Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC)

Volunteer Opportunities

Trail Overseer

The PATC is always in need of trail overseers.

Overseers support the most challenging of all volunteer activities in the PATC, and one of the most rewarding.

Overseers are assigned to a defined trail section averaging two miles in length. Overseers maintain these trails by:

• building waterbars and check dams to restrict the movement of water down the trail,
• removing dead trees that fall across the trail,
• clipping back tree branches,
• cutting back annual weeds,
• rebuilding rock walls, and
• repainting blazes that mark the footway.

Taking on a trail section is a serious responsibility. Volunteer work is performed on behalf of various government partners who have signed work agreements with the PATC, and these partners frequently keep track of maintenance progress along the trails. Overseers must follow a rough schedule for performing maintenance, with spring and fall dedicated to the construction of waterbars and check dams; summer dedicated to branch clipping, blazing, and weeding; and late winter for tree removal and waterbar cleaning.

See the following page for additional information click here.

You can also contact Ed Brimberg at 703-944-9920 or ed.brimberg@hikerman.net for information.