Today while hiking, my friend Erin and I happily encountered a group of folks doing trail maintainace as part of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. This association has very long roots in the region, dating to 1927 when a group of people began with the goals to help build a section of the 2,100-mile A.T. and also to give assistance to the future Shenandoah National Park. Ten years later, the Appalachian Trail was completed, but the P.A.T.C. still works as a 100% volunteer-based organization that looks out for more than 1,000 miles of trails in the region. With Erin and me is Andy Wolfe, one of the registered “Sawyers” who are trained and licenced in using chain-saws to manage the trail. It is indeed fortunate to have an agency with such a terrific legacy to honor our wilderness.
