Volunteers for AT

Volunteering along the Appalachian Trail

"Last year more than 5,500 people volunteered about 195,000 hours on the trail. In the Smokies, trail "maintainers" pitched in 11,000 hours.

The Appalachian Trail gets a big push on National Trails Day, held this year on June 3, when volunteers work all day on certain sections.

"Even with all that help, there's still lots more to do," said Morgan Sommerville, ATC's regional director in Asheville, N.C. "There's a lot of backlog of work to be done....

Volunteers, either working one day a year or for days or weeks at a time as part of a crew, install and clean water bars, which are used to keep water off the trail. They trim overgrowth, clear fallen trees, pick up trash and help build bridges or steps.

Remote sections are even harder to maintain because they may require volunteers to spend all day hiking there. Sometimes material has to be flown in by helicopter.

"It's not as unpleasant as it sounds," Sommerville said, "but it's something we're always seeking volunteers for." "