About the Crew

Our crew was organized in 2007 to repair steep, eroded sections of the Appalachian Trail in the South District of Shenandoah National Park. We regrade tread and replace or repair waterbars and grade dips.

Core members of the crew are Al and Andrè Dahler of Fishersville, John Shannon of Charlottesville, and Richard Klotz of Churchville. I’m Mark Gatewood from Mount Sidney, the crew leader. You can contact me by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 540.248.0442.

We work one day a month throughout the summer and often pull together spur-of-the-moment trips to help out with whatever comes up.

About Our Work

Our work is strenuous at times. Our projects often involve moving logs and rocks and take us off the trail into the underbrush.

What You Need

We provide training, tools, safety gear, and encouragement. We strongly recommend you wear long pants and hiking boots or work boots as well as heavy work gloves. You must bring your own lunch, water, and your favorite insect repellent. Do this, and you’re ready to join us!

You should always wear clothing appropriate for the weather and season. Additionally, you must wear sturdy hiking boots while working. That means: no walkers, running shoes, tennis shoes, or sandals of any variety. What you wear when we aren’t working is a different matter…

Tools

The crew chief brings all tools we use on our projects.

Personal Gear

You should bring at least:

• Day pack
• Heavy work gloves
• Personal First Aid kit
• Sun screen
• Water bottles (lots of water—2 or 3 one-quart or liter bottles)
• Lunch
• Snacks
• Rain gear

Finally…

The best reward is when a through-hiker comes along and takes a few minutes out of his or her twenty-mile day to chat and thank us for our work.