Volunteer Vacation - Seneca Creek Backcountry, West Virginia Trail Maintenance

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Recruiting Organization: American Hiking Society

Join American Hiking Society for a week of building & maintaining trails in exciting locations across the country. Volunteer Vacations foster public land stewardship and provide volunteers the opportunity to give back to the trails they love, meet new people, and have a great time doing it! Crews consist of 6-15 volunteers accompanied by a crew leader. Volunteer Vacations involve backpacking or day hiking and accommodations vary from primitive campsites to bunkhouses or cabins. Tools and supervision are provided by the host agency or organization. Experience nature up close. Travel to new destinations. Meet other outdoor enthusiasts. Take a vacation that nourishes your body & your spirit. Get Out. Give Back.

Project Specifics: Seneca Creek Backcountry offers hikers, mountain bikers, and horsemen diverse backcountry to explore. Over 60 miles of trails twist and turn through 19,600 acres mountain vistas, open fields, along gurgling mountain streams and waterfalls, and some of the best camping in West Virginia. Bear Hunter Trail is a steep trail that climbs up to Allegheny Mountain. The trail is well located but needs rebenching and drain installation work in order to keep the trail in the correct alignment and not sloughing-off the hillside. The approaches to a stream crossing could be greatly improved with drain installation to prevent sedimentation of small streams. This trail is an important connector trail in multiple backpacking loops in the premier Seneca Creek Backcountry. This project is part of a greater push to improve the trail systems in this backcountry area that serves as a destination for many backpackers. The 2021 AHS volunteer vacation took place on Judy Spring Trail which is also part of this sought after backpacking loop. American Hiking Society volunteers will return to this area in 2022 to continue improving access to this popular backcountry location!

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Massawomeck peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, and those who continue to steward these lands today. AHS invites all volunteers to join us in our commitment to support and amplify the work of Indigenous communities as they work to dismantle the systems of oppression that these communities continue to face today.

Accommodations: Volunteers will camp at a backcountry, primitive campsite. Volunteers will need to carry their personal gear and a portion of the food/tools/cooking gear to base camp, about 3 miles in. There will be water sources all around but will require water filters to safely drink and cook with. The host will provide backcountry cooking stoves and fuel for food preparation as well as a water filter. The group will have to set up a couple bear bag hangs to support the food for the work week. Volunteers need to supply their own tent and personal camping gear including sleeping bag, towels, and personal cup/bowl/mug/eating utensils. Please contact volunteer@americanhiking.org for assistance with gear needs.

Trip Cost: $350 per person

Volunteer Experience: While trips do not require prior trail maintenance experience, all of our projects require participants to be in good physical condition and will involve 30-40 hours of physical labor during the week.

Find More Information & Register Here: https://americanhiking.org/volunteer-vacation-trip/seneca-creek-backcountry-volunteer-vacations-2022/

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training ProvidedFalse

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair AccessibleFalse

Fee Required

Fee Amount: 350.00

This opportunity is recurringFalse