Trail Maintainers: Heavy-Lifting Trail Angels of the AT

img_0495-1

The folks gathered in the Newfound Gap parking lot are nine of the hardiest trail maintainers you’ll ever meet. They are members of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club; most are over 50 years old, and the guy on the far right is over 70 and still going strong.

Trail Maintenance: Not for Weaklings

Ever wonder why there are so many stretches of the AT where there are no weeds overgrowing, no trees blocking, and no mud puddles or ruts to slow down a long-distance hiker? Well, there are no trail fairies sprinkling magic fairy dust on the trails to keep them maintained; it’s done by strong, dedicated, hard-working trail angels with a love for hikers and the great outdoors, working countless hours, year in and year out. Meet some of the trail maintainers of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club.

Today’s Mission: Transport Over 300 Pounds of Mulch to the Icewater Spring Privy

img_0493

Don Dunning, the man in charge of mulch operations for the entire GSMNP, carefully inserts a 30 lb bag of mulch into one of the volunteers’ bags to be transported three grueling miles, with a 1,000-foot elevation gain.

A crew of volunteers met recently on a mild day. People from all walks of life—from employees at Oak Ridge National Labs to blue-collar workers to teachers and retirees—gathered to fill their packs with special mulch, recycled from the husks of the thousands of dead Eastern Hemlocks that succumbed to infestation. In addition to this weight, we were carrying an assortment of rakes, shovels, axes, hoes, and swing blades, plus rain gear, food, and water… putting our packs at around 40 pounds. Our tallest member, a man approximately 6′ 7″ tall, asked to take two 30-pound bags. When all was said and done, he probably had about 75 pounds of gear.

When we started up the trail, the tall guy and the septuagenarian took off and left the rest of us in the dust. I, being a trail angel at heart, had tucked a 12-pound watermelon in my pack, plus a knife and cutting board for a pack weight of about 50 pounds.

Icewater Spring Shelter

img_0505

Meet Mark (65), who’s had double knee replacement, and his wife Janet, (66), a heart attack survivor. They are section hikers of the entire AT and are members of the “900 Mile Club,” having hiked all 900 miles of trail in the Great Smoky Mt. Nat’l Park. They are currently on their 2nd round: working towards the 1,800 Mile Club

When we arrived at the shelter, dumping our heavy burdens into a storage locker, I noticed Mark had the telltale scars on his legs of knee surgery.

He was very forthright when I asked him about it, and he and his wife Janet told their story. Mark said it was Janet’s lifelong desire to hike the AT. So in 2008, they started section hiking the trail. Janet said that Mark came along for support. Later on the AT in 2009, she suffered a heart attack. She was taken to a hospital to discover her heart attack was unusual—Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy–and was triggered by the shock from an intestinal blockage. After recuperating from having two feet of her small intestine removed, they got back on the trail.

But that wasn’t the end of their ailments. In 2011, Mark’s knees got so bad he had to stop hiking. Mark jokingly said, “My wife wore my knees out!” After having both knees replaced and a lot of physical therapy, they returned to the trail. They eventually completed all of the trail in 2013.

Since then, Mark (a retired assistant principal) and Janet (a retired teaching assistant to special needs children) have hiked all 900 miles of trail in the GSMNP and are on their second go-around. They come on AT work trips on a regular basis, as well as maintain their own section of trail somewhere else. They have lived and continue to live a life of service, not letting their age or disabilities slow them down.

The End of a Hard Day’s Work

After chopping weeds, removing trees, and clearing drainages on the three miles back to our vehicles, we were rewarded with many “Thank you”s from hikers, receiving especially kind words from the thru-hikers. It was a wearying six hours of work, but we all left with a sense of well-being in a job well done and the peace of mind of knowing that we made a small difference on a very large trail.

Affiliate Disclosure

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

Comments 4

  • Dwight Levi : Jan 12th

    Thanks for the shout out to maintainers! I have volunteered with PATH for many years (SW Virginia) and would like to shout out to hikers who have slowed their journey to pitch in on the trail. Another shout out to hikers that adhere to LEAVE NO TRACE to minimize impact and therefore minimize maintenance. Finally a shout out to volunteers that contribute with less laborious tasks from blaze painting to paperwork in protection of the AT. Be safe, enjoy the walk, leave not trace, volunteer -Levi-

    http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/volunteer

    Reply
  • Katherine : Jan 12th

    Thank you!

    Reply
  • Dave Walters : Jan 20th

    Thank you to all who volunteer! I am hoping to start a thru hike in 2018 and have seen little of the trail (other than u-tube videos) and what i have seen is taken care of. I would like to find out when trail maintenance is gonna be so i could maybe volunteer some time! And Thank you again!

    Reply
    • Bloodhound : Jan 20th

      Dave, you can contact the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for a list of all the trail clubs up and down the trail and locate the club nearest you. Then, it is a simple matter of finding out when their next work trip is and meeting them for a rich, fulfilling day of doing something that matters.
      I wish you well with all your trail endeavors

      Reply

What Do You Think?