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Mid-Atlantic Trail Crew
Based near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic Crew works on the Appalachian Trail from Rockfish Gap in Virginia to the New York–Connecticut state line. Sponsored by the National Park Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and the A.T. maintaining clubs of the mid-Atlantic region, it normally runs for eight weeks from late August to late October.
Base Camp
The crew base provides a meeting place for the crew on the day prior to the work week. It has a kitchen, dining/meeting hall, showers, bunk space, and parking for crew volunteer vehicles.
Crew Week
Crew members meet at base camp on the afternoon or evening of the day before the first day of their work week for dinner and an orientation session. The first day of the work week begins with a hearty breakfast at 7 a.m. followed by travel to the project. The remainder of the first day is spent on some combination of working on the project and setting up a field camp. The crew spends the next three days working on the project. On the final day of the work week, the schedule is reversed: field camp is packed up, some work may be done on the project, and the crew travels back to base camp. Tools, the field kitchen, and vehicles are cleaned, followed by an optional celebratory dinner. Volunteers for the next session may be able to stay at the base camp between sessions, with the exception of the mid-season break — please indicate whether you are interested in this while registering.
Please note that while there are usually three days off between each crew session, occasionally adjustments to that schedule must be made. Please contact us with any questions about the schedule.
Mid-Atlantic Schedule 2023
Session 1: Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
Wednesday, August 30 – Monday, September 4
The Crew will be working on a relocation of the Appalachian Trail within the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. This relocation will reduce the steepness of this section of the Trail, providing visitors with an improved experience today and into the future. This new route will have a more gradual grade, helping to prevent erosion by reducing the amount and speed of water that travels down the tread of the Trail. Constructing a new and more sustainable path for the Trail involves tasks such as vegetative clearing, tread definition, side hill tread construction, stone step installation, and crib wall construction. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 3/10 of a mile to the worksite with a climb of between 200 and 450 feet. The crew will be staying at a nearby A.T. hostel.
Session 2: Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
Thursday, September 7 – Tuesday, September 12
The Crew will be working on a relocation of the Appalachian Trail within the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. This relocation will reduce the steepness of this section of the Trail, providing visitors with an improved experience today and into the future. This new route will have a more gradual grade, helping to prevent erosion by reducing the amount and speed of water that travels down the tread of the Trail. Constructing a new and more sustainable path for the Trail involves tasks such as vegetative clearing, tread definition, side hill tread construction, stone step installation, and crib wall construction. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 3/10 of a mile to the worksite with a climb of between 200 and 450 feet. The crew will be staying at a nearby A.T. hostel.
Session 3: Palmerton A.T. Relocation
Friday, September 15 – Wednesday, September 20
The Crew will continue work on a relocation of the A.T. on Blue Mountain, near Palmerton, Pennsylvania. This relocation will provide visitors with a more sustainable treadway while also bringing them to spectacular new viewpoints along the way. The work will involve tasks like vegetative clearing, tread definition, side hill tread construction, stone step installation and crib wall construction. The crew will tent at a nearby commercial campground. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 3/4 of a mile to the worksite with no appreciable change in elevation.
Session 4: Palmerton A.T. Relocation
Sunday, September 24 – Friday, September 29
The Crew will continue work on a relocation of the A.T. on Blue Mountain, near Palmerton, Pennsylvania. This relocation will provide visitors with a more sustainable treadway while also bringing them to spectacular new viewpoints along the way. The work will involve tasks like vegetative clearing, tread definition, side hill tread construction, stone step installation and crib wall construction. The crew will tent at a nearby commercial campground. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 3/4 of a mile to the worksite with no appreciable change in elevation.
Session 5: Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
Wednesday, October 4 – Monday, October 9
The Crew will be working on a relocation of the Appalachian Trail within the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. This relocation will reduce the steepness of this section of the Trail, providing visitors with an improved experience today and into the future. This new route will have a more gradual grade, helping to prevent erosion by reducing the amount and speed of water that travels down the tread of the Trail. Constructing a new and more sustainable path for the Trail involves tasks such as vegetative clearing, tread definition, side hill tread construction, stone step installation, and crib wall construction. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 3/10 of a mile to the worksite with a climb of between 200 and 450 feet. The crew will be staying at a nearby A.T. hostel.
Session 6: Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
Wednesday, October 11 – Monday, October 16
The Crew will be working on a relocation of the Appalachian Trail within the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. This relocation will reduce the steepness of this section of the Trail, providing visitors with an improved experience today and into the future. This new route will have a more gradual grade, helping to prevent erosion by reducing the amount and speed of water that travels down the tread of the Trail. Constructing a new and more sustainable path for the Trail involves tasks such as vegetative clearing, tread definition, side hill tread construction, stone step installation, and crib wall construction. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 3/10 of a mile to the worksite with a climb of between 200 and 450 feet. The crew will be staying at a nearby A.T. hostel.
Session 7: Tagg Run Bridge Replacement
Friday, October 20 – Wednesday, October 25
The Crew will be working on replacing of a 32-foot long two-stringer log bridge in Michaux State Forest near Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania. The work will involve tasks such as dismantling the old bridge, using a grip hoist system (which is a manual device that uses a wire rope to lift or pull heavy loads) to set in place the new log stringers for the bridge, and installing new decking as well as guard rails. The crew will be staying at the basecamp and commuting each day to the work site. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 1/2 mile to the worksite with little change in elevation.
Session 8: Tagg Run Bridge Replacement
Saturday, October 28 – Thursday, November 2
The Crew will be working on replacing of a 32-foot long two-stringer log bridge in Michaux State Forest near Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania. The work will involve tasks such as dismantling the old bridge, using a grip hoist system (which is a manual device that uses a wire rope to lift or pull heavy loads) to set in place the new log stringers for the bridge, and installing new decking as well as guard rails. The crew will be staying at the basecamp and commuting each day to the work site. Each workday the Crew will be hiking about 1/2 mile to the worksite with little change in elevation.
Contact us
Give us a call at (717) 258-5771 x203 or email bsickley@appalachiantrail.org with any questions.