AT Corridor Monitors

[Old Hillwalker]

I have recently been appointed to act as an AT corridor monitor and would like to contact others who perform the same volunteer task. I have questions and would appreciate any hints and such from those parties.

PS this is not the same as hall monitor :rolleyes:

Tom

[MOWGLI]

Thanks for your work. I walked with a monitor in NY on his section. I was going to take over the section (near Wildcat Shelter), but suffered a badly sprained ankle a week or so later, and couldn't walk right for nearly 8 months. I moved south shortly thereafter, but not before I sprained the other ankle. :datz It can be a tough job depending on the section.

[WalkinHome]

I maintain the last 1.4 miles (NOBO) before the 100 mile wilderness, from the Doughty Pond Trail to the highway crossing by Monson, Maine. When that section became available for Corridor Monitoring I jumped on it (sweet piece of trail to work on). I find it a very neat thing to do. It involves following/checking the survey lines of the AT corridor, finding all of the "monuments" (those silver disks in the ground) and placing signs where needed-facing outward from the corridor identifying the corridor boundary. The most important aspect of this job is to police the corridor against illegal logging activities, any road or land development, junk cars or dumps being used or created etc, or any kind of prohibited use of the corridor (which is just about everything except walking/hiking). My "boss" in the MATC supplied me with the greatest maps that outline the survey line, the monuments, azimuths and distances and much info regarding property owners etc. It gives one a very intimate feel for the AT and all that surrounds it. Makes it a very personal endeavor. As we go about our duties we also try to be good AT ambassadors and interact with the local folks we might run in to. How much time you invest is directly proportionate to the vulnerability of your section. Some sections are not at risk but the survey lines need to be checked so that they will serve their function. Others, such as mine, are at risk of some development or road construction/improvements so require a bit more attention. That is it in a (big) nutshell but it is really great fun, especially if you have someone to share it with. Let me know if you have specific questions. I will try to answer them for you.

[Old Hillwalker]

To Walking Home: When I got my map set three days ago I was a bit overwhelmed. My corridor encloses a one mountain within its bounds and contains 120 monument descriptions. I'm thinking that it is absolutely necessary to get it monitored before green up and black flies invade. I will also want to re-run it after leaf fall and before snow flies which often is a small window. How does this compare to your corridor, and how long does it take to run yours?

[WalkinHome]

You have many more monuments than I. I have a few dozen at most. The monuments usually denote a radical direction change of the survey line so you must have quite a few of those. While your desire to get out there before the bugs etc is admirable remember that you should have fun. Also remember that if the mountain is well protected from abuse or hard to access the threat to the corridor would be minimal so urgency should not come into it. Make it work for you to enjoy the time doing this (just like hiking the AT-zen it and don't fight the trail as it will always prevail). I can easily do a side of the corridor in a day and that is how I approach it. Right now it would be very wet and uncomfortable to walk it. I plan to devote a weekend in the middle of the summer to do a comprehensive job (digital pics of all monuments, gps locations of same, and take good notes). Besides, it gives me another excuse to stay at Shaw's and get some bar-b-que-how bad is that? Have you been given any training to do this? I think Dave Field (MATC) might be cranking up a workshop for this again this summer and I see you are in NH so if he does, maybe you can get to it. I took it last year and it was pretty cool. The man has ground penetrating radar in his head-amazing. I have a small pamphlet that I could fax to you if you don't have it or you could contact J.T. Horn at ATC Regional Headquarters for one. Tip-make copies of the map set you have so that you won't worry about taking them with you and getting them wrecked. I have made 3 sets of copies. UPS store or Kinkos are good bets. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Love talking about this stuff.