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shades of blue
08-28-2005, 21:05
This is for the southern region of the AT. I want to give back to the trail...I noticed a lot of trail maintainers while I was hiking through SW Va and other places. I'm not very handy with tools, but am willing to learn. I live about an hour east of Asheville, NC .....about an hour and a half from Damascus, Va. I teach, so I could give some of my summers to trail maintaince, if I found the right club. I'm not a big Smokys fan....I thought about TEHC, CMC, PATH or even Mt. Rogers AT club....any ideas about where to start? I don't live close enough to sponsor a shelter...I don't think. I'm serious about wanting to become involved, so any ideas would be appreciated!

Sly
08-28-2005, 21:15
Besides joining a trail club (CMC, TEHCC or Mt Rogers AT may be closest to you) you could also get the specialized North Carolina AT plate. $20 goes to the trail in NC and it's pretty cool looking. In less than a year they've already collected $11,000.

You may also want to think about hooking up with the Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trail, they're always looking for help.

MOWGLI
08-28-2005, 21:15
I work with the Carolina Mountain Club and the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Both of these groups help with maintaining & constructing the Mountains to Sea Trail. One of the best ways you can give back to the AT is to help construct, maintain & popularize its conecting trails - and the MST is a great one.

If you're interested in learning more - send me a PM. I'll hook you up with a leader in your area.

Jeffrey Hunter

Lone Wolf
08-28-2005, 21:17
Join the ATC and the Republican Party.

shades of blue
08-28-2005, 21:36
I've joined the ATC a few years ago, and am current. I just ordered the AT Liscense plate. As for the Republican party.....I was never much of a party person.....I think I'll stick with the environmentally friendly people.

Mowgli...look for my PM.

MedicineMan
08-29-2005, 00:53
and Mowgli or anyone who might know....how do I sponsor a shelter? that sounds like something I might like to do, any clues as to who/how/when/where/duties/etc.

walkin' wally
08-29-2005, 04:50
Shades of Blue,

I don't think you necessarily have to be handy with tools. Any work on the AT helps. Painting blazes or simple clipping with lopping shears on the ingrowth on the trail is much appreciated by hikers ( especially on rainy days) and is a chore that some other maintainers don't like to do. Some small areas in Maine are so overgrown that you can barely see your feet.

I don't maintain a shelter but I did so for another maintainer this spring and I found his lean-to very clean and there was actually very little to do. I report any major work in my section to my overseer.

Not all maintaining is heavy work and it gives you an excuse to get on the trail. In Maine we have a couple of trail crews that do relocations, some drainage, and other heavy work while maintainers concentrate on keeping the trail clear. The maintainers can join the heavy crews if they like.

I like meeting hikers and maybe talking for a few minutes if nothing else than to see how their hike is going. :)

As far as driving distance goes my section is about 3 hours away and the last stretch is over some very rough logging roads. Sometimes I camp out in my area to save travel days, ga$, and get more work done.

I feel that any trail maintenance is worthwhile. I have really enjoyed my time on the trail hiking so giving back, for me, is fun.

I too think that joining the ATC and a local hiking club is a good idea.

Hope this helps :sun

MOWGLI
08-29-2005, 06:24
and Mowgli or anyone who might know....how do I sponsor a shelter? that sounds like something I might like to do, any clues as to who/how/when/where/duties/etc.

Check with the TEH&CC. http://www.tehcc.org/ You'll almost certainly have to be a member in order to receive some sort of work assignment. I have found that this sort of task is usually already taken - although folks are almost always needed to haul garbage out of shelters, and to clean trash out of the fire pit.

The AT maintaining club that seems to have the greatest need right now is the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. They are considering cutting back on the number of trail miles that they maintain due to a lack of volunteers. Anyone who has some interest in becoming a volunteer could check out the following website;

http://www.smhclub.org/

Peaks
08-29-2005, 08:26
Good question. The AT exsists only because of the efforts of hundreds of dedicated volunteers. After a thru-hike, we all have a big obligation to give back to the trail.

This obligation has several aspects.

First, financial. Join the ATC, and/or a local trail maintaining club of your choice.

Second, get involved. As other posts has stated, there are several ways to get hands on with adopting or maintaining.

Third, ATC and some of the maintaining clubs sponsor week long trail crews. You might check into one of those.

Fourth, if, for some reason, adopting or maintaining isn't your thing, or you live too far away, then look for another way to volunteer. No matter where you live, there is probably a local trail, or park that needs volunteers. Myself, I became very involved with organizing the 2003 ATC Biennial Meeting.

A-Train
08-29-2005, 09:26
Shades-

Congrats, and sorry I missed you in Jersey. Another way to give back is by becoming a Ridgerunner. Consider it if you've got free time for a summer. The pay isn't great, but the experience is. You do trail maintenance (but it's mostly unsupervised) and you are still part of the trail community, just in a different way. I've learned a ton from this job, and certainly don't think as much like a thru-hiker as I used to. It's a good way to see the other side of the coin. As others have said, joining clubs is good too. I became a member of ATC, and NYNJTC this past year and it has been beneficial for sure.

Jack Tarlin
08-29-2005, 14:09
All great suggestions so far.....keep in mind that the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club has a fairly small group of core maintainers, and some of them are not as young as they used to be.....I'm sure they'd welcome a new addition. This would also give you chance to work and spend time with Bob Peoples and his friends, who do remarkable Trail work each and every year.

However, whichever group you join will be happy to have you; good for you for taking this initiative.