Hikers, Volunteers, Hard Work and Relationships
In your “Presidents Log Book Entry” article in the monthly newsletter, you talked about the need for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) to build its “brand identity” to reach our target “consumers”. About that…
I’m involved in PATC as a trail maintainer and an avid hiker with 1700 miles of an AT Section hike over 14 years. I’m in it to meet the likes of Tom Johnson, one of your predecessors as PATC president. I ran into him once in the middle of a long day-hike, corresponded a bit and devoured the copy of the history of the PATC which he wrote and sent to me shortly before he passed on while leading a hike. I’m in it to work with Jon & Katherine Rindt, Mosby district supervisors. I admire their non-ceasing selfless work to clear 100s of blow downs, corral the cats (volunteers like me), fix signage, work with the county/state/parks to get parking lots fixed, etc. I’m in it to take trail maintenance classes from the likes of Robert Fina and to, again, admire the dedication, learning and investment of time and resources he puts into it. I do my little bit, but there are giants out there. I’m in it to take walks with my family, to meet casual hikers and to talk to the steady stream of thru-hikers who are on a mission. I’m in it drag my daughter-in-law, a professional ornithologist, out with me to do maintenance and to be amazed as she identifies 30+ in species of birds around us on one outing without even seeing most of them. She then put together a display about the birds that is in the display case at the Tucker Lane parking lot (thanks to Jon, too).
So, yeah, brand identity. I’d welcome the chance to get to know you and to talk to you about it, one-on-one. I could use some help cleaning out water bars and weed-wacking my section once the vegetation gets going later this spring. Let me know if you’d like to help.
#48 of #100DaysToOffload take 2.1, https://100daystooffload.com/