Volunteer Spotlight

When Georgia Appalachian Trail Club (GATC) trail maintainer Susie McNeely invites someone to help her care for the Appalachian Trail, she keeps it simple.

"There are no special skills required," she reminds new volunteers. "Just a willingness to learn and have fun while improving the Trail."

That welcoming attitude, combined with years of dedicated service to the A.T., has become Susie's legacy within GATC.

Susie's relationship with the Trail stretches back more than 40 years. After completing a southbound thru-hike in 1979, she joined the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and, after retiring, she began her volunteer journey with GATC.

Today, she maintains the Woods Hole Shelter and privy, cares for two one-mile sections of the Trail, serves on GATC's Structures Committee, and regularly joins the Club's Third Saturday work trips, where she helps repair and restore the heavily-used Georgia section of the A.T. She takes particular pride in building drainage dips to keep water off the treadway and is even willing to get wet to make sure her work is effective.

"I try to do a walk-through on my sections during a downpour to check the efficiency of the drainage dips," she said. "It is so satisfying to watch them taking the water off of the Trail."

Susie's dedication and tenacity are well known throughout the Club. Former GATC Trails Supervisor and Master Maintainer Rick Dicks explained that Susie cares for some of Georgia's most challenging sections, including the steep terrain on Rocky Mountain and a section in the Blood Mountain Wilderness, where every task must be completed with hand tools.

But it's not just the work Susie accomplishes on the A.T. that has left a lasting impression - the way she welcomes others has been equally impactful.

"When I was still wet behind the ears, she took the time to help me learn why we did certain things, who could help me get more involved, and encouraged me to keep at it," Rick remembered.

Her mentorship reflects her belief that trail work is rewarding, meaningful, and a lot of fun.

"I don't think anyone enjoys trail work more," Rick said. "When we're on group work trips, you always know if Susie is there because you hear her laughter."

Susie also enjoys hearing stories from visitors from around the world while she's out working on the Trail, and knowing that every drainage dip, cleared blowdown, or repaired section helps make someone's journey a little better.

"I love meeting hikers while doing maintenance or hiking on the Trail. There is always some conversation about trail conditions and compliments about the Georgia (section of) trail," Susie said. "I had two men from England try to pay me for my work."

On one maintenance trip, while removing a blowdown, she looked up to see a hiker approaching. It turned out to be a friend she had hiked a section of the Continental Divide Trail with and hadn't seen in a year.

Moments like these remind Susie that the A.T. is as much about the people she meets as the path itself.

"The A.T. is important to me because of the friends I have made and the memories I treasure associated with hiking and doing maintenance," she explained. "Every country I have traveled to, there has always been someone who has had a connection to the famous Appalachian Trail."

Susie's story is a reminder that, from Georgia to Maine, dedicated and experienced volunteers are ready to share their knowledge, lend a hand, and welcome the next person who wants to give trail stewardship a try. All it takes is a willingness to learn - and, of course, laugh.