MRATC Activities and Information, Week of May 15 - 21, 2022

MRATC TRAIL WORK:

No group trail work has been scheduled for this week.

MRATC HIKES:

May 21,  Saturday – Fun hike on the AT from Low Gap (on Rte. 421 in Shady Valley) north to McQueen Gap. Abt. 4 miles. Option to hike back or to be shuttled back. Meet at AT pkg. lot on Rte. 421 at 10 a.m.  If you plan to participate, email mtrogersatc@gmail.com. Leader:  Lissa Jackson.

Note: Hikes can be scheduled on a week by week basis rather than listed in the club’s quarterly newsletter. If a club member wishes to lead a hike, reply to this email and it can be listed in the Sunday email and on the club’s website the week of the hike (www.mratc.org under the Sidebar, Current Week’s Information). 

TRAIL DAYS 

Thanks to all who volunteered to take shifts on the club’s booth at Trail Days May 13 and 14. (A shift on Sun. May 15 is coming up this afternoon): Frank White, Mary Gale, Robert Hagen, Bunny Medeiros, Edie Bobko, Donna Barkley, Marywood and Chip Sparks, Janet Gibbons, Leah Wilson, Doug Levin, Anne Maio. We couldn’t have done it without all the willing volunteers – and it was fun to meet hikers and visitors. The attached photo shows Frank at our booth outside the Trail Center, next to TEHCC. And thanks to Marywood and Chip and Gerry Davis, who represented the club in the parade.

Here’s another outreach opportunity coming up that we need club volunteers for:

Saturday, June 4, is National Trails Day. The club committed to hosting an event at the Damascus Trail Center from 10-3. We need a couple of people to greet visitors at the Center with a public activity about items to include in a pack and to pass out club and hiking information, and a couple more to lead a short hike south on the AT. At least 4 people would be needed; more, if the five hours are split among people. If we don’t get volunteers, we can’t host the event! Please email mtrogersatc@gmail.com if you can help, either at the Center or with the hike – and which you would prefer to do – and whether you can take a whole 5 hour shift, or half a shift.

AT VISTA 2022, at SUNY NEW PALTZ, AUG. 5-8: 60 Hikes, many Excursions and 45 workshops are listed on the website: https://atvista2022.organd online registration is now active.

2022 THRU-HIKER DATA FROM THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY:

- Thru hikers currently registered to hike the A.T. sometime in 2022: 3,949

- Thru hikers currently registered to start their A.T. hike by the end of March: 2,589 (2,222

of those are registered to start at Amicalola Falls State Park).

Please keep in mind that these are numbers of individuals who have registered their thru-hike

with ATCamp, rather than a physical count of thru-hikers currently on the trail. It is possible that

some folks who register will alter their plans and not all thru-hikers may register.