Randy Bullock & Sunaree Watson-Bullock
May 2024
Randy Bullock and Sunaree Watson-Bullock are used to playing host. When they lived in Florida they were part of a diplomacy council that hosted international visitors for dinner. Now, after five years of travel and hiking, they bring the same kind of hospitality to their care to the Appalachian Trail near Stecoah Gap, where they are devoted section maintainers with the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and certified A.T. sawyers.
“I love meeting hikers – or just seeing people on the Trail. You see people in their zen moments, who are just hiking along the Trail and aren’t necessarily being social. Other hikers you’ll talk with for as long as they want about whatever they want to talk about,” said Randy.
Conversations with hikers often start with, “Oh, you’re a maintainer.” This is important to Randy because the A.T. relies on volunteers’ activities. “Volunteers are making the Trail what it is,” he continues. “I like the simplicity of the A.T. volunteer service. When you improve a piece of trail, you walk away from it. But you don’t know how many people walk that piece of trail after you’re gone. The path is clearer because of people like me.”
Randy and Sunaree reflect on how special it is to see parents and their children hiking and fully taking in the experiences that the Appalachian Trail offers. Beyond the hikers, they express awe at the Konnarock volunteers who come to work in the Cheoah District of the Nantahala National Forest, contributing of themselves year after year to helping them and the club with big projects on their section of the Appalachian Trail.
Randy is now the volunteer coordinator for the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club’s 29-miles of A.T. between Nantahala Outdoor Center and Fontana Dam, which means he leads work days of new volunteers as well as trains and assigns section maintainers. He says that he appreciates how much the club and ATC have supported his growth as a volunteer, as he works to mentor and support new volunteers.
Randy and Sunaree appreciate the luck that brought them so close to the A.T. where they can hike and continue to enjoy the physical challenges of working on the Trail. Like any hike, it takes one step before the next, which sounds a great deal like Randy’s advice for people thinking about volunteering, “Anything is appreciated. You start out as small as you’d like. Just get out and try it. Find a hiking club near you, or an activity with a club that’s just weekend-trip away as your first step.”