Trail + Shelter Maintenance Volunteer Roles
PATC volunteers are the stewards for over 1,000 miles of trails in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and DC, including 240 miles of the AT. Basic trail work includes keeping the footpath clear by managing natural overgrowth, removing obstacles from the tread, controlling erosion, and ensuring that blazes and signage are clear and obvious.
Other Volunteer Opportunities Trail Maintenance Classes + Training Trail Districts + Managers
Trail Maintenance
Trails are divided into 1-3 mile segments and assigned to maintainers. Most segments have one maintainer, some have 2-3. This is a great opportunity for anyone that likes to work alone or with a partner and likes a lot of flexibility.
Trail maintainers are responsible for keeping their trail segments in optimal condition for hikers. Duties of a trail maintainer include blazing, erosion control, weeding, pruning, obstruction removal (e.g. blowdowns), trash clean up and invasive species control. The trail maintainer works with the district manager to coordinate activities that require a larger or specialized team. The trail maintainer files work trip reports for each day of maintenance activity.
Trail maintainers must be able to hike safely to their trail segments, often with tools. Usually, a trail maintainer will visit their section 3-4 times are year. This can vary depending on issues and usage of your trail segments. Trail maintainers are expected to follow PATC and land manager protocols and file reports on a regular basis. Trail maintainers should advocate for proper trail usage and trail safety while maintaining their section.
Shelter Maintenance
PATC maintains over 30 backpacking shelters along the Appalachian Tail and the Tuscarora Trail. Shelters are three-sided huts and include a privy, eating area, access to a stream, and bear-proof food storage capability. Shelters often have adjacent tent camping areas. PATC has at least one maintainer assigned to each shelter who visits and maintains the shelter on a regular basis.
Shelter maintainers make sure the shelter is clean and safe. Work may include construction, weeding, trail/spring management and tent site/fireplace maintenance. The Shelter Maintainer may work with larger crews for bigger projects (usually major construction).
Shelter Maintainers must be able to transport tools and materials to the shelter by foot. Most shelters do not have nearby vehicles access. Larger projects may use alternative methods (UTVs, mule, etc.) to transport material to the shelter. The shelter maintainer coordinates larger projects with the Shelter Committee Chair for construction projects and privy cleaning.
Trail Crews
PATC has several trails crews that focus on specific geographical areas. Trail crews do the same work as trail maintainers, focusing on group activities and maintenance that requires larger teams. Trail crews usually work on weekends and combine the effort with group camping, cooking and other social activities. Trail crews offer a more social experience and provide a mechanism to tackle larger projects identified by the trail maintainers.
Trail crew activities include blazing, erosion control, weeding, pruning, obstruction removal (e.g. blowdowns), trash clean up and invasive species control. Train crews usually have one event each month (except for Winter).
Trail crew volunteers must be able to hike safely to their trail segments, often with tools. Trail crew volunteers are expected to follow PATC and land manager protocols and file reports on a regular basis. Trail crew volunteers must comply with the Trail Crew Leadership direction and schedule.
Trail Crews
| Group | Description | Contact | Contact Email |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Blazers | Shenandoah National Park from the Route 211 to Route 33 | Stephanie Danahy and Alex Lampros | sbdanahy@gmail.com |
| Cadillac Crew | The Cadillac Crew roams over many PATC regions | Dan and Ellen Feer | ccrewpatc@gmail.com |
| Devils Nose Crew | Tuscarora Trail Central focusing on West Virginia | Bill Greenan | wpgreenan@yahoo.com |
| Hoodlums | Shenandoah National Park from the northern terminus to Route 211 | Tom Troutman | hoodlums@patc.net |
| Mid-Week Senior Et. Al. | The Mid-Week Senior Et. Al. crew travels anywhere the PATC needs them | Mike Wingeart | mikewingeart@hotmail.com |
| North Mountain Brigade | Great North Mountain area in the George Washington National Forest | Mike W. Allen | michael.allen.0056@gmail.com |
| Old Line Crew | Monocacy Natural Resource Management Area in Maryland | Jim Tomin | jftomlin@gmail.com |
| Old Scouter Crew | Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland | Rush Williamson | longportage@comcast.net |
| Potomac Crew | Bull Run Occoquan Trail | Robert Fina | Robert@fina-co.com |
| Rock Creek Filibusters | Rock Creek Park in DC | Alex Sanders | wdctrails@yahoo.com |
| Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew | George Washington Forest North River Ranger District | Lynn and Malcolm Cameron | slynncameron@gmail.com |
| South Mountaineers | Maryland Appalachian Trail and side trails | Dave House | dhouse1231@comcast.net |
| Spooky Beavers | Prince William Forest Park | Mark Ellis | D_PWF@patc.net |
| Trail Doctors | Shenandoah National Park from the Route 33 to the southern terminus | Dave Bowen | Dbowenflyr@yahoo.com |
| Yankee Clippers | Tuscarora Trail and Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania | Pete Brown and Dave Trone | yankeeclippers@patc.net |