Steve Perri

2024 Volunteer of the Year SORO

Steve Perri started volunteering in 1991 and has been active with the Appalachian Trail for over three decades. Since then, he has put in over 4,000 hours of cumulative service for both field work and organizational leadership at the Club and Regional Planning Committee (RPC) levels.

One of Steve’s first steps was to become a member of the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club’s (TEHCC) recreational Steering Committee for 1993-1994 which runs events, manages rental equipment, and sets policies. He also joined the TEHCC A.T. Committee which discussed the future of the White Rocks fire tower near Dennis Cove, the roof and bulletin board for the example shelter in Damascus city park, and the club display for Deep South’93.

He organized and attended A.T. Multi-Club Meets, a weekend long activity for the Southern Region (included the now VARO) clubs to get together, including at Buffalo Mtn Camp in Johnson City in 1995 and Unicoi State Park hosted by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club in 1999.

Steve participated in the 1995 ATC Biennial at James Madison University, conducting a workshop on fire towers and hosting a club display. He was on the planning team for the 2005 Southern Highlands Biennial in Johnson City and Virginia Journeys 2011 at Emory and Henry College. Joe DeLoach and Steve arranged the workshop schedule for the 2013 Biennial in Cullowhee, NC. More recently, he provided critical historical context for the 2023 Wild & Free A.T. VISTA in Johnson City, TN.

He was the TEHCC Newsletter Editor during 1997-1998, which is a challenge to “herd cats” for article submissions.

Steve has recruited club volunteers to assist with Kingsport’s Fun Fest Moonlight Hike held at Bays Mountain Park (2001) and he has performed outreach for Public Lands Days.

As a volunteer trail maintainer, Steve has rotated through multiple A.T. sections, learning their challenges. He currently leads a trail crew which performs the regular maintenance on two A.T. sections. He volunteered for TEHCC Hard Core and Konnarock Crew project along TEHCC’s section, including the 2001 Round Bald/Grassy Ridge Relocations. He has also coordinated new and replacement trail signage for TEHCC for many years.

The Stan Murray Award, given for “particularly meritorious service,” was presented by TEHCC to Steve in 2005.

Steve served as TEHCC’s A.T. Committee Chair from 2011 thru 2014. He has been the primary RPC representative for TEHCC since 2011, taking a turn as the SORO RPC Vice-Chair during 2016 (while being on a work assignment in Raleigh, NC), then Chair in 2017-2019. Some issues covered by the RPC during this time period included updating governance rules, CNF prohibition of a large party on Osborne Farm, Damascus A.T. Center construction, bear management, multi-year Volunteer Service Agreements, and Visitor Use Management in Georgia.

In recent months, Steve has been part of the sawyer crews removing Hurricane Helene blowdowns on the A.T. between McQueen’s Gap to the TN/VA border and TN91 to the Iron Mountain Shelter.

For his commitment to the Appalachian Trail, Steve Perri was selected as the SORO 2025 Club Volunteer of the Year.