Section Overseers
Volunteers
called overseers agree to monitor and maintain a section of the 125 miles of
trail maintained by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club.
Overseers typically manage between one and two miles of trail, but distances may vary.
Typically, a trail section will require two or more visits to control vegetation, once in late spring or early summer, with second or third visits later in the season; a visit or two to clean and rebuild erosion control devices, and trips to remove blow downs (fallen trees), repaint blazes and do general clean-up work.
Maintenance Tasks
Overseers perform routine maintenance and repair on trails, shelters, and privies along their sections including the following tasks:
- Weeding and lopping intruding vegetation
- Removing blow downs
- Painting and renewing blazes
- Cleaning dips, water bars, and drainage structures
- Enhancing/repairing tread ways
- Assessing the trail for future maintenance
- Monitoring the trail for evidence of incompatible use
- Picking up trash and discarded or abandoned items
- Replenishing wood chips or mulch at privies
More Information
Volunteers interested in becoming an overseer should contact the GATC Trails Supervisor.