Charly Lee

February 2011

If you haven’t met Charly Lee – you are missing out! Charly is a volunteer with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s southern office, based in Asheville, NC.  He was introduced to A.T. when he was a Boy Scout in Georgia, and he began section hiking the A.T. in 1966, his senior year in college.  He climbed Katahdin in 1970, and has “been filling in between ever since.”  Charly is a retired electrical engineer, and since retiring, has been “accumulating . . .serious miles.”  He is northbound from Bennington, VT and hopes to finish in 2011 or 2012. 
 
In ATC’s southern office, Charly helps with the license plate program. (Proceeds from the A.T. specialty plates provide support for ATC’s efforts managing and maintaining the Trail.) He is also creating a lending library of Trail-related books and periodicals based in the Asheville office, and does some data entry, but is up for almost anything, particularly if food is involved. 
Though Charly is currently spending most of his volunteer time in ATC’s Asheville office, he also volunteers with the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC), one of the 31 Trail maintaining clubs charged with maintaining the Appalachian Trail, and plans to expand his work with the club. 
 
Charly volunteers because he enjoys “the challenge and rewards of doing new things, meeting new people, and learning new skills.  Plus, usually, it is fun.”  Says Julie Judkins, ATC’s Community Program Manager, Charly brings “great smiles, charm and most importantly a can-do attitude” to his volunteer work.  Thanks Charly!