Alan R. Gerber

2018 Honorary Life Member

We are privileged to enjoy the dedication, skill, and spirit of Alan Gerber.

Alan R. Gerber began his service as Appalachian Trail overseer on January 1, 1982. For 36 continuous years, Alan has maintained two sections of the A.T. in the South District of Shenandoah National Park — maintaining a total of 6.6 miles of the Trail from Browns Gap to Riprap Trail Parking Area.

Alan does not simply go out separately to work on his A.T. sections. During his tenure, he has consistently met and exceeded standards for trail maintenance on his assigned sections in tandem with several other PATC A.T. overseers, including Michael Wagner, Robert Scott, Lindsey Brown, and Jill Byrd. Their partnership endures, a remarkable achievement in itself.

There is nothing flashy or spectacular about Alan’s work. Instead, the consistent thing is the absence of complaints about his work. When I served as Supervisor of Trails, the A.T. District Manager in the South District, Larry Linebrink, often commented on the fact that he could always count on the good work done by Al Gerber.

It is our great pleasure to recognize Al Gerber with the award of Honorary Life Membership in the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.