Hutter said.

Trail volunteers, nature enthusiasts and “AT” hikers with names like Zoom Zoom, Pip and Four Legs crowded the post office for the Friday dedication. While there, they could purchase panes of the Forever stamps, and opt for special postmarks.

“The Postal Service is commemorating the beauty, solitude and enjoyment of those who have set foot of the Appalachian Trail,” Hutter said.

The pane feature scenes from each state the trail traverses — from Maine to Georgia — and from waterfalls to panoramic vistas. The Pennsylvania scene features Rausch Creek in Lebanon County, not far from its border with Schuylkill County.

“Anyone who hikes the trail knows the beauty and peace you experience along the way,” Hutter said.

After Jake Kaligis strummed and sang “America the Beautiful,” Hutter’s children, Otto and Brooke Hutter, shared what they like most about the trail. For Otto, it’s being in nature, and for Brooke, it is climbing to lookouts.

Guest speaker Alexis McAllister, assistant Trail Committee chairwoman-East and a volunteer member of the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club, is a through-hiker — meaning she walked the entire 2,200 miles of the trail.

“As we look at the pictures that they’ve chosen for the stamp, we actually smile because we recognize the postage. We recognize the pictures in there. And for the rest of our lives, those memories will always give us a smile,” she said.

McAllister is also a section hiker — meaning she hikes the trails in different lengths.

“I’ve been section hiking with my two sons since they were 5 and 6. They’re now 14 and 15 and they have about 500 miles left to complete the trail,” said McAllister, who also holds the title of scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 8 of Parryville.

She noted that more than 3 million people visit the trail each year. Of that number, about 25% are through hikers and the rest are day hikers or section hikers.

And although the trail has been a National Scenic Trail — a unit of the National Park Service — since 1968, it is maintained by a network of volunteer clubs like the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club. The groups are led by the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Last year, more than 240,000 volunteer hours were logged.

“Every single one of these volunteers need a ‘thank you,’ ” McAllister said and offered her gratitude to the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club, Allentown Hiking Club, KTA and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, all of which were represented at the dedication.

“This stamp also celebrates the success of all of those hikers — and all of those volunteers,” she said.

Hutter and McAllister unveiled enlarged versions of the stamps.

“I hope everyone enjoys this and cherishes it as much as we will,” Hutter said to rounds of applause.

Cyril “Four Feet” Quatrone, of Center Valley, had a front row vantage point.

Quatrone hiked half of the trail despite being crippled by complications he suffered after a surgery.

“My trail name is ‘Four Feet’ because I hike with these canes,” he explained. “I’ve been crippled for 25 years. I started hiking in the last eight or nine years.”

He has many stories from the trail, so many that he’s written a book, “Cripple on the Trail.”

“It’s amazing,” Quatrone said of the AT. “You can’t run from yourself when you are alone on the trail. The things I’ve learned about myself have been really valuable.”

Bernadette “Bern” Leibensperer, of Kempton, began hiking the trail with her daughter several years ago. Since then, she’s logged about 1,100 miles.

Her husband, Glen, recently began hiking as well, and the couple recently section hiked portions in Virginia in Georgia.

“I love it. You can experience things out there than nobody else can experience unless they’re on the trail,” Bern said.

Tracey Davis Witmayer of Berks County agreed.

“All these hikers are coming for a different purpose. Some are grieving. Some people are going through life changes and they’re out there trying to find themselves,” said Davis Witmayer, who goes by the name “Zoom Zoom.”

She plans her vacations around the trail. Like the Leibenspergers, she helps maintain it, too.

Following the ceremony, the postal counter was busy with stamp sales and special commemoration cancellations, which feature the sun, a mountain range and a map.