Volunteer Vactions With The Appalachian Mountain Club

By Kate | Permalink | No Comments | June 5th, 2007 | Trackback

If you’re looking for a short-term (one day to three week) volunteer vacation doing conservation work in the US, the Appalachian Mountain Club may be just the ticket for you.

There are both teen and adult programs lasting the periods listed above, and volunteers get involved in building bog bridging, installing screewall and generally maintaining the over 1400 miles of trail.

You can find the link to the 2007 schedule on the Volunteer Trail Crew Opportunities page. Some groups will hike from one location to the next (carrying their packs which weigh upwards of 40 lbs!) and others will be based at one site and make regular day trips to work. No specific skills are required but if you want to brush up on your trail maintaining skills, AMC runs a one-day basic skills training course as well for $25-$30.

The cost for the volunteer programs, which tends not to exceed $200, includes tent or other basic accommodation and food - and note that volunteers will be cooking for themselves, as a group, so get your outdoor culinary skills up to par before you start!

If you’re looking for a short getaway with a purpose, and you enjoy the outdoors, have a look around the Appalachian Mountain Club Volunteer Vacation site to get a better idea of what’s on offer.