The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club has enjoyed a reputation, for over 75 years, as a premier, volunteer-based, builder and maintainer of hiking trails. Long distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail routinely rate the section from Pine Grove Furnace in southern Pennsylvania to Rockfish Gap in central Virginia, as the one of the best-maintained segments of the trail. The club receives similar praise from day hikers and backpackers in Shenandoah National Park, in the Lee District of the George Washington National Forest, and on the hundreds of other miles of trails that are maintained by the organization.

PATC volunteer trail overseers have built this reputation, and deserve all of the credit. The position of trail overseer requires a relatively serious time commitment, and many hours of hard work. PATC overseers are on their trails throughout the year, clearing brush, sawing blowdowns, and touching up blazes. They receive no monetary awards, and little recognition, other than the occasional appreciation from a passing hiker.
Many thanks to all of those who've decided to contribute their time and energy to this work.

Trail Overseers are expected to handle all of the routine maintenance tasks on their trail section, including vegetation control (summer weeding and trimming), maintenance of blazes and trail signs, erosion control, removal of obstacles (including fallen trees that block the treadway), and removal of litter. These tasks will usually require at least 4 full-day visits to the trail annually. Volunteers who would like to oversee a trail section, but find the time commitment too severe, are encouraged to sign on as a "co-overseer", splitting the chores with another volunteer with similar time constraints (co-overseers must be willing to communicate frequently with one another). All volunteer trail overseers in Shenandoah National Park must be members of the PATC.

Trail sections usually range from around one to two miles in distance. Some may involve a considerable hike-in. The PATC provides all necessary tools (located in five tool caches in the SNP Central District), but overseers are encouraged to purchase a a few personal tools of their own (see Resources: Tools).

Volunteers in Shenandoah National Park work in close coordination with the National Park Service, and must be familiar with the trail standards described in our agreements with our agency partner, in addition to the standards outlined by the PATC (in its Overseer Handbook and Local Management Plan) and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The PATC manages is trails system through the designation of regional districts, with appointed District Managers. Volunteer Trail Overseers should maintain communication and a working relationship with the appropriate District Manager. The DM is responsible for appointing Trail Overseers, and for arranging trail projects that might be too large or time-consuming for a single overseer.

The following documents may be reviewed on-line:

• PATC Overseer Handbook
• SHEN/PATC General Agreement

Newly appointed trail overseers receive a packet of information from the club, including a key to the District tool caches, an annual pass to Shenandoah National Park, a Volunteer Discount Card (good for discounts at many local outfitters), a PATC patch and Overseer rockerbar, information about the trail section, and a welcome letter from the club.

All volunteer work hours should be reported to the PATC, since volunteer time commitments are used to justify and allocate agency budgets and additional requests for trail support. Volunteers may report their work hours on-line or by mailing reports to the PATC:

Potomac Appachian Trail Club, ATTN Trails Coordinator
118 Park Street, SE, Vienna, VA 22180-4609

If you're interested in signing on as a PATC Trail Overseer, watch the News page for overseer vacancies.