Potomac Appalachian Trail Club

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The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, or (PATC), is a volunteer organization that works to maintain hiking trails in the Washington D.C. area. Originally founded in 1927 to protect and develop the local section of the then new Appalachian Trail, PATC has since expanded its mission to oversee over 1,000 miles of trails, 34 shelters and 32 cabins in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.. PATC currently has a 7,000 person membership, and relies almost exclusively on volunteer labor to pursue its mission.

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[edit] Appalachian trail

PATC maintains 240 miles of the Appalachian Trail, allocated to PATC by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which manages all day-to-day trail and land management activities under agreement with the National Park Service. PATC's area of responsibility begins at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and reaches north to Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylania. General trail maintenance is the responsibility of volunteer trail overseers, while trail construction and repair from serious damage, as well as larger projects, are managed by volunteer work crews, such as the Blue and White Crew.

[edit] Other trails

In addition to the Appalachian Trail responsibilities, PATC also maintains several hundred miles of trails in Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. These trails are found in state and national parks, national forests, and occasionally through land held by municipalities, private owners, or the club itself. One such trail is the 252 mile Tuscarora Trail.

[edit] Other activities

The club also has separate sections for climbing and mountaineering, ski touring, and trail patrol. PATC operates a number of primitive cabins for rent to members and non-members (one such cabin is Corbin Cabin).[1], In addition, the club publishes maps and guidebooks for the Appalachian Trail and other trails the club maintains, publishes a monthly newsletter, the Potomac Appalachian, and organizes hikes throughout the club's area of operations.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Shenandoah National Park - PATC Cabins (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved from the NPS website 12 February 2008.