Jan King
March 2020
Jan King serves as the Wilmington Trail Clubs’ (WTC) A.T. Supervisor where he oversees the Club’s seven mile section of the Appalachian Trail which includes a shelter, a privy, and multiple scenic vistas. Bob Sickley, ATC’s Regional Manager explains “[Jan] does a bit of everything”. Regardless of the five hour drive to and from the Club’s Trail section, King remains essential in leading each maintenance and corridor monitoring excursion for the past ten years.
Natural Resource and Land Stewardship Manager, Ryan Seltzer explains “Jan is always in good spirits and pleasant to work with, which shows given the fact he is always able to gather a good crew of people to work with him, coming all the way from Wilmington.” Seltzer goes on to explain ”Jan was influential in stopping what could have turned out to be a severe timber theft encroachment on their Trail section. He is dedicated to being a guardian of the AT.”
King makes it a point to also serve as a liaison for the Trail by attending a variety of meetings and connecting others who may not be as familiar with the Trail. He has worked to find a community of volunteers that live close to the Trail or visit it regularly, to help execute essential Trail maintenance tasks such as; refreshing the privy’s woodchip supplies, reporting Trail conditions, and removing downed trees.
King also serves as the WTC Hike Coordinator for their weekly Wednesday Milers, frequently leading these brisk 11-15 mile hikes and providing home baked goods to those who attend. When King isn’t busy with his numerous responsibilities as guardian of the A.T., he can be found cross country skiing in the winter or tending to his large herb and vegetable garden in the summer.