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DebW
09-09-2003, 13:02
Bringing back an old topic in a new form. What's your favorite way/ways of giving back to the trail?

Chip
06-27-2004, 21:04
My wife and I maintain 3.4 miles from Garenflo Gap to Deer Park Mtn. Shelter, just south of Hot Springs, NC. We are members of the Carolina Mtn. Club. Really enjoy our section. When we are out working on the trail we carry Snicker bars to give to hikers we meet along our way. As section hikers we value and appreciate all the different types of contributions made by all who love the AT. It is our "Great Escape" from the rat race world we live in. ;)
Happy Trails !!!!
Chip

Brushy Sage
06-27-2004, 21:22
When I lived in Maryland, I did trail maintenance with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club; now in North Carolina, I go out every Friday (weather permitting) to work with the Carolina Mountain Club. I remember expressing my appreciation to several trail maintainers when I was hiking through the southland in 2002; now the hikers are thanking me as they pass our crew at work on the AT and other trails.

Pencil Pusher
06-28-2004, 17:44
I definitely have more respect for those trail crews after serving on one. That was some back breaking work. I sure do appreciate the trails I hike on, so thanks y'all.

Jack Tarlin
06-28-2004, 21:20
Deb: Great question!!

How to give back to the Trail?? Here are some quick ideas:

1. Join, support, and work for the Appalachian Trail Conference, the organization charged with the care, maintenance, protection, and continued survival of the Trail. Most of the work done by the ATC is done by volunteers, not paid staff, and a great deal of their work is supported by membership fees.

2. The ATC also gets a great deal of its funding from publications, such as maps and guidebooks, as well as other publications, posters, T-shirts, etc. I urge everyone to check out the "Ultimate Trail Store" section of the ATC website; anything you purchase helps the ATC, which means that it helps the Trail.

3. If you're in a position to do so, join one of the regional Trail clubs, and either help them thru your volunteer work, or help the Trail club volunteers thru other means. If you're in a position to make an annual donation to the ATC or a regional club, do so. If you're a person of means, consider making some sort of donation in your will, or perhaps a donation to their Land Trust, which exists to safeguard the Trail and Trail corridor.

4. If you're already a member of a well-to-do or large Trail club (such as the Potomac A.T. Club or the Appalachian Mountain Club, consider making a small donation to one of the smaller regional clubs, that can always use financial help, in order to pay for their maintenance efforts, replace tools, put out useful publications, etc. The smaller clubs need lots of help, especially the ones down South where the Trail gets so much use in so short a time period.

5. Anyone with any questions on how they can help the Trail would do well to contact the A.T.C. by mail or phone, or you can go to www.atconf.org, their website, which contains all sorts of information on how one can give something back to the Trail.

6. One last thing......if you're concerned about protecting or helping the Trail, one of the best things you can do is register to vote, take part in local, state, and federal elections, and pay close attention to how candidates feel about environmental issues; close to half country's population lives in the 14 A.T states; if you're lucky enough to live in a state where the Trail runs, make sure you support and vote for candidates with wise and thoughtful environmental positions; if you don't live in a Trail state, you should do likewise. After all, the Trail exists because enough politicians endorsed and voted for the National Scenic Trails Act; the Trail will survive only as long as enough people make sure their elected officails care about such national treasures.

*The Trail came about because enough committed people cared about creating it and made it happen.

*The Trail has lasted because enough folks cared enough to get involved and offer their assistance, in whatever ways they could.

*The Trail will survive only if this level of committment continues. I urge everyone reading this to get involved---whether it's your time, your financial support, or your vote (or best of all, a combination of all!), I hope you'll all consider doing something concrete this year to help the Trail. There are thousands of good folks who belong to, or who visit Whiteblaze. If only ten per cent of you take some time today or tomorrow to think about giving something back to the Trail----and to follow thru on the thought----well, that's a hell of a start.

Mountain Dew
06-28-2004, 22:25
What if you want to choose more than one answer on the poll ? hhmmm anyways...


Chip and Brushy Sage ....... THANKS :clap

Groucho
06-28-2004, 22:45
What if you want to choose more than one answer on the poll ? hhmmm anyways...


Chip and Brushy Sage ....... THANKS :clap

You can. At least one check will stay when you press another.

Lone Wolf
04-04-2008, 05:46
i dump in the woods, not in privies hence fertilizing the trail corridor so the flora is nice and green

Lyle
04-04-2008, 06:41
Since I live in Michigan, most of my volunteer work is with the North Country Trail. Trail maintenance, adoption, building, monitoring, public/political outreach. Have served as an officer for both local and state trail organization, and on the national board of the NCTA. I've also participated in a number of AHS volunteer vacations through the years.

All of this started simply when I made the decision that it was time to give something back to the trail community after many years of backpacking. I found an entirely new way to enjoy trails, a whole new group of trail lovers. Some never backpack at all, but are instrumental in building and maintaining the trails the rest of us use - they are also a GREAT group of people.

My hope is that everyone who takes advantage of the trails by using them, will one day take a look at this other aspect as well.

Tin Man
04-04-2008, 06:55
i dump in the woods, not in privies hence fertilizing the trail corridor so the flora is nice and green

yep.

I cook near the shelters, not in the woods hence keeping the crumbs in one spot for the fauna to discover and making the woods safe for tenters.

camojack
04-04-2008, 07:11
i dump in the woods, not in privies hence fertilizing the trail corridor so the flora is nice and green
Resurrecting old threads again, I see. :rolleyes:

Jaybird
04-04-2008, 07:13
i participate (w/ a local trail club) in Trail Days, The BIG Dig, & other TRAIL building events...

i practice "LEAVE NO TRACE" hiking ethics...

& donate a few dollars to TRAIL GROUPS & of course, the ATC :D

hopefulhiker
04-04-2008, 09:59
I participated in every category, unfortunately, I think I have spent more time posting here to WB than actually doing trail maintenance or anything like that...

sasquatch2014
04-04-2008, 11:48
I tend to stay clear of the Political aspects but do pretty much all the others. I just was given my section to maintain this year and take pride in how well I keep up on its needs. Last year for the later part of the summer I hauled water up to a shelter where the stream had gone dry. i found this a great way to met hikers as they were passing through. I hope that I may have banked some HK (hikers Karma) for when I am out on the trail, we'll have to wait and see.

Peaks
04-04-2008, 15:33
Well, let's see

1. Organize ATC Bienneal meetings
2. Volunteer with ATC maintaining clubs
3. Volunteer with Scouts (Our orienteering program appeared in the Sept 07 issue of Scouting).

Plodderman
07-21-2008, 21:23
Hoping to work in the Smokies for a week this year or next. I would like to do some trail work and have already filled out the forms. Really appreciate the people who are spending extra time taking care of the trail. Last year the trail was very well maintnained and ran into a seventy year old who was spending a few weeks doing some tral work.

LIhikers
07-22-2008, 07:52
My wife and I are members of ATC, NY/NJ TC, the Long Island Geenbelt TC. We maintain a section of local trail here on Long Island and earlier this year signed up as Boundary Monitors for a section of the AT in NY. And occasionally we sneak away to do some hiking. It's all good :)

Rain Man
07-22-2008, 10:21
My wife and I maintain 3.4 miles from Garenflo Gap to Deer Park Mtn. Shelter, just south of Hot Springs, NC. We are members of the Carolina Mtn. Club. Really enjoy our section....

I know I'm replying to an old post, but... my wife and I hiked from Standing Bear Farm to Hot Springs over Thanksgiving of '05, I think it was. That section you mentioned was the end of a 16-mile day for us. Her longest ever by far. We ended up well after dark coming into Deer Park Shelter.

Just want to THANK YOU for making that part at the end of a long day, in the dark, at least on well-maintained trail! Thank you!

Rain:sunMan

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