Pete’s Pick: A.T. Ridgerunners Needed

What’s a ridgerunner, you ask?

It’s kind of like an ambassador for the Appalachian Trail. The regional Appalachian Trail Conservancy office in Roanoke is looking for volunteer ridgerunners to help patrol the A.T.

If you care about the A.T., this is your chance to help ensure it isn’t loved to death. The next volunteer training is Saturday, Sept. 9.

The Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club created the McAfee Knob Task Force in 2015 to address management challenges surrounding the beloved landmark. The primary function of the task force is to organize and support a cadre of volunteers (ridgerunners), who patrol the trails and parking lots around McAfee Knob and Dragon’s Tooth during busy weekends.

Volunteer ridgerunners engage hikers in friendly conversations about the natural and cultural significance of this area and tips on best practices for enjoying the trail safely and responsibly.

They report on trail conditions and perform light trail maintenance to prevent small problems from getting worse – like dismantling illegal fire rings, packing out trash, and blocking social trails to discourage shortcutting. In 2017, 32 ridgerunners have logged 729 volunteer hours, spoken with 9,713 visitors, and packed out 432 gallons of litter!

Lunch will be provided at the training session, so you do need to register. Please indicate any dietary restrictions in the comments on the meetup event or by email to kherndon@appalachiantrail.org. The meeting is in Classroom 1 at the Roanoke Regional Fire/EMS Training Center from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and part of the training will be outside if weather permits.