The unsung heroes of the Trail are the maintenance volunteers. These are men and women who carry heavy chain saw, cables, chains, hooks, and materials to clear the path for us hikers. The only payment those folks receive are the gratitude of hikers and their own satisfaction for caring for the trail that we all love.
I met one of those wonderful trail maintenance volunteers after going up and collapsing at the top of Jacob’s ladder. His trail name was Boss. The night before, David and I pitched our tents along the side of a forest road. David is an artist. He is responsible for my “Wandering Monk” logo and the other graphics on my YouTube channel. David wanted to meet and hike some miles together. We began at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and enjoyed the grand climb up and away from the N.O.C. Two days, and two freezing nights, later we walked out of Stecoah Gap and immediately began climbing up Jacob’s Ladder, a 700-foot ascent that appears to be almost vertical. I had left early that morning so that I could tackle this infamous landmark without being embarrassed by on-lookers. I made it to the top without meeting anyone or being passed by any turtles or snails that might be out for a morning stroll. My effort was rewarded by feeling the need for a large oxygen bottle. With pack off and food bag out, I tried to enjoy a hot breakfast of oatmeal and raisins, with a cup of instant coffee that tasted like tree bark in hot water.
I had almost recovered my breath when Boss came walking south bound on the trail. His backpack was filled with 4-foot timbers. He stopped and introduced himself as, “just a volunteer.” Trail maintainers are some of the humblest people that I have met. He exemplified that virtue. I thanked him for his dedication to the trail. He answered that he admired us hikers. As we talked about his background, David arrived. He had survived Jacob’s Ladder in much better condition than me. I was impressed. We enjoyed visiting a while before Boss continued on down the path with his load of wood. He was putting in some steps near the top of the Ladder to prevent erosion.
Boss had moved to North Carolina, specifically here near to the Appalachian Trail, for this purpose of caring for the trail and supporting the hiking community. As he shared his passion it became evident to me that this was who he was, his personal values were on full display. His family had a history of caring for nature and others. His roots run deep into the wellsprings of caring for others. Boss is an inspiring man, although he will be embarrassed if he ever reads any of this.
I learned to appreciate the work of trail maintenance teams while I wandered other adventures long before stepping onto the Appalachian Trail. A key mission of trail maintenance is to keep the path cleared of fallen trees. They also repair and care for the trail with erosion prevention projects.
When trees fall in the forest, they seem to find the trails. Large tree trunks fall across paths and make them almost unpassable. Maintainers cut the downed trees and remove the obstacles from the pathways. It is a behind-the-scenes and often thankless job. As we hike, we quickly become very grateful for the hard work of those volunteers. Every trail has its own way of teaching us life lessons.