AMCBerkshire.OrgThe Western Massachusetts chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club

The Mass AT Committee is seeking an interested volunteer to take a leadership role in reactivating our volunteer ridge runner program. This program has been active in the past but has fallen into dormancy in the last few years. With the increased use of the AT, the need for volunteer Ridge Runners to assist hikers and support responsible use of the trail including Leave No Trace practices is likewise increasing. If you are interested in taking on this leadership role or in becoming a volunteer Ridge Runner, please contact us at: at.volunteer.coord@amcberkshire.org

The Mass AT Committee is pleased to announce that Hank Barton has joined the Committee filling a new role as Group Use Coordinator. In this role Hank will make contact with groups using the AT in Massachusetts and assist them with the planning of their trips on the AT. During periods of heavy group use it can be a real challange to avoid multiple groups arriving at an overnight site with limited capacity. We are very fortunate to have Hank volunteer for this role which will greatly assist our efforts to minimize the impact of group use on the AT. If you have a group planning to use the AT please contact Hank at: habarton@charter.net

The Mass AT Committee project schedule for the upcoming season will be published soon. A range of projects are planned for the year including boardwalk repairs, shelter and privy roof replacements, bog bridging, blowdown blitzes, trail brushing, open area clearing, natural heritage site visits, dock repairs and more! Click on our Getting Involved page for the 2012 Project Schedule (coming soon). If you’d like to join in a project just contact the project leader listed. No experience is needed, just a desire to get outdoors and have a great time with a great bunch of folks!

The Upper Goose Pond Cabin will be opened for the season on Saturday, May 19th. Until the opening, hikers may use the open porch or tent platforms to camp as in the past. Hikers are advised to use the bear box to store their food as bears will be active soon. Starting on opening day, caretakers will be on duty at the cabin until cabin closing in mid-October. If you are interested in joining in the fun of cabin opening for the season, please contact Steve Schimpff at 413-243-8902.

The 10th annual AT Volunteer Gathering at the Mount Greylock Visitors Center was a big success with approximately 60 current volunteers, prospective volunteers and retired volunteers participating. The gathering brought trail maintenance volunteers, land monitors, natural heritage monitors, Upper Goose Pond cabin caretakers and shelter adopters together to share experiences and hear the latest and greatest from the AT Management Committee leaders.

AMC-Berkshire’s ‘Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee’ is responsible for the maintenance, management, and protection of the almost 90 miles of Appalachian Trail within Massachusetts, coordinating the extensive volunteer effort that keeps the trail open and beautiful. We work in partnership with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the National Park Service (NPS).

This is a list of campsites and shelters on the Massachusetts portion of the Appalachian Trail, listed from north to south.

The AT is managed as a “primitive footpath”. Hikers are expected to be self-reliant, and to carry appropriate equipment for the season and terrain.

Because the AT can be very busy, we ask all hikers to respect the trail, overnight sites, and their fellow travelers. The Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee in partnership with Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation established the following guidelines and regulations to aid in that effort:

The Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee organizes Appalachian Trail supervision and maintenance within Massachusetts. If you’d like to be a part of this, get in touch with our chair (see below)!

There are literally thousands of AT-related sites on the Web. Here are a few of our favorites (with a distinct New England bias).