ATC Needs Ridgerunners Like You

If you love locations such as McAfee Knob and Dragons Tooth, you can work to help keep these iconic landmarks in great condition as a volunteer ridgerunner.

Volunteer ridgerunners engage hikers in friendly conversations about the natural and cultural significance of this area and tips on best practices for enjoying the Appalachian 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, 33 volunteer ridgerunners logged 1,440 volunteer hours, spoke with over 16,000 visitors, and removed 580 gallons of litter.

Ready to start protecting the trails? Come to volunteer ridgerunner training Sunday, Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. (RSVP to kherndon@appalachiantrail.org for more details.)

If you want to join this lively group of dedicated stewards, you must:

• Join the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club ($20/year)
• Join the McAfee Knob Task Force Meetup group (free)
• Commit to volunteer at least one weekend day per month (Fri/Sat/Sun), April through November
• Attend a Training Day (Sept. 23, 2018)
• Join an orientation hike