Trail Volunteer Training Workshops

The Trail Conference will celebrate a weekend full of trail skills training on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 at Camp Smith in Peekskill, New York. A wide variety of workshops are offered each day to Conference members, members of Conference clubs, and people from nearby communities. Attending a class is a good way of giving you the necessary skills so that you can determine if you would to like to volunteer.

The day will begin with refreshments at 9:00. The sessions are slated to begin at 9:30 and will include classroom lecture and discussion, field work (for most classes) and material to take home. Sessions will be held rain or shine. Public transportation is available via Metro North's Hudson Line to Peekskill; advanced notice is required for pick up at the station. Please check the box on the registration form.

Registration is required. As all classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and past training sesion have been filled to capacity, early registration is recommended. Registration opens March 4^th. Non-conference members should send a $5 registration fee. An information packet will be sent to all registrants in May.

Cartography and mapping Saturday & Sunday BOTH FULL
At any given time the Trail Conference is revising one or more maps sets as trails are built or moved. What is on the ground needs to be accurately represented on paper. Participants will be learning how to make maps and must be comfortable with using a compass.

Leading Hikes Saturday
Curious about how to lead a hike? What are the qualities of a good leader? Groups, especially people who have never hiked, require different techniques than hiking with friends. Although the Trail Conference does not lead hikes, clubs do. Take this class if you would like to help with the Trail Conference's new outreach projects.

Lobbying Saturday CANCELLED
Learn how to protect what is important to hikers. Hiking trails need people to tell legislators about their concerns. Letter writing and testifying at public hearings are simple ways to lobby. The Trail Conference uses action alerts to notify members that they are needed to lend their support. Follow-up for this class will be formulating a letter writing campaign for everyone in the day's workshops to participate in at the close of classes.

Maintenance "101" Saturday
Ever wonder what makes the one hiking trail more pleasant to walk on than another? The answer is in how well the trail is clipped and blazed. This training session teaches techniques, maintenance standards and what problems to expect and how to solve them. You should take this class if you are interested in becoming a maintainer or enhancing your skills.

Supervisor 101 Saturday PM
Maintainers keep the trails open, but to whom do they turn to when there are problems? A trail supervisor. This half day class covers the ins and outs of trail supervising who review trail maintenance forms and plan trail repairs. If you would like to trouble shoot and are willing to accept broader responsibilities, this class is for you. Prerequisite: Current trail maintainer

Monitoring Trail Lands Sunday
Monitors are the eyes and ears to ensure that no one misuses or encroaches on trail lands. This workshop draws heavily on the experience the Trail Conference has had in managing the Appalachian Trail on National Park Service property. Participants will learn how to check the boundaries and what problems to look for. Take this course, if you are interested in helping trails in a different way. You need to feel comfortable in off-trail situations.

Outreach to Youth Sunday
This workshop is geared to help youth leaders who have had little experience in hiking or hikers who have little experience with youth. It is an on-going program run by volunteers and was initially funded by the Appalachian Trail Conference' Outreach Grants.

Naturalist 101 Sunday
Hiking can be for exercise, socializing, or appreciating your surroundings. Learn how to learn about what is under foot or just ahead of you. If you forgot what you learned in high school biology or never took a geology class, then this is the class for you.

Rock Drill Saturday or Sunday
Sometimes drastic measures are needed to stablize an eroded section of trail or build a trail. This advanced trail construction course will teach the ins and outs of using a rock drill. It is a one day course but since it is a hands-on course, enrollment is limited. It is being offered on both days. Prerequisite: a recommendation from a crew chief.

Special Events Sunday afternoon CANCELLED
Organizing a special event is like giving a party with a special twist. Events such as the annual Meeting, Delegates Meetings, and workshops need volunteers to make the event happen. Learn how you can help trails in a different way. This workshop is for people who do not have time for a long term volunteer commitment.

Trail Assessments Sunday
State parks rely heavily on Trail Conference volunteers to maintain the foot paths. In some instances, the trails are being over used or even misused. Assessments have been done for the Appalachian Trail and need to be done for the other trails the Trail Conference maintains. This class is for those who like to do field work.

Trail Construction and Restoration Sunday FULL
Hiking trails are built with side hills, steps, and waterbars. These elements are also used to restore an eroded trail. Workshop participants will restore a section of a trail by constucting steps, waterbars, and side hills. If you have wanted to help on a trail crew or do some heavy repairs on a trail, this is the workshop for you.

Writing trail descriptions Sunday
Field checking is not just hiking to make sure what is written is correct. Each of the Trail Conference's books have different style requirements for trail descriptions. However all require attention to detail. Take this class to learn how to write a description that can delight the most demanding of editors. Class includes field work.

Last Updated: 01/18/01