Expanded 2008 options include Acadia and Mt. Rainier National Parks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2008
Responding to growth in its volunteer trails program and interest in “voluntourism,” the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) this summer is offering more opportunities to help maintain hiking trails as part of a volunteer vacation crew. The AMC is adding extra weeks in Maine, plus a new location in Mt. Rainier National Park. Volunteers now have their choice of 27 one- to two-week long trail crews in five locations, which also include Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park in Maine, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, and White Mountains of New Hampshire. Specialized crews for teens and volunteers in their 20s and 30s are part of this mix of options, as well as a variety of crew styles to accommodate different abilities and interests.
Downtime on work days gives volunteers plenty of chances to enjoy the scenic locations that serve as the backdrops for the trail projects. Some crews also build a day-off into the week. Training is provided, so no experience is necessary.
AMC’s volunteer trail vacation choices this June through September will include:
- New trail crew location in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington in partnership with the Washington Trails Association and National Park Service.
- Additional adult crews offered at Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park. Acadia crews are ideal for first-time or older volunteers.
- Above tree-line, alpine trail work based at AMC’s Madison Spring Hut, the oldest hut in AMC’s full-service White Mountain hut hiking system.
- Teen crews for ages 15-18 include working on the Appalachian Trail in the Berkshires and a new program in Maine’s Pleasant Mountain Preserve for teens without much backpacking experience.
- Crew for 20- to 30-somethings based in the White Mountains.
- Different types of crew experiences that range from day trips to the project site, with the group returning to a base-camp facility each night, to a full week at a backcountry project and tent-site location.
Depending on the trail project, volunteer work can include clearing drainage ditches, cutting back vegetation, hardening trails with gravel, installing bog bridges and water bars, building rock stairs, cairns, or drainage structures, working on shelters, or painting blazes. Each crew spends four to five days per week working closely with expert AMC leaders, and the work day averages six to seven hours.
Shorter three-day volunteer trail crews at AMC’s Little Lyford Pond Camps near Moosehead Lake in Maine are another option. Crews help build and maintain the new trail system that is part of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative, a strategy for land conservation and recreation in the 100-Mile Wilderness region.
Additionally, family-friendly weekend trail work parties are based at AMC's Cardigan Lodge in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and AMC’s Mohican Outdoor Center in the Delaware Water Gap of New Jersey. Parents work together with their children and other volunteers on nearby trails to clear new growth and fallen trees, clean drains, and help with other maintenance tasks.
Rates and reservations
AMC’s one- to two-week volunteer vacation crews for teens start at $115 for non-members ($105 for members). Week-long crews for adults start at $170 for non-members ($155 for members). The fully tax-deductible program fee, which varies by location and length of program, helps defray the cost of food, shelter, and leadership for the volunteer crews. For more details, including locations, dates, and trail crew age guidelines, visit www.outdoors.org/volunteer. To register, call Alex DeLucia at 603-466-2721 x192.
For information about other AMC experiences this summer, visit AMC’s Summer Planning Guide at www.outdoors.org/summerguide.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.
Print version
