The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is a volunteer organization that works to maintain hiking

trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

in the Washington, D.C. area of the United States. PATC was founded in 1927 to protect and develop the local section of the then new

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

. It has expanded its mission to oversee over of trails, 47 shelters and 39 cabins in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and Washington, D.C.

Appalachian Trail

PATC maintains of the Appalachian Trail, allocated to PATC by the

Appalachian Trail Conservancy The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC; formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in 1 ...

, which manages all day-to-day trail and land management activities under agreement with the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. PATC's area of responsibility begins at the southern end of

Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park (often ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its ...

in Virginia and reaches north to Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylvania. 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 th
Blue and White Crew.

Other trails

In addition to its 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

Tuscarora Trail The Tuscarora Trail is a hiking trail in the eastern United States, following the Appalachian Mountains through portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Its route is roughly parallel to, and to the west of, the Appalachia ...

. Other examples are the Massanutten Trail, the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail, and the trails in the Great North Mountain area that lead to the Big Schloss peak.

Other activities

The club also has separate sections for climbing and mountaineering, ski touring, wilderness search and rescue (SMRG/ASRC), and trail patrol. PATC operates a number of primitive cabins for rent to members and non-members (one such cabin is Corbin Cabin).Shenandoah National Park - PATC Cabins (U.S. National Park Service)
Retrieved from the NPS website February 12, 2008. 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.

References

;Notes *''The Potomac Appalachian'', the newsletter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. *''The Bulletin'', the original newsletter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (early years).

External links

Potomac Appalachian Trail ClubPATC Acme Treadway Company
trail crew
PATC A.T. Management, Shenandoah National Park - South District
{{Use mdy dates, date=September 2014 Appalachian culture in Maryland Appalachian culture in Virginia Appalachian culture in Pennsylvania Appalachian culture in Washington, D.C. Appalachian Trail Hiking organizations in the United States Shenandoah National Park West Virginia culture