RATC’s McAfee Knob Task Force seeks new members to protect McAfee Knob, Dragons Tooth, and Tinker Cliffs in the face of high visitation.

Volunteer Ridgerunners engage hikers in friendly conversations about the natural and cultural significance of this area, and tips on best practices for enjoying the Trail safely and responsibly. They report trail conditions and perform light trail maintenance to prevent small problems from getting worse–like dismantling illegal fire rings, packing out trash, and blocking social trails to discourage shortcutting. In 2019, 52 Volunteer Ridgerunners logged 1,678 volunteer hours, spoke with over 19,000 visitors and removed 468 gallons of litter!

If you want to join this group of dedicated stewards, you must:

–> Join the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club ($20/year)
–> Join the McAfee Knob Task Force Meetup group (free)
–> Commit to volunteer about one weekend day per month (Fri/Sat/Sun), April through November
–> Attend a Training Day
–> Join an Orientation Hike

Don’t let the “runner” part of the title throw you off: you don’t have to be an athlete to join. Some of the most important conversations happen right in the parking lot. Whether you want to hike all the way to McAfee Knob and back, or just have a few hours to give closer to your car, we could use your help.

The morning portion of the training day will be in a classroom setting. We’ll then break for lunch (provided), and shuttle up to the Trail for a short hike with a bit more instruction along the way. Please bring water, appropriate footwear, and other essentials for a short hike. If you have any concerns about the hiking portion, please let me know since we have a few route options to choose from and can make a game-day decision (or find another way to share the info covered on the hike, if you need to skip it).

Each new Volunteer Ridgerunner will be matched with a mentor who can help them find an Orientation Hike that works with their schedule, and is happy to be a resource going forward.

If you’re ready to become a Volunteer Ridgerunner, you can RSVP via meetup or an email or phone call to Kathryn Herndon-Powell: kherndon@appalachiantrail.org; 540-904-4316. Questions welcome, too!