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Re: [at-l] AT work crews

Do check out the http://www.atconf.org volunteer trail work section.  Millie and I just returned from a week doing a relocation at the "Jump Up" near Nantahala with the Konnarock Crew of ATC.  Our crew took one hundred feet (or so) of very steep washed out and difficult to maintain trail and put in 700 feet of side hill trail with a switchback that is projected to be functional for 50 years.  After 5 days of very
hard and satisfying work, it is now 600 feet further to Maine.  When I first saw the survey ribbons in the woods on the side of a 50 degree slope I didn't think we'd build that trail in 5 months!
    The ATC offers you a free week (or more) of vacation if you volunteer for trail work.  Food, equipment for camping and work are all included.  You can take your own stuff if you want (we did) but their tents and sleeping bags were used by others and I heard no complaints.   It is hard work, a great learning experience, and a chance to give something to the trail.  You will take away from the experience more
than you give; and you will have a total new perspective of the trail once you build some of it.
    We had crew demographics as follows:  Women:  Leader Cynthia, age 29, from Atlanta--Very experienced leader and developer of team work who runs the chainsaw and directs the work engineering the project including building of steps, cribs, moving rocks, etc.  She drives the forest service van very safely and always assures seatbelts and work safety.  Other women age 53 (my wife Millie); Megan-18, who graduated
from  high school in Florida and drove her own car to Alaska and worked independently for a year;  Lara-20, A SUNY student who peeled logs, dug trail, and washed a lot of dishes.  Men: Josh-Assistant leader age 22, AS degree in forestry, chain saw operator and hard worker with ax, digging tool (Polaski), and rake-also skilled at team building.  Other men aged 62 (Rudy, a retired Texaco official--called the
"toughest old man in the world" by the young women as he axed out major stumps for all of us (demonstrating toughness but not oldness);  Mike age 59, retired from Atlanta and recently moved to the mountains to be closer to the trail and the Nantahala Hiking Club; 26 year old Craig with a Masters Degree (a production and operations manager who is glad he will have more vacation next year so he can volunteer more);
Kent, a Penn State student of Parks and Leisure (my school!), summer landscaper, and a candidate for "soft spoken toughest young man in the world" with an ax; and Moshe (age 18 from Pittsburgh) who writes for the Pittsburgh Papers), spent a week in New Orleans living off the land for Mardi Gras, and once traveled from Pittsburgh to Utah alone at age 7!; Matthew, age 20, from Lynchburgh, tall lanky, introspective,
and hard working.
    Headquarters at Sugar Grove, Virginia (30 miles north of Bristol, TN-VA) was directed by Janet, a former nurse who is now Base Camp director, and a wonderful cook.  You spend the first and last night at base camp (in comfortable wooden buildings called pods) and the other nights in tents at the work site.
    We were in awe of the work these people were willing and able to do and the abilities of Cynthia and Josh to pull all together into a Team.  The over 50 crowd was impressive-we expected that; but we wonder where do you find hard working young people like these?
    I think anyone interested in the trail and thru-hiking would benefit from this volunteer work with the ATC.  There are half a dozen different crews along the trail and each works with local state hiking clubs.  You can volunteer wtih any of these through the ATC

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