Volunteer Spotlight

Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club (RATC) maintainer Mike Reilly knows firsthand that when you maintain the same six-mile section of the Appalachian Trail for a few decades, you get to know it well. So well, in fact, that he joked, “I’ve named every rock and tree.”

But despite his deep familiarity with the section of the A.T. that he maintains in Virginia’s Bland County, spending time on the Trail never gets old.

"Even though I've been doing it for 35 years, every trip is a new experience,” Mike reflected.

A former math teacher, Mike was introduced to the A.T. when a student’s father invited him out on the Trail for a weekend.

“That was it,” Mike remembered. “I was hooked."

Not long afterward, Mike joined RATC and began caring for the A.T., learning trail maintenance skills from other experienced volunteers. Since then, Mike has returned season after season to clear blowdowns, repair tread, maintain steps, and keep the Trail in great shape for hikers passing through.

A longtime hiker and camper, stewardship is about more than maintaining a footpath for Mike. It's also about helping others discover the same connection to the outdoors that has inspired him throughout his life. Mike has invited neighbors and friends, as well as his godchildren, former students, and Scouts to help him take care of the Trail.

"I tell people, 'Just come out and spend the day with me,'" Mike said. "Almost all of them come back. And now some call and ask when the next work trip will be."

Mike also enjoys volunteering alongside other trail maintainers. He often works with fellow RATC volunteers Bill and Denise Hendon, as well as his wife, Jennie, and recalled tackling one particularly massive fallen tree with the group.

"It took the four of us all day long to clear it," he remembered. "At the end of the day we were dirty and tired, but we had grins from ear to ear. We'd done a good job.”

Mike is greatly appreciated by other volunteers, as well as the hikers he meets while caring for his section.

"Mike works tirelessly to care for this national treasure,” Bill shared. “He connects with northbound hikers in the spring and southbound hikers in late summer, and is an outstanding example of true volunteer spirit along the Trail.”

The care that his section requires varies from year to year, and some seasons are more challenging than others. Following Hurricane Helene in 2024, Mike recalled that the Trail was an “absolute mess.”

"Normally I might clear three to five trees over six miles,” he said. “After the storm, there were more than twenty."

Even after the most difficult seasons, Mike finds the rewards far outweigh the challenges. Seeing the Trail restored, sharing the experience with fellow volunteers, and knowing hikers can safely enjoy the footpath make every hour of work worthwhile.

"The work is very rewarding," he shared. "And the people are wonderful. There's a lot of camaraderie."

After more than three decades of caring for the Appalachian Trail, that feeling hasn't changed.

"Once you're out on the Trail, you fall in love with it," Mike said. "You can't help but come back."

And thanks to volunteers like Mike Reilly, generations of hikers will continue to have that opportunity.