I just finished my ridge runner training week in Connecticut, and I will be spending the summer working along the Appalachian Trail. I’m excited for the opportunity to give back to the trail.
The most asked question we get is…
What is a ridge runner?
The short answer is I am a glorified trash lady/ park ranger with no authority.
One of my big job duties is picking up trash I find along the trail and in shelters. So be kind to us ridge runners (and trail volunteers) and pack out everything you bring in. No abandoning unwanted items at shelters! No one wants your old t-shirt or book with missing pages.
Another thing I do is break up fire pits and talk to people about not having fires. The Connecticut section of the trail does not allow fires. Most of the land in this section is privately owned, but the trail is allowed to go through it on the condition that there are no fires permitted. People don’t want their forests burned down, basically. I know fires are awesome, but there’s only a 50 mile area that they are banned. You can get through it!
I have an assortment of other responsibilities, but the main thing is just chatting with people I meet and spreading awareness about Leave No Trace.
I’ll be Instagramming my summer ridge running @appalachiantrailgirl or search the hashtag #ridgerager to see posts by myself and my fellow ridge runners.
This is so great as I was actually really wondering that very thing, “what is a Ridge Runner?” I live in California and have only heard that term associated with the Appalachian Trail which I have not hiked. Thanks for the explanation and thanks for your service.
Thanks for what you do! Will do our part to keep it picked up for you all! Congrats!
Looks like a dream summer job. But can I “afford” it? How much is the pay?
Love all the #ridgerager pictures 🙂 I’m interviewing to be a ridgerunner in NJ this summer. Was the interview hard?
6 months in the woods with no campfire is utter sacrilege. That is crazy. Sure its required to not have fires where it is legally banned, and fire safety applies, but to spend 6 months in the woods without a campfire is ridiculous. Most of the shelters with fireplaces have been picked completely bare of firewood. So if somebody is going to have a fire at all its probably at one of those fire pits. And if they can’t find one they’ll make a new one.
Most sections of the AT do allow campfires. Connecticut is an exception because the trail corridor closely follows private land.