What it’s like to be an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner

What is it like to be an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner? I just finished my second week on the trail and cannot believe how quickly time has passed. I’m feeling good about my gear choices and starting to dial in my food rations more accurately. Overall, it’s quite challenging to balance my interests in hiking bigger-mile days versus paying attention to trail details. Sometimes I remind myself “The club is not paying me to hike, they’re paying me to educate hikers and report trail conditions”. Previously in Maryland, I wasn’t invested in planning for a thru-hike. This year I feel like I’m training for something big. All the hikers I’ve met reassured me that I’m already in good standing. It’s hard work tending to the trail and shelters but it’s undeniably one of my biggest prides.

Mid-Atlantic Ridgerunners and ATC Staff after completing Wilderness First Aid training at the New Jersey School of Conservation.

I didn’t expect my first day on patrol to be as exhilarating as it turned out.

On Thursday morning a shelter maintainer (and Tuscarora Trail district manager) picked me up for a shuttle to begin my first patrol. I saw the various State Park offices and the A.T. museum and introduced myself to Park personnel. Afterward, I went to the Pine Grove Furnace General Store and conversed with hikers of all backgrounds, some already attempting the infamous ice cream challenge. Within an hour, I heard comments about an injured hiker refusing assistance. Immediately after that, I received a text from the Deleware Water Gap Ridgerunner, “Lil John”, advising me to watch out for a thru-hiker with a reputation for vandalizing shelters and harassing women.

Shenandoah National Park Ridgerunner “Strider” contacted Park Rangers to report an encampment.

Despite my hopes, I encountered the latter person, thankfully only having a brief exchange of “hellos” and “happy trails”. They were uninterested in stopping for a conversation and hiking steadily. Ridgerunners are not authoritative figures and we should never stop somebody, even if they are a person of interest. My responsibility in this situation was to report that I saw this person and to document any signs of vandalism or graffiti. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I don’t expect to find anything new. Fingers crossed.

Maryland Ridgerunner “Pigpen” finds leftover trail magic in a bear box at a shelter.

Later, I spoke to a small group of section hikers (weekend warriors) about extinguishing a fire due to a local fire ban. The Michaux State Forest has a yearly closure to mitigate the impacts of fire. The group was unaware and was generally compliant, though I expected them to relight it later. Considering the recent rains I expected them to be unsuccessful in their efforts.

The evening conversations I’ve had are unparalleled and the quality of hikers is joyous.

Shenandoah National Park Ridgerunner #1, “The Beast” posing with some volunteers on National Trails Day.

Still recapping my first day, I met two NOBO thru-hikers (“B” and “2”) who fit a specific demographic that makes me so happy. They have enough experience to stay uninjured but still have a genuine, almost naive admiration for the trail that most long-distance backpackers have lost over the years. These kinds of hikers kinda say “damn the rules”, sometimes carrying heavier loads, but still, make thoughtful decisions and take their time enjoying the trail, always with a sense of whimsy. They reminded me of my friend “Huck Finn” whom I met last year. He wore his 35lb pack pridefully and didn’t care about the purist mindset like other hikers. He focused on his environmental impact and experiences with those around him more than anything. These hikers have similarly inspired me. Sometimes I should stop focusing on base weight and miles and instead need to enjoy where I am. 

Generally, I shared the campground with at least a handful of NOBO thru-hikers, most starting around early-to-mid March. I also recall a few mentioning a February start date, and even more flip-floppers and section hikers. All of them are genuinely happy to be on the trail. It helps that I work in an area rich in A.T. culture. The trail’s halfway point, the Mason-Dixon Line, and the A.T. Museum/Pine Grove General Store (home of the Ice Cream Challenge) are all directly on my section. I’ve already received more trail magic in two weeks than for the whole of last year. It feels like it’s a good year to thru-hike.

The rest of my patrols felt like business as usual; packing out trash, dispersing poorly constructed fire rings, and educating hikers.

Maryland Ridgerunners “Pigpen” (L) and “Foxtrot” (R) with their daily loot from Annapolis Rock Campground.

So far I have picked up anywhere from 1-5 gallons of trash daily (a standard kitchen trash bag is 8-10 gallons generally). I found socks, sweatshirts, and underwear, all too tarnished for salvaging. Cigarette butts, empty tin cans of food, toilet paper, and other food wrappers are common. A pair of running shoes and other gear was tucked into the corner of a moldering privy, almost hidden from sight. I deconstructed several poorly made fire rings right on the side of the trail throughout both weeks.

A bag of trash is hidden in the corner of a privy. Little did I know there were shoes in there!

Dispersed camping and campfires are allowed in my section so long as sites are 200 feet off trail (I recommend 100 yards, almost twice as far). If you think you’ve gone too far, you’ve probably made it. Developed campsites closer than the recommended distance exist but are considerately designed to prevent potential campsite sprawl. These sites commonly fall victim to litter, generally in the fire rings. I assume the offenders aren’t expecting a maintainer to come by and/or that future users will burn the trash. Leave No Trace Principle #5: Minimize campfire impacts.

A “fire pit” was discovered at a campground, complete with “burnables”

Blocking off social trails is a frequent task that is surprisingly fun. Clippings of vegetation and dead branches get used to cover up trails that should not be traversed. In one area of my section, at a popular overlook, hikers avoid rocky patches in favor of mud pits. I make a valiant effort to block these off as quickly as they pop up. Leave No Trace Principle #2: Travel and camp on durable surfaces.

A closed-off social trail that was once causing hikers to miss this left turn blaze along the roadway.

My section is pretty rocky, though I enjoy it thoroughly. There’s one spot that I genuinely dislike and I attest that to knowing the previous trail route. It used to be much flatter and less rocky. From my understanding, a land acquisition forced a relocation and now we have what we have. I prefer the route southbound, so at least there’s a silver lining. Also, it’s right after the best BBQ joint on the trail (65 South BBQ, just west of Caledonia State Park, on Route 30). So again, it’s not terrible, it’s just one of those situations where I know too much.

The other Ridgerunners had equal excitement this past Memorial Day weekend. 

Northern Virginia Ridgerunner “Firewalker” packing out garbage from the rollercoaster section.

From the Michaux to Shenandoah, scenarios including lost, unprepared, and ill hikers were all experienced.  Ridgerunners consistently used their knowledge to educate hikers with dogs off-leash and utilized their situational awareness to return abandoned gear found at shelters and campgrounds. Overall it was a busy weekend but nothing too scarring to prevent us from greeting the next day with the same open-heart as the day previously. 

I’m infinitely grateful for everyone I’m working with this season. The Ridgerunners have a great group chat going on, regular phone call check-ins with one another, and sporadic slumber parties at the Maryland Ridgerunner house (kidding, Emily and Jeremy). The camaraderie is second-to-none and I couldn’t ask for a better team to be on. Here’s hoping we have a nice safe season.

Happy Trails!

List of hikers I met whose names I remembered thus far:

2, B, Beatnik, BeerTentBob, Blessings, Bubbles, Flintstone, Futz, Gold, Gadget, Gazelle, Groundhog Day, Hummingbird Jen, Last Call, Meatball, Mr. Freeze, Moose, Nope, Patchwork, Pluck, Tycoon*, Soap, Sunrise. 

*Trail Angels/Trail Magic Providers